James Leavenworth: Wisely Receiving or Foolishly Perishing: Sifting the Variegated Audience of Ignatius of Antioch

Early in the second century, Ignatius of Antioch leveled a chilling warning to the Ephesian church: ‘Do not be anointed with the stench of the teaching of the ruler of this age, lest he take you captive and rob you of the life set before you’ (Ign. Eph. 17.1). This statement has been interpreted as an indication that Ignatius believed a Christian could be led away from genuine faith by what he considered to be excessively divergent beliefs. This viewpoint seems to be based on the understanding that Ignatius sifted humanity into two categories: (1) those who were unbelievers/atheists, and (2) those who were believers/Christians. However, if it can be established that Ignatius conceived of a third category—i.e., those who professed to be Christian but who were not genuine—then this warning may not have been directed towards genuine Christians who were in danger of forfeiting their salvation. This article will examine the Ephesian letter with the goal of revealing the true identity of the objects of Ignatius’ warnings. When contextual factors from within the letter are analyzed alongside the seemingly-intentional inter-textual links to Paul’s 1Cor 1:18-23, it becomes evident that Ignatius’ warnings were focused on the possibility that at least a portion of professing Christianity was in danger of perishing because they were, in reality, unbelievers. A failure to differentiate friend from foe could result in disastrous consequences. Ignatius appears to have been warning that tares had begun to spring up alongside God’s wheat.