The Epistle of Ignatius to the Trallians

St. Ignatius of Antioch

Summary

The Epistle to the Trallians was written c. 107–110 AD by St. Ignatius from Smyrna, after the Trallian bishop Polybius came to visit him. Its two great themes are the monarchical episcopate—reverence for the bishop, presbyters, and deacons—and a sharp warning against Docetism, the heresy that Christ only seemed to suffer.

Historical Context

As Ignatius awaited transport to Rome, Polybius, bishop of Tralles in Asia Minor, came to Smyrna to see him and conveyed the love of his church. In gratitude Ignatius wrote back, praising the Trallians’ good order and pressing upon them the necessity of the clergy for the Church’s very existence: “without these, there is no Church.”

Theological Significance

  • No Church Without the Bishop: Ignatius states the principle plainly: apart from bishop, presbytery, and deacons a community cannot be called a Church. Orthodox ecclesiology still confesses that the Church is constituted around the bishop and the Eucharist he offers—hierarchy is not administration but the very form of the Body of Christ.

  • Reverence as the Ground of Order: He urges the faithful to receive the deacons as Jesus Christ, the bishop as the Father, and the presbyters as the council of the apostles. This threefold reverence guards the Church’s unity against faction and pride.

  • The Reality of Christ’s Passion (Anti-Docetism): Ignatius insists that Christ “was truly born, and did eat and drink … was truly crucified, and died … was also truly raised from the dead.” Against those who say He suffered only in appearance, Orthodoxy maintains that our salvation depends on the reality of His flesh, His death, and His Resurrection.

  • Heresy as Deadly Poison: He likens false teaching to a deadly drug mixed with sweet wine, urging the faithful to cling to the Church’s food alone. This is the pastoral vigilance—guarding the flock from error—that marks the episcopal office throughout the Fathers.

  1. 0. Greeting
  2. 1. Acknowledgment of their excellence
  3. 2. Be subject to the bishop, etc
  4. 3. Honour the deacons, etc
  5. 4. I have need of humility
  6. 5. I will not teach you profound doctrines
  7. 6. Abstain from the poison of heretics
  8. 7. The same continued
  9. 8. Be on your guard against the snares of the devil
  10. 9. Reference to the history of Christ
  11. 10. The reality of Christ's passion
  12. 11. Avoid the deadly errors of the Docetæ
  13. 12. Continue in unity and love
  14. 13. Conclusion

Ignatius, who is also called Theophorus, to the holy Church which is at Tralles, in Asia, beloved of God, the Father of Jesus Christ, elect, and worthy of God, possessing peace through the flesh, and blood, and passion of Jesus Christ, who is our hope, through our rising again to Him, which also I salute in its fullness, and in the apostolic character, and wish abundance of happiness.