Ignatius - Epistle to the Magnesians

Saint Ignatius of Antioch’s Epistle to the Magnesians was written around 107 AD to the Christian community in Magnesia, near Ephesus. In this letter, Ignatius urges the believers to remain united under their youthful bishop, Damas, along with the priests and deacons, emphasizing obedience, humility, and harmony within the Church.

He warns against Judaizing tendencies—the practice of observing the old Jewish law after Christ’s coming—and exhorts them instead to live according to the “newness of Christ”, observing the Lord’s Day rather than the Sabbath.

The letter highlights Christ’s divinity and humanity, obedience to ecclesial authority, and the importance of faith, charity, and unity. It reflects Ignatius’s vision of the Church as a divinely ordered body, gathered in love under its bishop, and living fully in the grace of the Gospel.