Sophia Scriptura

To the Trallians 10.1

Ignatius of Antioch · To the Trallians · ca. 110 (range ca. 105–135) · Smyrna · Read in context

Summary: If Christ only seemed to suffer, Ignatius's martyrdom would be pointless.

Greek text · Lake, LCL 24:220–222

Εἰ δέ, ὥσπερ τινὲς ἄθεοι ὄντες, τουτέστιν ἄπιστοι, λέγουσιν, τὸ δοκεῖν πεπονθέναι αὐτόν, αὐτοὶ ὄντες τὸ δοκεῖν, ἐγὼ τί δέδεμαι, τί δὲ καὶ εὔχομαι θηριομαχῆσαι; δωρεὰν οὖν ἀποθνήσκω. ἄρα οὖν καταψεύδομαι τοῦ κυρίου.

English · Claude translation

But if, as some who are godless (that is, unbelievers) say, he suffered only in appearance (it is they who exist only in appearance!), why am I in chains? Why do I even pray to fight the wild beasts? Then I die for nothing. Then indeed I am lying about the Lord.

About this passage

Source
Lake, LCL 24:220–222 · 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 5:681b–681c (found by text match)
Translation
Claude translation (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-26 · Translated by Claude from the Greek text of Lake (LCL 24, 1912); made independently of existing English translations.
Scripture
Topics
Christology, Heresy, Martyrdom

Notes

Translation notes

  • “In appearance” (τὸ δοκεῖν): the teaching later called docetism, from this verb (“to seem”).

Cite this passage

Ign. Trall. 10.1 (PG 5:681b–681c; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ign-trallians/10/1/).

Plain text
Ign. Trall. 10.1 (PG 5:681b–681c; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ign-trallians/10/1/).

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