{
"$type": "site.standard.document",
"bskyPostRef": {
"cid": "bafyreigusuwokju4wbsg76quvg537z22lofe7b2ecl4f5ul3xp5mzzmk6m",
"uri": "at://did:plc:gl3kczkbg2rbkbyxzofc7k32/app.bsky.feed.post/3mgnwpbcscv72"
},
"description": "\n\n\n\nSt. Athanasius, the great Trinitarian defender and saint of the Church, in refuting the Arian heretics mentions another great saint who became a holy martyr of Christ, St. Ignatius. Athanasius confirms that Ignatius did indeed write at least one letter, that of the Ephesians, where this eyewitness of the holy Apostles magnifies Christ as the uncreated God who became flesh from the holy Virgin.\n\n\n\nHere's what this 4th century AD intellectual giant wrote in his De Synodis. All emphasis will be",
"path": "/athanasius-confirms-ignatius-christology/",
"publishedAt": "2026-03-09T22:45:52.000Z",
"site": "https://answeringislam.blog",
"tags": [
"_De Synodis_",
"__Arians__",
"__essence__",
"__Ignatius__",
"**_Ignatius_**",
"** _Antioch_**",
"** _martyr_**",
"** _Christ_**",
"**__true__**",
"**_God_**",
"** _Ignatius_**",
"_Father_",
"_true_",
"_knowing_",
"_faith_",
"_Christ_",
"** _blessed Ignatius_**",
"_cause_",
"_Arian_",
"_heresy_",
"_persons_",
"** _conscience_**",
"_believe_",
"_essence_",
"** _grace_**",
"** _essence_**",
"** _Father_**",
"**_John 10:30_**",
"**_14:9_**",
"_Son_",
"_Arians_",
"** _God_**",
"_devil_",
"** _truly_**",
"_John 16:15_",
"_John 17:10_",
"_God_",
"**_John 1:1_**",
"**_Apocalypse 1:8_**",
"_John 8:12_",
"_John 1:3_",
"_5:19_",
"** _eternal_**",
"_Almighty God_",
"** _Paul_**",
"** _Jesus Christ_**",
"_Romans 1:20_",
"_John 1:1-9_",
"_Genesis 19:24_",
"_Isaiah 45:5_",
"_Amos 5:16_",
"_1 Corinthians 8:6_",
"_Son of Man_",
"** _honour_**",
"** _Son_**",
"_Hebrews 1:6_",
"_Matthew 4:11_",
"_24:31_",
"_John 5:23_",
"_Philippians 2:6_",
"_truly_",
"_Gospel_",
"_Deuteronomy 6:4_",
"_Psalm 50:1_",
"_118:27_",
"_84:7_",
"** _sins_**",
"_Jews_",
"_Paul_",
"_eternal_",
"** _glory_**",
"_Matthew 9:5_",
"_Mark 2:11_",
"_1 Timothy 1:17_",
"_Psalm 24:7_",
"_Daniel 4:3_",
"_7:14_",
"** _Athanasius on Origen’s Christology_**"
],
"textContent": "St. Athanasius, the great Trinitarian defender and saint of the Church, in refuting the Arian heretics mentions another great saint who became a holy martyr of Christ, St. Ignatius. Athanasius confirms that Ignatius did indeed write at least one letter, that of the Ephesians, where this eyewitness of the holy Apostles magnifies Christ as the uncreated God who became flesh from the holy Virgin.\n\nHere's what this 4th century AD intellectual giant wrote in his _De Synodis_. All emphasis will be mine:\n\n## Part 3. On the Symbols 'Of the Essence' And 'Coessential.'\n\n> _We must look at the sense not the wording. The offense excited is at the sense; meaning of the Symbols; the question of their not being in Scripture. Those who hesitate only at 'coessential,' not to be considered_ __Arians__ _. Reasons why 'coessential' is better than 'like-in-___essence__ _,' yet the latter may be interpreted in a good sense. Explanation of the rejection of 'coessential' by the Council which condemned the Samosatene; use of the word by Dionysius of Alexandria; parallel variation in the use of Unoriginate; quotation from_ __Ignatius__ _and another; reasons for using 'coessential;' objections to it; examination of the word itself; further documents of the Council of Ariminum…_\n>\n> 47**.****_Ignatius_****, for instance, who was appointed Bishop in**** _Antioch_****after the Apostles, and became a**** _martyr_****of**** _Christ_****, writes concerning the Lord thus** : 'There is one physician, **fleshly and spiritual, originate** **_and unoriginate_ **,' _God in man_ , **__true__**** _life_ in death, both from Mary and from ****_God_**;' whereas **some teachers who followed**** _Ignatius_**, write in their turn, 'One is the Unoriginate, the _Father_, and one the genuine Son from Him, _true_ offspring, **Word and Wisdom of the Father**.' If therefore we have hostile feelings towards these writers, then have we right to quarrel with the Councils; but if, _knowing_ their _faith_ in _Christ_, **_we are persuaded that the_**** _blessed Ignatius_**** _was right_ in writing that Christ was originate on account of the flesh (for He became flesh), _yet unoriginate, because He is not in the number of things made and originated_ , but Son from Father**; and if we are aware too that those who have said that the Unoriginate is One, meaning the _Father_, **_did not mean to lay down that the Word was originated and made_** , but that the Father has no personal _cause_, **but rather is Himself Father of Wisdom,_and in Wisdom has made all things that are originated_** ; why do we not combine all our Fathers in religious belief, those who deposed the Samosatene as well as those who proscribed the _Arian_ _heresy_, instead of making distinctions between them and refusing to entertain a right opinion of them? I repeat, that those, in view of the sophistical explanation of the Samosatene, wrote, 'He is not coessential;' and these, with an apposite meaning, said that He was. For myself, I have written these brief remarks, from my feeling towards _persons_ who were religious to Christ-ward; but were it possible to come by the Epistle which we are told that the former wrote, I consider we should find further grounds for the aforesaid proceeding of those blessed men. **For it is right and meet thus to feel, and to maintain** **a good**** _conscience_****toward the Fathers, if we be not spurious children,_but have received the traditions from them, and the lessons of religion at their hands_**.\n\n> 48. Such then, as we confess and _believe_, **being the sense of the Fathers** , proceed we even **in their company** to examine once more the matter, calmly and with a kindly sympathy, with reference to what has been said before, viz. whether the Bishops collected at Nicæa do not really prove to have thought aright. For if the Word be a work and foreign to the Father's _essence_, so that He is separated from the Father by the difference of nature, He cannot be one in _essence_ with Him, **but rather He is homogeneous by nature with the works, though He surpass them in**** _grace_****. On the other hand, if we confess that He is not a work but the genuine offspring of the Father's**** _essence_****, it would follow that He is inseparable from the**** _Father_****, being connatural, because He is begotten from Him. And being such, good reason He should be called Coessential**. Next, if the Son be not such from participation, **but is in His**** _essence_****the Father's Word and Wisdom, and this**** _essence_****is the offspring of the Father's**** _essence_****, and its likeness as the radiance is of the light, and the Son says, 'I and the Father are One,' and, 'he that has seen Me, has seen the Father?'****_John 10:30_****;****_14:9_**, how must we understand these words? Or how shall we so explain them as to preserve the oneness of the Father and the _Son_? Now as to its consisting in agreement of doctrines, and in the Son's not disagreeing with the _Father_, as the _Arians_ say, **_such an interpretation is a sorry one; for both the Saints, and still more Angels and Archangels, have such an agreement with_**** _God_**** _, and there is no disagreement among them_**. For he who disagreed, the _devil_, was beheld to fall from the heavens, as the Lord said. Therefore if by reason of agreement the Father and the _Son_ are one, **_there would be things originated which had this agreement with_**** _God_**** _, and each of these might say, 'I and the Father are One.' But if this be absurd, and so it_**** _truly_**** _is_ ,** **it follows of necessity that we must conceive of Son's and Father's oneness in the way of**** _essence_**. For things originate, though they have an agreement with their Maker, yet possess it only by influence, and by participation, and through the mind; the transgression of which forfeits heaven. But the _Son_, being an offspring from the _essence_, is one by _essence_, Himself and the Father that begot Him.\n\n> 49. **This is why He has equality with the Father by titles expressive of unity, and what is said of the**** _Father_****, is said in Scripture of the Son also, all but His being called Father**. For the Son Himself said, 'All things that the Father has are Mine' _John 16:15_; and He says to the _Father_, 'All Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine' _John 17:10_ — as for instance, the name _God_; for 'the Word was _God_;'— **_Almighty, 'Thus says He that is, and that was, and that is to come, the Almighty'_****_John 1:1_**** _;_****_Apocalypse 1:8_**:— the being Light, 'I am,' He says, 'the Light' _John 8:12_:— **_the Operative Cause, 'All things were made by Him,' and, 'whatsoever I see the Father do, I do also'_** _John 1:3_; _5:19_:— **_the being Everlasting, 'His_**** _eternal_**** _power and godhead,' and, 'In the beginning was the Word_** ,' and, 'He was the _true_ Light, which lights every man that comes into the world;'— **_the being Lord, for, 'The Lord rained fire and brimstone from the Lord_** ,' and the Father says, 'I am the Lord,' and, 'Thus says the Lord, the _Almighty God_;' **_and of the Son_**** _Paul_**** _speaks thus, 'One Lord_**** _Jesus Christ_**** _, through whom all things'_** _Romans 1:20_; _John 1:1-9_; _Genesis 19:24_; _Isaiah 45:5_; _Amos 5:16_; _1 Corinthians 8:6_. And on the Father Angels wait, and again the Son too is worshipped by them, 'And let all the Angels of God worship Him;' and He is said to be Lord of Angels, for 'the Angels ministered unto Him,' and 'the _Son of Man_ shall send His Angels.' **_The being honoured as the_**** _Father_**** _, for 'that they may_**** _honour_**** _the_**** _Son_**** _,' He says, 'as they_**** _honour_**** _the Father;'_** — **_being equal to_**** _God_**** _, 'He counted it not a prize to be equal with God?'_** _Hebrews 1:6_; _Matthew 4:11_; _24:31_; _John 5:23_; _Philippians 2:6_:— the being Truth from the True, and Life from the Living, as being _truly_ from the Fountain, even the Father;— the quickening and raising the dead as the _Father_, for so it is written in the _Gospel_. And of the Father it is written, 'The Lord your God is One Lord,' and, 'The God of gods, the Lord, has spoken, and has called the earth;' **_and of the_**** _Son_**** _, 'The Lord God has shined upon us,' and, 'The God of gods shall be seen in Sion_**.' And again of _God_, Isaiah says, 'Who is a God like You, taking away iniquities and passing over unrighteousness?' _Deuteronomy 6:4_; _Psalm 50:1_; _118:27_; _84:7_ (Septuagint); Micah 7:18). **_But the Son said to whom He would, 'Your_**** _sins_**** _are forgiven you_** ;' for instance, when, on the _Jews_ murmuring, He manifested the remission by His act, saying to the paralytic, 'Rise, take up your bed, and go unto your house.' And of God _Paul_ says, 'To the King _eternal_;' **_and again of the_**** _Son_**** _, David in the Psalm, 'Lift up your gates, O you rulers, and be lifted up you everlasting doors, and the King of_**** _glory_**** _shall come in_**.' And Daniel heard it said, 'His Kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom, and His Kingdom shall not be destroyed' _Matthew 9:5_; _Mark 2:11_; _1 Timothy 1:17_; _Psalm 24:7_; _Daniel 4:3_; _7:14_. And in a word, all that you find said of the _Father_, **so much will you find said of the**** _Son_****, all but His being Father** , as has been said.\n\n**Further Reading**\n\n** _Athanasius on Origen’s Christology_**",
"title": "Athanasius Confirms Ignatius’ Christology",
"updatedAt": "2026-03-09T22:58:56.774Z"
}