A Missionary Team is Forged

In our last lesson we described how Barnabas and Paul ministered together in Antioch for a year, from 43 to 44 AD. We can calculate the precise year because of a chronological anchor which Acts 11 reports to us: the death of Herod Agrippa. Historians have determined Herod died in AD 44. So, the relief trip Paul and Barnabas made to Jerusalem from Antioch can be dated just before Herod’s death.

Here’s the biblical account of the events:

… Herod took his seat on the rostrum and began delivering an address... The people repeatedly cried out, ‘The voice of a god and not of a man!’ And immediately an angel of the Lord struck him because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and died.

But the Word of the Lord continued to grow and to be multiplied.

And Barnabas and Saul returned [to Antioch] when they had fulfilled their mission to Jerusalem, taking along with them John, who was also called Mark (Acts 11:21-25).

With this we have determined the year in which one of the most powerful ministry teams in history—Paul and Barnabas—was forged. These two returned to Antioch in AD 45 accompanied by Mark, the author of the Gospel of Mark. The distance along the principal route between Jerusalem and Antioch would have been some 300 miles, so it was quite a trip for these three men!

Although messengers or military units would have moved faster, travel time for itinerant preachers moving at an average of 17 miles per day by foot or donkey would be three weeks—including a few days dedicated to R&R. Paul, Barnabas, and Mark made that journey, proving that they were fit, brave, and dedicated to serving God.

Antioch-Ignatius Timeframe

The itinerant preachers are fascinating specimens of faith and devotion, but the Church father Ignatius is the subject of our study. The story of Paul’s great missionary team leads us to the story of Ignatius.

Paul’s team traveled to Antioch in the first part of the century, and ministered there in its formative years. Ignatius was bishop of Antioch during the latter part of the century, maintaining the doctrine of Paul. His tenure lasted to the year 107 AD, approximately, when he was arrested and began his own journey—one that would end at the Colosseum in Rome.

Let’s pin down historical timestamps on the role of the church in Antioch. The following dates are all approximate, with a 3-year margin of error. For example, with our first timestamp, the crucifixion could have taken place as early as 27 and as late as 33 AD.

• 30 AD: Jesus was crucified and resurrected.

• 34 AD: Paul was converted near Damascus. He went at once into the Nabataean “Arabia” territories (Galatians 1:17).

• 36 AD: He returned to Damascus, preached there, and eventually fled from King Aretas (2 Corinthians 11:32–33).

• 37 AD: After three years (from his conversion) Paul visited the Apostles in Jerusalem for two weeks (Galatians 1:18).

• 37–41 AD: Paul ministered in the regions of Syria and Cilicia (Galatians 1:21).

• 41 AD: Paul returned to his hometown of Tarsus.

• 43 AD: Barnabas brought Paul to Antioch, where they taught for about a year.

• 44 AD: The two traveled to Jerusalem to aid fellow believers during the famine.

• 45 AD: They returned to Antioch and served with other prophets and teachers (Acts 13:1-3).

• 47 AD: Paul, Barnabas, and Mark were sent by the church in Antioch on the first missionary journey. For the next decade Paul traveled the Greek-speaking world, joined by Silas, Timothy, Luke, Titus, and others such as Epaphroditus.

• 57 AD: Paul was arrested in Jerusalem and later taken to Rome.

• 65 AD: Likely held in the Mamertine dungeon, Paul was decapitated by Nero.

In the Footsteps of Paul

Along with many scholars such as Adolf von Harnack, J. B. Lightfoot, and J. H. Srawley, we believe that Ignatius was born near 35 AD. He was a senior Church leader with a strongly "directive" tone in his letters by 107 AD, the approximate year he composed his letters. So, let’s say he was born in 35 AD. That means he would have been an adolescent (only 12 years old) the year Paul was sent from the Antioch congregation. And he would have been only 30 when Paul was executed.

If Ignatius ministered until age 72, for a full 50 years prior to his death, which is a strong probability, he would have started to minister in Antioch around 57 AD (the year Paul was arrested by the Romans) at age 22. Now, even if Ignatius started at age 30, it still would have been the year of Paul's execution. So, any way we do the math, Ignatius assumed church leadership at a time when following in Paul’s footsteps would have been perilous.

Ignatius makes no claim to have ever met Paul or any of the Apostles, but he taught with the same authority, conviction, and style. Most importantly, Ignatius proclaimed the same Gospel. He expressed his commitment to following the example of Paul when he wrote to the Ephesians.

Ignatius said:

You are fellow-initiates in the mysteries with Paul, who was sanctified, who bore a heroic witness, and who is truly blessed. May I be found walking in his footsteps when I finally attain to God—the very Paul who, in every single one of his epistles, remembers you in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 12:2b).

Ignatius took a long journey to Rome, just as Paul did. He too was a prisoner when he took his last trip—a man well known among the churches. That travel and the letters he affectionately wrote to the churches makes him as close to a reflection of the great Apostle Paul as any man. He walked in the footsteps of Paul like no other—and only one generation later, and from the same congregation!

Apostolic Style

Are you ready now to examine Ignatius’ theology on the Trinity? You’ll notice how closely he followed the apostolic model. You’ll notice how much his writing sounds like the writings of the Apostles. Let’s quote Ignatius in his Greeting to the Philadelphians as evidence.

He writes:

…to the church of God the Father and of the Lord Jesus Christ… whom he has firmly established by his Holy Spirit according to his own will.

With this we see that Ignatius maintained the Apostolic style of starting or ending an epistle honoring the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. This is a pattern we notice in Paul, Peter, and even Jude. Notice the following examples from Scripture:

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all (Paul speaking in 2 Corinthians 13:14).

But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy Faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life (Jude 1:20–21).

Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those… who are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with his blood (1 Peter 1:1–2).

Churches and a Pastor-Friend

In approximately the year 107 Ignatius was arrested and sent under guard to Rome. During the journey he wrote seven letters that survive in their original format. These letters are among the earliest Christian documents outside the New Testament. They provide us a clear view of the faith of a very brave bishop who carried out an extensive ministry only one generation from the original Apostles.

Ignatius composed the seven epistles while he was being escorted by unfriendly Roman soldiers to face death in the Colosseum. They include one to the Ephesians (as Paul), one to the Trallians (the Church at Tralles), one to the Romans (as Paul), one to the Philadelphians, and one to the Smyrnaeans (John wrote to both of those churches in Revelation). He also wrote an epistle to the Magnesians (that is, the Church at Magnesia). Lastly, Ignatius wrote an epistle to Polycarp.

Now, Polycarp is just as famous as Ignatius in Christian history. He was much younger but a pastor-friend of Ignatius who received him hospitably in Smyrna on Ignatius’ journey to Rome. Polycarp collected and circulated Ignatius’s letters. He was the bishop of the Church in Smyrna—and famed for having sat under the teaching of the Apostle John.

Although Ignatius was some 35 years his senior, they shared a fond affection very akin to Paul and Timothy’s affection. Just as Paul advised Timothy on how to lead a church, Ignatius advised Polycarp.

Ground Wheat

Ignatius was very aware of his impending martyrdom, but he was content with such a fate. His letters demonstrate that he was not only willing to die, he wished for it. Firstly, he did not want to be a burden to any of the believers in Rome, so he was concerned they would intervene or be troubled regarding his death. So, he compared his pending death to wheat grounded into flour.

That “grinding” would be by the teeth of the lions which he compared to the preparation of bread. That leads us to the second point, that Ignatius wanted to be a proper “grain offering” to God. The only way to explain such an attitude is that he lived in the Hope of the Kingdom. He was focused on the Resurrection.

There are many illustrations of what Ignatius had to undergo. His story is famous in the annals of Christian literature. He inspired many with his bravery and boldness.

Hope in God

The Resurrection of the Dead is a fundamental, and Ignatius believed it. So is ‘faith in God.’ Hebrews 6:1-2 lists faith in God as the second fundamental. So, of course, being mature in the Faith, Ignatius believed in God the right way. We can see his faith in God in his writings because he knew who God was--the Father--the One who resurrected Jesus Christ from the Dead.

Ignatius also knew how the Father accomplishes his will. He understood the power, headship, and working of the Father through Jesus and the Holy Spirit. We’ll examine his clarity on the Trinity next week. When we do, we expect that you’ll observe how he promoted four tenets of Trinitarianism we and the other Church fathers promote:

1. The Father is the One God

2. The Father as Source of the divine nature

3. The Hierarchy: God as Head of Jesus and the Spirit

4. The "operational" division of labor God establishes

Remember these four tenets! Every great figure in Christian history promoted them, from Jesus to Paul to Ignatius. Won’t you too?

Let’s follow in the footsteps of these men: our Lord Jesus and those who loved him. Even if we too face death, we must be strong. They faced crucifixion, beheading, and lions. We may face the Antichrist. Are you FIRM enough to resist him?