"Jesus Called a Little Child Unto Him."

(MATT. XVIII., 2.)

According to tradition, the little child whom Jesus took and set in the midst of His disciples, saying, "Of such is the kingdom of heaven," was Ignatius, "Bishop and Martyr of Antioch." He bore the surname of Theophorus, i. e., "One who carries God, or Christ, in his heart." Some writers, Jerome among them, interpret it "One carried by Christ;" hence the tradition. He, together with Polycarp, is said to have been a disciple of St. John. His ordination is placed not earlier than 69 A.D., and his martyrdom not later than 116. It is related of him that he grew up with such purity of heart that it was granted him to hear the angels sing, and that when he became Bishop he introduced antiphonal singing in his churches, following the example of the heavenly choirs, which he had heard. It was during the persecution of the Christians under Trajan, A.D. 96-117, that he won his crown of martyrdom. "And it happened in those days that the Emperor Trajan went to fight against the Scythians and Dacians, and obtained a great victory over them. And he commanded that thanksgiving and sacrifice to the false gods should be offered up in all the provinces of his vast empire. Only the Christians refused to obey. When Trajan came to Antioch he ordered Ignatius to be brought before him, and reproached him for seducing the people from the worship of their gods, promising him infinite rewards if he would sacrifice in the temple; but Ignatius replied, 'O Caesar, wert thou to offer me all the treasures of thy empire, yet would I not cease to adore the only true and living God.' When Trajan heard this he ordered his mouth to be stopped, and commanded him to be led forth to a dungeon; and at first he resolved to put him at once to death, but afterward he reserved him for the Amphitheatre."

The journey from Antioch to Rome was long and tedious, but Ignatius took the opportunity to encourage and strengthen his fellow-Christians at the various resting-places; also to write letters to his beloved flock at Antioch, exhorting them not to weep for him, but rather to rejoice that he was counted worthy to suffer for his Lord. On a certain feast day, when placed in the midst of the arena, he lifted up his voice and cried, "Men and Romans, know ye that it is not for any crime that I am placed here, but for the glory of that God whom I worship!"

Hardly were these words uttered when two furious lions were let loose upon him. According to some accounts he fell down dead before the lions reached him. At any rate he was devoured by the lions, and only a few bones were left, which the faithful gathered up and carried back to Antioch for burial. The Epistles of Ignatius have provided a fruitful field for theological discussion. There are several dramas on the life of St. Ignatius. A tragedy, entitled "The Martyrdom of St. Ignatius," written in 1740, was enacted at Hull in 1781. The part of Ignatius was taken by Stephen Kemble.