# To the Romans 5.3

- Author: [Ignatius of Antioch](https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/authors/ignatius-of-antioch/)
- Work: [To the Romans](https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ign-romans/) (*Ad Romanos*)
- Date: ca. 110 (range ca. 105–135) (disputed)
- Source: Lake, LCL 24:232; Kirsopp Lake, ed. and trans., The Apostolic Fathers, vol. 1, LCL 24 (London: Heinemann; New York: Macmillan, 1912), 172–277 (Greek text: K. Lake, The Apostolic Fathers (LCL, 1912-1913), digitized by the First Thousand Years of Greek project (Open Greek and Latin), CC BY-SA 4.0)
- Also in: PG 5:692a (found by text match)
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-26
- Canonical URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ign-romans/5/3/

Summary: Ignatius welcomes every torture, if only he may reach Christ.

## Greek text

συγγνώμην μοι ἔχετε· τί μοι συμφέρει, ἐγὼ γινώσκω, νῦν ἄρχομαι μαθητὴς εἶναι. μηθέν με ζηλώσαι τῶν ὁρατῶν καὶ ἀοράτων, ἵνα Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐπιτύχω. πῦρ καὶ σταυρὸς θηρίων τε συστάσεις, ἀνατομαί, διαιρέσεις, σκορπισμοὶ ὀστέων, συγκοπὴ μελῶν, ἀλεσμοὶ ὅλου τοῦ σώματος, κακαὶ κολάσεις τοῦ διαβόλου ἐπʼ ἐμὲ ἐρχέσθωσαν, μόνον ἵνα Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐπιτύχω.

## English translation (Claude)

Forgive me; I know what is to my advantage. Now I am beginning to be a disciple. May nothing visible or invisible envy me, so that I may attain to Jesus Christ. Fire and cross and encounters with wild beasts, cuttings and tearings, scattering of bones, mangling of limbs, grinding of the whole body, the cruel tortures of the devil: let them come upon me, only let me attain to Jesus Christ.

## Citation (SBL)

Ign. Rom. 5.3 (PG 5:692a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ign-romans/5/3/).