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THE MONEY GRABBERS FORWARD::..At first glance, the following article might appear to be about the Roman Catholic Church. However, it's just as much about today's Protestant churches. The root of this article will explain how Christianity got involved in all the purely pagan teachings, rituals, ceremonies, rites, and money grabbing, that today's Protestant churches have become obsessed with. To include bringing COMMERCE into GOD'S churches against His will.
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WOLVES IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING
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In the first century, Trajan, the Roman Emperor (98 A. D. until his death in 117 A. D.), decreed that Christians should UNITE with their pagan neighbors in the worship of the god(s).Among medieval Christian theologians Trajan was considered to be a virtuous pagan.
Emperor Trajan then feigned the kidnapping of "saint" Ignatius, who was at that time bishop of Antioch (Turkey), whom, after a whirlwind, wide spread promotional tour, he allegedly brought to Rome, where allegedly "saint" Ignatius promptly turned against everything he had ever believed and taught, and allegedly, together with Trajan the emperor, they formed the Roman Catholic Church.
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Thus the name ROMAN Catholic Church, because it was a partnership between the ROMAN government and what was being portrayed to be Christianity.The truth be known, Emperor Trajan had Ignatius murdered just outside the gates of Antioch, Turkey, where he was provably buried.
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Thereafter, at the direction of Trajan the emperor, the "church" did indeed combine Christianity with PAGANISM.
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In order to achieve this, a general persecution was threatened by Trajan, the Roman Emperor, and death was named as the penalty for anyone who refused to offer the prescribed sacrifice of combining Christianity with PAGANISM. Thereby did the Roman Catholic Church acquire its all but instant roster of members.
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It was allegedly "saint" Ignatius who, as his part in forming the Roman Catholic Church, provided such self-serving declarations as "The pope is GOD on earth", "Where ever the Catholic Church is, there is Christ", "Anything approved by a bishop is pleasing to God", and so on. (from his grave in Antioch, i suppose).
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After which, as a method to force its poor, illiterate, peasant members to buy high profit statues, trinkets, medals, tracts, relics, and other worthless junk: The church then proceeded to literally "invent" most of its first so-called "saints" out of thin air, so it could claim this garbage was in some way associated with these purely fictional, non-existent people which they (allegedly Ignatius and emperor Trajan) were claiming to be "saints". In many instances telling people this trash had actually TOUCHED these purely invented fictional people, so it could charge them higher prices for it.
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Stemming from which acts: Later came the worship of Mary and Joseph, whom Christ had never in any way even implied should be worshipped; and, as part of the above, came at least FORTY OTHER so-called "saints" who in reality never existed, but were fraudulently fabricated by the "church" out of thin air, for the purpose of bilking its members out of Billions of dollars; and whom, their members were taught to worship, and in fact to pray to !!!
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Moreover, some will claim we have been a little tough on the Roman Catholic Church with this article. The fact is, we have probably not been tough enough. As proof of this, we ask that when you finish THIS article, you follow the link at the bottom of this page and read the article titled "UNDENIABLE PROOF THAT THE "CHURCH" INVENTED ITS SAINTS", and see for yourself just what a liar the Roman Catholic Church really is; by seeing for yourself the lies it conjured up regarding what it continues to refer to as "Saint Christopher", whom, according to its own official encyclopedia, for hundreds of years, the "church" told its members, was eighteen feet tall, and had the head of a dog; then, told them they had BETTER buy all the stupid trinkets, medals, tracts, relics, statues, and other such worthless related cheaply made, highly profitable trash, because it was "somehow" related to "ole saint christopher".
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In many cases, almost two thousand years later, the "church" was still telling its members some of this junk had actually TOUCHED ole saint chris, knowing full well they (the church) had literally invented him, and that he had never existed, just so it could continue to fraudulently bilk its members out of billions of dollars.
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Even after the 1960's, when the "church" was forced to PUBLICLY ADMIT that it had done all the above: FORTY YEARS AFTER THAT, the "church" is STILL identifying ole saint chris as a saint; still raking in the cash by selling its members toilet trash it claims is somehow related to "him", and STILL lying about, still worshipping, and still allowing its members to PRAY TO, this purely fictional money making, UTTERLY DEMONIC, creation of theirs.
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Moreover, ole saint christopher is not the ONLY so-called "saint" it has invented out of thin air so it could cheat its members out of money.(See http://www.theamericannightmare.com/95_Ole_Saint_Chris_A-D.html located in the Scriptural Support section at the end of this article.)
NOR, is the Roman Catholic Church the only church that GOD has warned to not bring merchandise or commerce of any kind into His church, to include tapes, books, cookies, Bibles, tracts, statues, or any TYPE of "for sale" merchandise.
(See http://www.theamericannightmare.com/173_desolate.html located in the Scriptural Support section at the end of this article.)
"My house is to be a place of prayer, but you have made it a place of merchandise." (Quoting THE MOST HIGH GOD)
QUOTING FROM THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH'S OWN ENCYCLOPEDIA: WHY .AMERICA'S
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CHURCHES
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CANNOT .RESPOND
."Roman Catholic Cardinal Newman did not exaggerate the matter when he said: 'The whole system of Catholic doctrine may be discovered, at least in outline, not to say in parts filled up,..in the course of Ignatius' seven epistles."
Of course not. It was Ignatius (not Peter) who allegedly FOUNDED the Catholic Church. (from his grave outside of Antioch, Turkey, i suppose)Concerning which seven epistles, as documented by the text that follows below, history reveals that the "church" was later forced to admit it had literally concocted / made up the subject seven epistles to serve its own obcessions.The apostle Peter never went to Rome !!
(See: The Theology of the Seven Epistles of St. Ignatius, "Historical Sketches", London, 1890)
OF COURSE THIS IS TRUE !The original purpose of this project was to conclusively either prove or disprove the "Trinity Doctrine" once and for all, through nothing but HOLY SCRIPTURE minus man's injected desires, words, and opinions: Which took us to its very source, in order to determine precisely when, and by whom, the Trinity Doctrine as we know it today came about. We eventually had no choice but to openly call the Catholic Church a liar, and a purveyor of deceit.Because it was allegedlyIGNATIUS..(NOT.CHRIST)..who founded the Roman Catholic church at the behest of Roman Emperor Trajan, as they.. BOTH..conspired to MAKE MONEY,
by combining.PAGANISM with CHRISTIANITY !
It's VERY clearly documented by the writings found in the catholic church's own encyclopedia.
Because, what is not documented, is that Ignatius ever somuch as made it to Rome !!
THIS WAS NOT AT ANY TIME OUR DESIRE.
HOWEVER, the course of this project required us to wade our way through source after source of each, of the MANY tentacles, of the Roman Catholic church, and its sisters, some of which are the "Greek Orthodox church", and various Eastern divisions of each of these two churches. Every one of which are a direct contradiction of the "other" in their claims. Which then required us to digest MUCH of the Roman Catholic church's own publicly published Encyclopedia. Which, all by itself, has painted the Roman Catholic church to be nothing but an unquestionable liar.
We could therefore find no way to NOT publish that which we found within its own official documents.
WE HAVE SIMPLY NOT HIDDEN WHAT THE CATHOLIC CHURCH ITSELF HAS PUBLISHED. AND IT'S THOSE THINGS, THAT BRANDED IT A LIAR. IT WAS ABSOLUTELY NOT US!
Some have lined up to call the authors of this page everything from heathens, blasphemers, liars, and enemies of the Catholic church. Along with their latest names, which have been nazis, skinheads, kkk somethings, .and who knows what all names. Some of which have simply not gotten back to us yet.
But let me make it clear that we are none of the above. We simply wanted the truth, which led us to the very beginnings of the Catholic Church because, as it turned out,.THAT is where the Trinity Doctrine came from.
Prior to the year 325 A.D. there was no such thing as the "Trinity" doctrine, and those who claimed Christ was God Himself were deemed by the apostles to be "ministers of satan". To get to the truth required that we determine HOW the Catholic Church came into being. Which is exactly what we set out to do.
Purely by chance, this took us to the REASON Christianity has been infected with.PAGAN..rites, .rituals, .holidays,. ceremonies,. and beliefs. And at that point, after we had been through more official Catholic publications than anyone could ever imagine, and not finding anything. BUT. outrageous out and out blatant LIES, and money grabbing schemes: Yep, we could not resist "pulling the trigger" for both barrels and letting the ducks fall as they may. Which, no one can possibly deny we have done.
But it was because we found no truth at all within ANY Catholic document that might tend to prove any facts whatsoever pertaining to its beginning, that did not PROVE with pure and unquestionable logic, that it was IGNATIUS (who never actually made it to Rome because Trajan had him murdered in Anyioch), and the ROMAN EMPEROR TRAJAN,. NOT CHRIST, and NOT saint Peter, who founded the Catholic Church: And that it was Trajan alone, who conspired to turn Christianity into a giant money making organization, BY: First and foremost, combining it with. PAGAN.rites, rituals, holidays, ceremonies, and beliefs, to cause it to be more appealing to the masses of poor people who were at that time their only possible clientele: THEN, to out and out INVENT,. out of thin air, what they would refer to as "saints", so they could then get filthy rich, by SELLING all the extremely poor and very naive people who would become their "members", cheap but extremely profitable statues, relics, medals, tracts, and every "trinket" imaginable, which they not only told these poor people this junk was somehow related to these (purely fictional) "saints", after declaring that their new church which Ignatius (NOT CHIRST)allegedly coined as being infallible, then declared its chief bishop, which of course was allegedly IGNATIUS,.(NOT PETER), had absolute authority,.and that all members were therefore obliged to do as he said: They then had Ignatius allegedly (who was dead) tell these poor people they HAD to buy this junk, for the sole purpose of making huge amounts of money off the poor.
ALL OF WHICH EVENTUALLY LED US TO ALL OF THE FOLLOWING:
, Before we get started we want to make this one thing unquestionably clear:
There is no denying that Christ Jesus is Divine, that He is the Only Begotten Son of THE MOST HIGH GOD, who, along with Jesus, and The Holy Spirit,.combine to comprise what was originally. thought to be, taught to be, and still IS, The Holy Trinity. But even so, Jesus is NOT himself THE MOST HIGH GOD, both Christ and his father are totally separate Entities, with CHRIST eventually becoming the "GOD OF THE WHOLE EARTH, as declared by Isaiah 54:5, after he acquires his own kingdom."For thy Maker (THE MOST HIGH GOD) is thine husband; the LORD of Hosts is HIS name; .and thy Redeemer (CHRIST) the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall HE.be called." (Isaiah 54:5)
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THE MOST HIGH GOD said so. Christ Himself said so. The Old Testament says so. All history says so. The Twelve apostles said so. The early church said so. The church of Antioch, Turkey, which was founded by the apostle Peter taught it. The church of Alexandria, Egypt, which was founded by the apostle Mark taught it; Originally, before they rewrote all of his original epistles (which the Roman Catholic Church has publicly admitted doing),.IGNATIUS,.the alleged co-founder of the Catholic Church said so, The Original Nicene Creed said so, The original church of Rome said so, and WE are saying so !What you are about to read documents that the EARLY church taught that there is no such thing as "three Gods in one" !
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As taken from Chapter Two of the ORIGINAL Epistles of Ignatius to the church of Antioch, Turkey, which bears the sub title, "Ignatius cautions against false doctrines ...""I (Ignatius) have learned that certain of the..ministers of SATAN..have wished to disturb you, some of them asserting that Jesus was born only in appearance, crucified only in appearance, and died only in appearance; others that He is not the Son the Creator,..and others that He is Himself God over all. . (6) Others, again, hold that He is a mere man, and others that this flesh is not to rise again, so that our proper course is to live and partake of a life of pleasure, for that this is the chief good to beings who are in a little while to perish. A swarm of such evils has burst in upon us. (7) But ye have not "given place by subjection to them, no, not for one hour." (18) For ye are the fellow-citizens as well as the disciples of Paul, who "fully preached the Gospel from Jerusalem, and round about unto Illyricum," (9) and bare about "the marks of Christ" in his flesh."
TAKEN FROM THE CATHOLIC CHURCH'S OWN ENCYCLOPEDIA:
St. Ignatius of Antioch (SOURCE) Catholic Encyclopedia on CD-ROM
Also called Theophorus (ho Theophoros); born in Syria, around the year 50; "died at Rome" between 98 and 117. (Please note that 21 YEARS are not accounted for.)Author's Note:
At this point we as authors would like to begin demonstrating just how riddled with lies the accounting of the Catholic Church Encyclopedia's claims are regarding its..FOUNDER'S..so called, but purely, and deceitfully, alleged execution into martyrdom, .by pointing out that the church claims to have no idea as to "at what point in time" Ignatius was executed, whether it was in the year 98 A.D, or twenty-one years later in the year 117 A.D., or at some point in between, so that no researcher could ever even begin to go looking for EVIDENCE of this strictly STAGED execution.And that, after originally burying him in ROME, they allegedly moved his body 1,800 miles back to Antioch, Turkey, then buried him at places unknown - but "outside the gates" of the city, then (without having any idea when Ignatius died; Without knowing his original burial spot; Without knowing exactly "where" outside the gates Ignatious was buried: The Catholic church claims to have first moved his body hundreds of years later into a cathedral in Turkey; .Then, hundreds of years after that, probably to prevent anyone from looking for his actual burial site (which is no doubt still in ANTIOCH,. because it would have been all but IMPOSSIBLE for his two friends to have moved Ignatius' recently executed body 1,800 miles as claimed:. Hundreds of years after all the above preposterous absurdities, the POPE claims to have. "translated". the body of Ignatius back to ROME, without ever exhuming it.
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Ever heard of anything so utterly ridiculous? Well, just stay tuned there's A LOT more to come !JUST TRY to convince the authors of this page that all this was not done by the Catholic Church to conceal the actual location of Ignatius' burial site IN ANTIOCH,.to prevent SCIENCE from clearly.PROVING.that Ignatius was executed just outside the gates of Antioch, Turkey.EVEN SO, please take note:
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Moreover, as its basic premise, this "church" was founded on nothing but a money grabbing scheme to bilk its members out of every cent they could coerce them to pay.
So that the Catholic Church can. get by.with even claiming.that the term "CATHOLIC" was allegedly a "common term" during Christ's apostle's last years on earth: According to information the church gave to the Wiki Encyclopedia: The Catholic Church is dead certain that Ignatius wrote the following letter to the Smyrnaeans in the year 110 A.D.Perhaps as much as twelve years after his death !!
To wit:
This conflicting account can be found in last few paragraphs of the Wikipedia Online Encyclopedia titled "Ignatius of Antioch", at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ignatius_of_AntiochThe following is said by the "church" to be quoting Ignatius of Antioch in the year 110 A.D.
Please take note that when ever its convenient and serves its self-serving purpose, the catholic church is quite certain Ignatius was still alive in the year 110 A.D.
Also please take note that in the year 110 A.D., instead of preparing to be executed, ole Ignatius was allegedly writing the constitution for the Roman Catholic Church, IN HIS ALLEGED POSITION AS ITS UNQUESTIONED LEADER !
(Hardly a guy living in a cage having to fight daily with wild animals, as claimed by the church.)
The alleged words of Ignatius. To wit:
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"Wherever the bishop appears, there let the people be; as wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church. It is not lawful to baptize or give communion without the consent of the bishop. On the other hand, whatever has his approval is pleasing to God. Thus, whatever is done will be safe and valid." (Alleged Letter to the Smyrnaeans 8, J.R. Willis translation)It is from the word katholikos that the word "catholic" comes. When Ignatius allegedly wrote the Letter to the Smyrnaeans in roughly 110 A.D. and used the word "catholic," he allegedly used it as if it were a word already in use to describe the Church. This has led many scholars to conclude that the appellation "Catholic Church" with its ecclesial connotation may have been in use as early as the last quarter of the first century.
I wonder if Ignatius' decree that "whatever has a bishop's approval is pleasing to God", applies to all the pedophile priests the Roman Catholic BISHOPS have recently been proven to have approved of ?Author's Note
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ALSO, I wonder why my Bible doesn't have either Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, or even Paul, and certainly not Peter,.ever using the term "Catholic".
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... Not ever !!!
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IN ADDITION: we would like to know where all these mean spirited, well trained Roman Soldiers who the Catholic Church swears were guarding Ignatius 24 hours a day were, during all the times when he was allegedly writing the "constitution and by-laws" for the Roman Catholic Church.The point being, as is documented by this report, the Catholic Church will make up, and obviously has made up, just any demonic LIE it thinks its gullible members might be convinced to swallow.
THIS ENTIRE IGNATIUS THING IS A FRAUD:
Here we have a man who, by the church's own official document, which we are about to quote word for word, was supposedly publicly executed in the largest public arena in Rome, alleged by the Catholic church to have been accompanied by an entire entourage of his own friends and supporters all the way from Antioch, Turkey, to ROME, over a 1,800 miles away in the FIRST CENTURY, which was an incredible feat all by itself:To witness his execution in an arena where tens of thousands of people were known to gather to watch anytime there was going to BE an execution,
whom, as we will clearly demonstrate by the church's own document, allegedly founded the Roman Catholic Church in spite of its false claim that it was founded by Christ: And although they would have you believe he was publicly martyred to set a public example for the people of Rome, this church can't even afford to tell you the year of his death, for fear that experts will prove that that too, is also a lie!
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Nor, were they able to come up with so much as one single witness to this feigned.execution. .NOT EVEN HIS FRIENDS WHO CAME ALONG TO WATCH.IT, would make any statement that it had ever taken place at all !
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The church did however come up with one such witness, whose claim to have watched it, was, by the Roman Catholic church's own admission, later proven by experts to be an absolute fraud !
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The Catholic Church has filled its account of Ignatius' so-called public execution with so many obvious LIES, that without dressing it up to "appear" to be conceivable by using words and terms that would not be familiar to the average reader, it would not even sound plausible to a modern day six year old child. But we have to keep in mind that for tens of centuries the church was feeding this absurd tale to extremely poor, totally illiterate, uneducated, fully naive peasants, who resided in foreign countries. So yes, most bought it "hook, line, and sinker", without question, never considering for a minute that a large church would just flat out scheme and lie to deceive them.
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So, in order to expose its obvious lies, and the deceit of its purpose by the Roman Catholic Church, who, for the purpose of deceit, has dressed the following up, so they could..hold it out .as the truth: We, the publisher, have taken the time to provide the actual dictionary meaning of these words and terms every time they are used by the Catholic Church within its own text.
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HAVING SAID THE ABOVE:
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WE NOW QUOTE FROM THE CATHOLIC CHURCH'S OWN ENCYCLOPEDIA:
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"More than one of the earliest ecclesiastical writers have given credence,.though apparently .without..good reason, .to the legend that Ignatius was the child whom the Savior took up in His arms, as described in Mark 9:35.Please, please, please, keep in mind that Ignatius was not even BORN until fifty years AFTER Christ's death, and that the above is just another case of the "church" shoveling around as much B.S. as it thinks it just might get its members to believe.It is also believed, and with great probability, that, with his friend Polycarp, he was among the auditors of the Apostle St. John.If we include St. Peter, Ignatius was the third Bishop of Antioch and the immediate successor of Evodius (Eusebius, "Hist. Eccl.", II, iii, 22).
Theodoret ("Dial. Immutab.", I, iv, 33a, Paris, 1642) is the authority for the statement that St. Peter appointed Ignatius to the See of Antioch. St. John Chrysostom lays special emphasis on the honor conferred upon the martyr in receiving his episcopal consecration at the hands of the Apostles themselves ("Hom. in St. Ig.", IV. 587).
Natalis Alexander quotes Theodoret to the same effect (III, xii, art. xvi, p. 53). Ignatius was the third Bishop of Antioch and the immediate successor of Evodius, who succeeded Peter as the bishop of Antioch.
In other words, according to the Catholic Church: "Saint" Ignatius, who wasn't even born until fifty years AFTER the Crucifixion of Christ, and who wasn't even alleged to have been executed until 98 to 117 years AFTER the Crucifixion of Christ, had the honor of having "sainthood" (which required Ignatius' death) bestowed on him by Christ's apostles.AUTHOR'S QUESTIONS:
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Let's see, that would make all of Christ's apostles about a hundred and fifty years old at the time they pronounced Ignatius to be a "saint". (Didn't they all die before the age of eighty?)
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...How utterly absurd !!!
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But these are just typical of the church's obviously fabricated preposterous lies.
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Antioch: (1) Former name for what is now Antakya, Turkey.
http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/features/dictionary/DictionaryResults.aspx?refid=1861586016.
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Antakya: (1) An·ta·kya A city in southern Turkey on the Orontes River. Founded in 301 bc, it was the capital of the eastern Roman Empire from 64 bc to ad 260.
http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/features/dictionary/DictionaryResults.aspx?refid=1861695575.
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Eastern Roman Empire: (1) the eastern division of the Roman Empire, comprising the Turkish peninsula and part of southeastern Europe, esp. from 395 to 476 A.D., after which it is called the Byzantine Empire. (Cf. Western Roman Empire.)
http://www.wordsmyth.net/live/home.php?script=search&matchent=Eastern+Roman+Empire&matchtype=exact
Ok. Just one more, of a million, absurd things the Roman Catholic Church has OPENLY lied about. They boldly claim Peter was their "first pope," yet no where is the term "pope" ever used in the Bible. But what really shows their claim to be not only ludicrus but beyond ridiculous, is the fact that since "they claim" Peter was the first bishop of Antioch:
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Why was Peter not the POPE of Antioch instead of just its bishop?
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What city was their former Pope Paul the bishop over?
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You see, none of it adds up without the Catholic church being a bold faced liar.
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Since they claim Peter was their first pope, was Peter then demoted to become the bishop of Antioch? How did Peter manage to be the first POPE of the Roman Catholic Church as it so boldly claims he was: At a time some FIFTY YEARS BEFORE the Catholic Church was ever thought of by Tarjan ?
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Ok, if, as they claim, Peter was their first pope, why wasn't Evodius their second pope, and Ignatius their third pope. All these guys were bishops of Antioch !Moreover, Peter never even visited Rome.
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AND MOREOVER, except for the fact that three to 400 hundred years after his death, third and fourth century CATHOLIC BISHOPS started to CLAIM Peter had been "sent" to ROME, there is no record whatsoever of Peter ever BEING in Rome, that was made while Peter was alive.
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Moreover, since history DOES document that Peter founded the Church of Antioch, TURKEY; and, since history as well confirms that this church was not only the FIRST large church, but the largest of ALL the churches of its time: Anyone who does not accept "B.S." except as fertilizer, must ask himself, "Ok, if Peter was the head of the largest church on earth, WHO SENT HIM to Rome? Since PETER was the only one in authority to be sending anyone, anywhere!. . . .
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Here, is a list of who the Roman Catholic church claims were its first ten popes, and the years it claims they were popes:: #1. St. Peter (32-67), #2. St. Linus (67-76), #3. St. Anacletus (Cletus) (76-88), #4 St. Clement I (88-97), #5. St. Evaristus (97-105), #6. St. Alexander I (105-115), #7. St. Sixtus I (115-125) -- also called Xystus I, #8. St. Telesphorus (125-136), #9. St. Hyginus (136-140) #10. St. Pius I (140-155)
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WHAT LIES !!! If Peter was the pope between 32 and 67 A.D., HOW was Peter the Bishop of Antioch during these same years? How is it that there WAS no Catholic church during this same period, and in fact, by the Catholic Church's own official records, Ignatius was allegedly still writing its by-laws and constitution in the year 110 A.D.
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ADDITIONAL AUTHOR'S COMMENT:
Please note from this next paragraph that according to its own encyclopedia, while the Catholic church simultaneously teaches that in order to escape being martyred, its early members were living in the catacombs of Rome, where the entire city had been burying its dead for centuries, which however, stunk so bad no one could stand to even be IN them long enough to deposit their dead: We now have a man who, by the church's obviously absurd account, was PLEADING to be executed !
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Back to the Catholic Church's own encyclopedia ...
"All the sterling qualities of an ideal pastor and a true soldier of Christ were possessed by the Bishop of Antioch in a preeminent degree. Accordingly, when the storm of the persecution of Domitian broke in its full fury upon the Christians of Syria, it found their faithful leader prepared and watchful. He was unremitting in his vigilance and tireless in his efforts to inspire hope and to strengthen the weaklings of his flock against the terrors of the persecution. The restoration of peace, though it was short lived, greatly comforted him. But it was not for himself that he rejoiced, as the one great and ever-present wish of his chivalrous soul was that he (ignatius) might receive the fullness of Christian discipleship through the medium of martyrdom (which was public execution).
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The Catholic Encyclopedia then continues:
"Ignatius' desire to be martyred was not to remain long unsatisfied."Well, if Ignatius was taken by Roman Soldiers from Antioch, Turkey to Rome in a cage, then very soon executed: HOW THEN, did he ever become the Bishop of Rome? Moreover, if this was anything but a choreographed bunch of LIES, why would these "mean" Roman soldiers not have simply executed Ignatius in Antioch, Turkey, (which they no doubt did). just as they did with all the other people who were openly professing to be Christians, instead of spending all the time, money, and effort to transport him 1,800 miles just to kill him, and as well, allowing Ignatius to preach along the way, as they transported him hundreds of miles out of the way so he could preach to all the larger cities of his day, from his cage full of wild animals the church so absurdly claims Ignatius was being transported in?Allegedly associated with the writings of St. Ignatius is a work called "Martyrium Ignatii ", which .purports. to be an account by eyewitnesses of the martyrdom of St. Ignatius and the acts leading up to it. It also just happens to be the very document that the Catholic Church later admitted was proven by experts to be totally bogus - nothing but a lie - an utterly fabricated fraud!... How utterly absurd !!
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YET, the Catholic church is obsessed with pointing it out to be the ONLY document that proves Ignatius was ever martyred (or in any way executed in Rome).In this work, which such competent Protestant critics as Pearson and Ussher from the Church of England, regard as genuine, the full history of that "eventful" journey from Syria to Rome is "faithfully" recorded for the edification of the Church of Antioch. It is certainly very ancient and is reputed to have been written by Philo, deacon of Tarsus, and Rheus Agathopus, a Syrian, who accompanied Ignatius to Rome. It is generally admitted, even by those who regarded it as authentic, that this work has been greatly interpolated. (added to)
Ignatius' journey was "eventful" alright !Its most reliable form is that found in the "Martyrium Colbertinum" which closes the mixed recension and is so called because its oldest witness is the tenth-century Codex Colbertinus (Paris).
Sure, I believe these highly trained Roman soldiers, who were transporting Ignatius in a cage full of ten leopards, and wild beasts, would allow him to be accompanied on this journey of about eighteen hundred miles, half of it by water, half over land, by an entire entourage of his friends and supporters, to witness his alleged execution in Rome.
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HOWEVER, if this is not just ANOTHER BOLD FACED LIE by the Catholic church intended to deceive its members, why then did all these people who the Catholic church so boldly claims ACCOMPANIED Ignatius to his execution, NEVER agree to bear witness to it happening ?
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WHY? Simply because it never DID happen.
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A detailed but spurious (false and not what it appears to be) account of Ignatius' arrest.and his travails and martyrdom is the material of the Martyrium Ignatii which is presented as being an eyewitness account for the church of Antioch, as if it had been written by Ignatius' companions, Philo of Cilicia, deacon at Tarsus, and Rheus Agathopus, a Syrian. Though Bishop Ussher regarded it as genuine:If there is any genuine nucleus of the Martyrium, it has been so greatly expanded with interpolations that no part of it is without questions. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ignatius_of_AntiochI can see it all now: These Roman soldiers probably rented Ignatius' friends and supporters a cruise ship to follow along side the boat they were hauling Ignatius in, and sent some soldiers ahead to secure the Executive Suites in Hilton Hotels along the way for them.
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INTERPOLATED: (1) to add words to a text:
Which means that although the Catholic church claims this report was PERHAPS written by deacon Philo, and Rheus Agathopus (both officials in the church), LOTS of words were added to its text a THOUSAND YEARS LATER, to cause it to say things its authors, never wrote in it.RECENSION: (1) a critical revision (rewording of a document), carried out on a literary text. Please take note that the account of this report which was supposedly written by Ignatius's friends Philo, and Rheus Agathopus: was in fact written a THOUSAND YEARS..AFTER..his friends had SUPPOSEDLY written it.According to these Acts, in the ninth year of his reign, Trajan, flushed with victory over the Scythians and Dacians, sought to perfect the universality of his dominion by a species of religious conquest.
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Trajan decreed, therefore, that the Christians should unite with their pagan neighbors in the worship of the god(s). (Which is exactly what the Catholic Church did.)
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A general persecution was threatened, and death was named as the penalty for all who refused to offer the prescribed sacrifice. (Of combining Christianity with PAGANISM)Since this was obviously a decree issued by EMPEROR TRAJAN himself, why were all of Ignatius' FRIENDS and SUPPORTERS, and all the masses of Christians these Catholic church LIES.claim accompanied Ignatius to Rome,.not also executed by this band of "extra mean" Roman soldiers who were transporting Ignatius in his cage. Doesn't this entire diatribe sound a little more than ridiculous to YOU ?"Instantly alert to the danger that threatened, Ignatius availed himself of all the means within his reach to thwart the purpose of the emperor."Then this "saint" agreed to go to ROME with Emperor Trajan to form a new church that would combine all the PAGAN ceremonies, rituals, and rites that TRAJAN was demanding Christian leaders do, to keep his weakling "saintly" self-righteous self from being executed.The success of his zealous efforts did not long remain hidden from the Church's persecutors.
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Is THAT what the "honorable" Ignatius did !We as publishers seriously doubt it.
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He was soon arrested and led before Trajan, who just happened to be conveniently sojourning in Antioch at the time. Accused by the emperor himself of violating the imperial edict, and of inciting others to similar (like) transgressions, Ignatius valiantly bore witness to the faith of Christ.so·journ: To temporarily reside;On with the Catholic church's encyclopedia ...
If we may believe the account given in the "Martyrium", his bearing before Trajan was characterized by inspired eloquence, sublime courage, and even a spirit of exultation.Yeah, right. In order to keep his "saintly" self from being executed, "saint" Ignatius allegedly turned traitor to everything he had just spent his entire life teaching, and agreed to go to ROME with Trajan under the threat that he would be executed if he didn't, to form a giant money making, world wide church, that mixed pagan rites, rituals, chants, and materialism, with Christianity.Incapable of appreciating the motives that animated him, the emperor ordered him to be put in chains and taken to Rome, there to become the food of wild beasts and a spectacle for the people.
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Which is precisely what Emperor Trajan came to Antioch, Turkey to obtain.Since it is alleged that Ignatius WANTED to be executed or otherwise martyred, why would he agree to go ANYWHERE with Trajan !!
However, instead of being executed in public to serve as an example to the people: The purely alleged execution of Ignatius in Rome was done in private, in great secrecy! Not even the friends and supporters of Ignatius whom the church claims accompanied him to Rome to watch his execution, could later bear witness that they got to see it !That the trials of this journey to Rome were great we gather from his letter to the Romans (par. 5): "From Syria even to Rome I fight with wild beasts, by land and sea, by night and by day, being bound amidst ten leopards, even a company of soldiers, who only grow worse when they are kindly treated."
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This part of the plot to deceive will later become quite obvious.Does it really strike you as believable, that he would be "bound amidst ten leopards, and have to fight with wild beasts" all along the way?Despite all this, Ignatius' journey was a kind of triumph. (says its encyclopedia)Wasn't this entire "ordeal" nothing but a fabrication to deceive a very naive and illiterate group of early believers, to conceal that the real purpose of this contrived kidnapping for execution was so that Ignatius would appear to be honorable, while he allegedly did as the emperor was asking, and mixed Christianity with paganism?
As publishers, we think the only logical trainof thought is that Trajan had Ignatius murdered just outside the gates of Antioch.
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Isn't that what the Catholic church is to this very day, a mixture of Christianity and paganism, with grown men dressed in fancy costumes, complete with tall hats, swinging cauldrons of burning incense, while some other grown men in weird costumes chant, or appear to grunt ?
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When did either Christ, or ANY of his apostles, ever do any of that ?Yep, it sure was. While Ignatius was allegedly headed to Rome to head up a brand new money grabbing "church", he and Emperor Trajan managed to convince everyone that he was on his way there to ever so..ANXIOUSLY..become a martyr. Yeah, right !Back to the Catholic Church's own Encyclopedia ...
News of his fate, his destination, and his probable itinerary had gone swiftly before them.Well, considering that Ignatius was being taken to Rome by Roman soldiers, means he was being transported by the fastest, strongest, horses on earth. So, one has to wonder just how it was that ANYONE in the first century could get ahead of them to tell others they were coming, AND, just how would these messengers as well have time, and the knowledge as to who, and where, the believers "along the way" were, ..so they could be organized to come visit Ignatius in his transport cage, complete with all the alleged wild beasts,. .and receive all these letters that Ignatius had allegedly been writing while bound among these wild leopards ?The Catholic Church's Encyclopedia continues:
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Wasn't it not a little more than difficult to write letters while he was, "bound, amidst ten leopards, and having to fight with wild beasts, all along the way" ??
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Face it folks, this entire thing was nothing but a pre-choreographed deception, so that the ROMAN GOVERNMENT could take what "was" Christianity, and turn it into one giant money making business. By combining Christianity with PAGAN rituals, rites, ceremony, and holidays such as Christmas and Easter, so they could literally invent "saints" and thereby have an excuse to sell cheap, high profit, medals, statues, trinkets, and all sorts of junk, to a captive audience of naive, very gullible, totally uneducated, new believers, who were comprised of nothing but very poor illiterate people, by scheming to mix it with pagan ordeals, rituals, and more of its utterly satanic LIES !
"At several places along the road Ignatius' fellow-Christians greeted him with words of comfort and reverential homage."How did they know where Ignatius would be, how did they find him, how did they gain access to him, and why would mean ole Roman Soldiers allow Ignatius to stir up the masses along the way, by permitting people to visit him? ALSO, we are talking about a time period of just after the death of CHRIST, no trains, no huge Kenworth trucks, not even U-Haul trailers!The Catholic Church's Encyclopedia continues:So, where did the Romans get a vehicle large enough to contain a full size man, ten leopards, and a host of wild animals?
At bare minimum this would require a TEN FOOT WIDE, TWENTY FOOT LONG transport vehicle. They must have had extra wide roads in the FIRST century. Our roads will at very best, accommodate eight foot wide vehicles, and even at that they must be accompanied by flag waving escort vehicles. Also, I wonder if Cummin's Diesel knows about the engine Ignatius' transport vehicle was powered by !
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MOREOVER, why didn't these Roman soldiers obey Emperor Trajan's decree, and execute all these Christian supporters of Ignatius along the way ?
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The whole thing is nothing but a satanic fabrication !
"It is probable that he embarked on his way to Rome at Seleucia, in Syria, the nearest port to Antioch, for either Tarsus in Cilicia, or Attalia in Pamphylia, and after which (thence), as we gather from his letters, he journeyed overland through Asia Minor.Here, take note that by using the word "probably",.the church just finished telling you that it doesn't even know for sure what route they took on their way to take Ignatius to Rome to be executed. Yet, in their very next sentence they are going to describe all the details of everything that happened along the way. How phony and fabricated is THAT !At Laodicea, on the River Lycus, where a choice of routes presented itself, his guards selected the more northerly, which brought the prospective martyr through Sardis and Philadelphia (about 500 miles out of their way), and finally to Smyrna,.where Polycarp, his fellow-disciple in the school of St. John, was bishop.Now why, would Roman Soldiers take Ignatius, complete with his ten foot wide, twenty foot long, horse drawn "open" cage full of ten leopards, and multiple wild beasts, on a route that was hundreds of miles out of their way, in the early first century when roads were really bad, to a city where he was known to have a close friend who was a bishop in a large church, if it was not to give Ignatius and the church he was allegedly planning to head up, publicity along the way ?The stay at Smyrna, which was a protracted one, gave the representatives of the various Christian communities in Asia Minor an opportunity of greeting the illustrious prisoner, and offering him the homage of the Churches they represented. From the congregations of Ephesus, Magnesia, and Tralles, deputations came to comfort him.
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WHY would these "extra mean" Roman soldiers not honor Emperor Trajan's decree and execute all these professing Christians on site as they had standing orders from their emperor himself to do ?Yeah right! These well trained Roman Soldiers kept Ignatius along with all his leopards and wild beasts there in his cage on an extended visit, so he could visit with friends, supporters, and all their neighbors, so they could get to deal with as many riots as possible, which this absurd and ridiculous, and absolutely fabricated extended visit would surely incite among his followers !To each of these Christian communities he addressed letters from Smyrna, exhorting them to obedience to their respective bishops, and warning them to avoid the contamination of heresy.
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But No! These soldiers brought Ignatius through all these cities of his supporters so he could plead with them not to riot when his kidnappers execute him!
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They even invited his supporters to come visit him in his cage!
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... Sure they did!
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The soldiers probably wore tu-tu's and served them all Happy Meals I'll bet !
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Wonder if this is where the Catholic church started to play Bingo?
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These, letters are redolent with the spirit of Christian charity, apostolic zeal, and pastoral solicitude.
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While still there he wrote also to the Christians of Rome, begging them to do nothing to deprive him of the opportunity of martyrdom.Give me a break! As you will soon see by the church's own encyclopedia, Ignatius allegedly did all the above to gain public support for the satanic church he had allegedly sold out all, which he had spent his entire life publicly professing to believe, which he was allegedly about to become the head of!From Smyrna his captors took him to Troas, from which place he dispatched letters to the Christians of Philadelphia and Smyrna, and to Polycarp. For not knowing the route used to transport Ignatius, the church sure knows what he did all along his merry way to be executed!
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We found two dictionary definitions for the words redolent, the second one sure sounds right, we think it probably had something to do with bulls.
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redolent:..1. suggesting: suggestive or reminiscent of something redolent of corruption
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redolent:..2. having a particular smell:This was nothing but a pre-staged propoganda trip to generate interest for the new church of PAGANISTIC CHRISTIANITYhe was allegedly on his way to Rome to start with the full conspiratory support of the Roman Emperor Trajan. Which is allegedly what Ignatius did.Besides these letters, Ignatius had intended to address others in the Christian communities of Asia Minor, inviting them to give public expression to their sympathy with the brethren in Antioch, but the altered plans of his guards, necessitating a hurried departure, from Troas, defeated his purpose, and he was obliged to content himself with delegating this office to his friend Polycarp.
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No group of soldiers are going to haul a prisoner around in a cage to visit all his friends and supporters, so he can write and distribute letters to all the local church dioceses to stir up the churches their emperor is supposedly trying to squelch.
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Besides being ridiculous, this alleged journey in a cage full of wild animals and ten leopards is just typical of all the lies the church made up to inite supporters from its soon to be members. It's just as ridiculous as the lies the church then made up about their purely invented "saint" christopher, the "saint" who they claim was eighteen feet tall, and had the head of a dog. (See our page on Ole St. Chris, in the index.).I'll bet Ramada Inn ran out of pancakes, and these extra mean Roman soldiers had nothing to serve Ignatius' guests, plus the cruise ship they had chartered to haul his entourage to Rome was getting ready to set sail.At Troas they took ship for Neapolis. From this place their journey led them overland through Macedonia and Illyria.
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The next port of embarkation was probably Dyrrhachium (Durazzo). Whether having arrived at the shores of the Adriatic, he completed his journey by land or sea, it is impossible to determine.
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Not long after his arrival in Rome Ignatius "Won" his long-coveted crown of martyrdom in the Flavian amphitheater.Except they could never come up with the name of anyone who witnessed their "public" execution of Ignatius, and, as admitted by the church itself later in their encyclopedia, the one witness they did come up with was later proven to be a fraud!The relics of the holy martyr (Ignatius) were taken back to Antioch (1,800 miles in the second century) by the deacon Philo of Cilicia, and Rheus Agathopus, a Syrian, and were buried outside the gates not far from the beautiful suburb of Daphne.
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While the Christians of that era are being simultaneously said by the Catholic church to have lived in the Catacombs of Rome to avoid execution (martyrdom), which was a place where the entire City of Rome had buried their dead for centuries, and stunk so bad from rotting corpses that by tradition, bodies were just brought there and left laying any place there seemed to be space:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catacombs_of_Rome
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Here we have the Catholic church account of Ignatius whom they claim was, according to the church,.PLEADING.for people to MURDER.him.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ignatius_of_AntiochQuoting the Catholic Church's own Encyclopedia regarding Ignatius:
"By the 5th century, this authentic collection had been enlarged by spurious (false and not what they appeared to be) letters, and the original letters had been changed with interpolations (added words to their text), created to posthumously .(after his death) enlist Ignatius as an unwitting witness in theological disputes of that age, while the purported eye-witness account of his martyrdom is also thought to be a.forgery from around the same time.
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A detailed but spurious (false and not what it appears to be) account of Ignatius' arrest and his travails, and martyrdom, is the material of the Martyrium Ignatii which is presented as being an eyewitness account for the church of Antioch, and as if written by Ignatius' companions, Philo of Cilicia, deacon at Tarsus, and Rheus Agathopus, a Syrian."
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The Church's own Encyclopedia continues:
"Though Bishop Ussher regarded it as genuine, if there is any genuine nucleus of the Martyrium, it has been so greatly expanded with interpolations that no part of it is without questions.
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Its most reliable manuscript is the 10th century.Codex Colbertinus (Paris), in which the Martyrium closes the collection. The Martyrium presents the confrontation of the bishop Ignatius with Trajan at Antioch, a familiar trope of Acts of the martyrs, and many details of the long, partly overland voyage to Rome. (10th century)" (END QUOTE)
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Ignatius' remains were afterwards removed and taken by the Emperor Theodosius II to the Tychaeum, or Temple of Fortune which was then converted into a Christian church under the patronage of the martyr whose relics it sheltered.
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In 637 they were translated (ceremoniously.pretended.to be moved - but not ever actually moved) to St. Clement's at Rome, where they now rest.How can they be resting there when in fact they were never actually moved there? How sanctimonious are we going to allow this absurd tale to get? The Roman Catholic Church celebrates the feast of St. Ignatius on 1 February.The Catholic Church's Encyclopedia continues:
The character of St. Ignatius, as deduced from his own and the extant writings of his contemporaries, is that of a true athlete of Christ.
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The triple honor of apostle, bishop, and martyr was well merited by this energetic soldier of the Faith.
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An enthusiastic devotion to duty, a passionate love of sacrifice, and an utter fearlessness in the defense of Christian truth, were his chief characteristics.
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Zeal for the spiritual well-being of those under his charge breathes from every line of his writings.
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Ever vigilant lest they be infected by the rampant heresies of those early days;
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praying for them, that their faith and courage may not be wanting in the hour of persecution;
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constantly exhorting them to unfailing obedience to their bishops;
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teaching them all Catholic truth;
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eagerly sighing for the crown of martyrdom, that his own blood may crucify in added graces in the souls of his flock,
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he proves himself in every sense a true, pastor of souls, the good shepherd that lays down his life for his sheep."ALL OF WHICH was written by the Catholic church a THOUSAND YEARS...AFTER..the death of Ignatius, to glorify him to APPEAR to be the perfect "saint", to entice all its members to accept Ignatius as someone they would WANT to worship and pray to, and as well buy statues, trophies, medals, and various other high profit, fast, cheap, and easy to make, pieces of junk, to celebrate his death, just as the PAGANS had always done for THEIR dead people.The oldest collection of the writings of St. Ignatius known to have existed was those made use of by the historian Eusebius in the first half of the fourth century, but which unfortunately is no longer extant (no longer exists - of course not). Oh, these were probably the ones written by the wild animals themselves! (That's no more absurd than tthe church's claim that Ignatius wrote them while he was FIGHTING these wild animals night and day while he had been bound by all his mean spirited Roman Soldier guards.)
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Which is exactly what Emperor Trajan had demanded all churches do!
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It was made up of the seven letters written by Ignatius whilst on his way to Rome; (sure it was. If they were known to exist in the fourth century, why do they not exist today, AND, since they were known to exist, why did the Roman Catholic church have to alter them so severely, by adding words the author never intended to be there ?)
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Also, how did a prisoner being transported in an open cage full of leopards and wild beasts write all these absurd letters.
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These letters were addressed to the Christians* of Ephesus (Pros Ephesious);
* of Magnesia (Magnesieusin);
* of Tralles (Trallianois);
* of Rome (Pros Romaious);
* of Philadelphia (Philadelpheusin);
* of Smyrna (Smyrnaiois); and
* to Polycarp (Pros Polykarpon).We find these seven mentioned not only by Eusebius ("Hist. eccl.", III, xxxvi) but also by St. Jerome (De viris illust., c. xvi). Of later collections of Ignatian letters which have been preserved, the oldest is known as the "long recension."
PLEASE TAKE NOTE that the Catholic church just finished telling you that none of these things still exist (they are no longer extant).This collection, the author of which is unknown, dates from the latter part of the fourth century. How did the church collect it then? And if they don't know who wrote it, how can they possibly be claiming it to be genuine and authentic?
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extant: (1) describes something very old that is still existing:
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=27192&dict=CALD
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No Longer Extant: No longer exists, so the church is therefore free to claim anything it decides it wants to claim. Which is exactly what it has done !
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It contains the seven genuine and six spurious letters, but even the genuine epistles were greatly interpolated to lend weight to the personal views of its author.Spurious: (1) not genuine: different from what it is claimed to be,The Catholic Church's Encyclopedia continues:interpolated: (1) to add words to a text
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Since it's known that these are not accurate, why is the Catholic church presenting them at all, if not to set out to egregiously promote something that doesn't exist. (more lies)
"For this reason they are incapable of bearing witness to the original form. The spurious letters in this recension are those that purport to be from Ignatius.Purport: (1) claim to be:* to Mary of Cassobola (Pros Marian Kassoboliten);
* to the Tarsians (Pros tous en tarso);
* to the Philippians (Pros Philippesious);
* to the Antiochenes (Pros Antiocheis);
* to Hero a deacon of Antioch (Pros Erona diakonon Antiocheias).
* Associated with the foregoing, is a letter from Mary of Cassobola to Ignatius.
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It is extremely probable that the interpolation of the genuine, the addition of the spurious letters, and the union of both in the long recension, was the work of an Apollonarist of Syria or Egypt, who wrote towards the beginning of the fifth century.
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Funk identifies him with the compiler of the Apostolic Constitutions, which came out of Syria in the early part of the same century.
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Subsequently there was added to this collection a panegyric on St. Ignatius entitled, "Laus Heronis".panegyric: (1) extravagant praise (You can bet it was extravagant !)Though in the original it was probably written in Greek, it is now extant only in Latin and Coptic texts.That's because the Catholic church rewrote them to enshrine itself !There is also a third recension, designated by Funk as the "mixed collection".
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The time of its origin can be only vaguely determined as being between that of the collection known to Eusebius and the long recension.
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Besides the seven genuine letters of Ignatius in their original form, it also contains the six spurious ones, with the exception of that to the Philippians.
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WAIT JUST A MINUTE !! We have spent all this time COMBING the Catholic Church's own encyclopedia, searching for ANYTHING that could be said to be the original writings of Ignatius, and by the church's own written words in SIXTEEN different places, NO ORIGINAL WRITINGS of Ignatius' exist.
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NOW, we see this quote stating: "Besides the seven genuine letters of Ignatius in their original form... " Just who is trying to kid whom !!!
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PLEASE ALSO TAKE NOTE THAT: Although the Catholic Church is now claiming these writings to contain the ORIGINAL writings of Ignatius, none of them were even WRITTEN until the SIXTEENTH century.
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(Eusebius, "Hist. Eccl.", II, iii, 22). Theodoret ("Dial. Immutab.", I, iv, 33a, Paris, 1642)Again, if it's known that these are not accurate, why is the Catholic church presenting them at all, if not to set out to egregiously promote something that doesn't exist. As it did with its so-called "saint" christopher, the eighteen foot tall "saint" with the head of a dog.In this collection is also to be found the "Martyrium Colbertinum." The Greek original of this recension is contained in a single codex, the famous Mediceo-Laurentianus manuscript at Florence.codex: an old manuscript kept in book form:This codex is incomplete, wanting the letter to the Romans, which, however, is to be found associated with the "Martyrium Colbertinum" in the Codex Colbertinus, at Paris. The mixed collection is regarded as the most reliable of all in determining what was the authentic text of the genuine Ignatian letters.In other words, while the church just finished claiming these writings were those of Ignatius, it in fact HAS NO IDEA what, IF ANYTHING ole Ignatius was ever able to write while fighting with all the wild animals in his alleged transport cage.There is also an ancient Latin version which is an unusually exact rendering of the Greek. Critics are generally inclined to look upon this version as a translation of some Greek manuscript of the same type as that of the Medicean Codex. This version owes its discovery to Archbishop Ussher, of Ireland, who found it in two manuscripts in English libraries and published it in 1644. It was the work of Robert Grosseteste, a Franciscan friar and Bishop of Lincoln (c. 1250). The original Syriac version has come down to us in its entirety only in an Armenian translation. It also contains the seven genuine and six spurious letters. This collection in the original Syriac would be invaluable in determining the exact text of Ignatius, were it in existence, for the reason that it could not have been later than the fourth or fifth century.The deficiencies of the Armenian version are in part supplied by the abridged recension in the original Syriac. This abridgment contains the three genuine letters to the Ephesians, the Romans, and to Polycarp. The manuscript was discovered by Cureton in a collection of Syriac manuscripts obtained in 1843 from the monastery of St. Mary Deipara in the Desert of Nitria. Also there are three letters extant only in Latin. Two of the three purport to be from Ignatius to St. John the Apostle, and one to the Blessed Virgin, with her reply to the same. These are probably of Western origin, dating no further back than the twelfth century.
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Yeah, we can see it ! Now we have ole Ignatius who wasn't even born until fifty years after the death of Christ, writing letters to Christ's mother. MM HMM, SURE !!!
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The Controversy (Yep, there sure ARE a lot of those.)
At intervals during the last several centuries a warm controversy has been carried on by patrologists concerning the authenticity of the Ignatian letters. Each particular recension has had its apologists and its opponents. Each has been favored to the exclusion of all the others, and all, in turn, have been collectively rejected, especially by the coreligionists of Calvin. The reformer himself, in language as violent as it is uncritical (Institutes, 1-3), repudiates in globo the letters which so completely discredit his own peculiar views on ecclesiastical government. The convincing evidence which the letters bear to the Divine origin of Catholic doctrine is not conducive to predisposing non-Catholic critics in their favor, in fact, it has added not a little to the heat of the controversy. In general, Catholic and Anglican scholars are ranged on the side of the letters written to the Ephesians, Magnesians, Trallians, Romans, Smyrniots, Philadelphians, and to Polycarp; while Presbyterians as a rule, repudiate everything claiming Ignatian authorship. (I Wonder Why ?)
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The two letters to the Apostle St. John and the one to the Blessed Virgin, which exist only in Latin, are unanimously admitted to be spurious. The great body of critics who acknowledge the authenticity of the Ignatian letters restrict their approval to those mentioned by Eusebius and St. Jerome. The six others are not defended by any of the early Fathers.
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allegedlyThe majority of those who acknowledge the Ignatian authorship of the seven letters do so conditionally, rejecting what they consider the "obvious interpolations" in these letters.
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In 1623, whilst the controversy was at its height, Vedelius gave expression to this latter opinion by publishing at Geneva an edition of the Ignatian letters in which the seven genuine letters are set apart from the five spurious. In the genuine letters he indicated what was regarded as interpolations. The reformer Dallaeus, at Geneva, in 1666, published a work entitled "De scriptis quae sub Dionysii Areop. et Ignatii Antioch. nominibus circumferuntur", in which (lib. II) he called into question the authenticity of all seven letters. To this the Anglican Pearson replied spiritedly in a work called "Vindiciae epistolarum S. Ignatii", published at Cambridge, 1672.
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So convincing were the arguments adduced in this scholarly work that for two hundred years the controversy remained closed in favor of the genuineness of the seven letters. The discussion was reopened by Cureton's discovery (1843) of the abridged Syriac version, containing the letters of Ignatius to the Ephesians, Romans, and to Polycarp. In a work entitled "Vindiciae Ignatianae" London, 1846), he defended the position that only the letters contained in his abridged Syriac recension, and in the form therein contained, were genuine, and that all others were interpolated or -- forged outright. This position was vigorously combated by several British and German critics, including the Catholics Denzinger and Hefele, who successfully defended the genuineness of the entire seven epistles. It is now generally admitted that Cureton's Syriac version is only an abbreviation of the original.
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While it can hardly be said that there is at present any unanimous agreement on the subject, the best modern criticism favors the authenticity of the seven letters mentioned by Eusebius. Even such eminent non-Catholic critics as Zahn, Lightfoot, and Harnack hold this view. Perhaps the best evidence of their authenticity is to be found in the letter of Polycarp to the Philippians, which mentions each of them by name. As an intimate friend of Ignatius, Polycarp, writing shortly after the martyr's death, bears contemporaneous witness to the authenticity of these letters, unless, indeed, that of Polycarp itself be regarded as interpolated or forged. When, furthermore, we take into consideration the passage of Irenaeus (Adv. Haer., V, xxviii, 4) found in the original Greek in Eusebius (Hist. eccI., III, xxxvi), in which he refers to the letter to the Romans. (iv, I) in the following words: "Just as one of our brethren said, condemned to the wild beasts in martyrdom for his faith", the evidence of authenticity becomes compelling. The romance of Lucian of Samosata, "De morte peregrini", written in 167, bears incontestable evidence that the writer was not only familiar with the Ignatian letters, but even made use of them. Harnack, who was not always so minded, describes these proofs as "testimony as strong to the genuineness of the epistles as any that can be conceived of" (Expositor, ser. 3, III, p. 11).
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Contents of the letters
It is scarcely possible to exaggerate the importance of the testimony which the Ignatian letters offer to the dogmatic character of Apostolic Christianity. The martyred Bishop of Antioch constitutes a most important link between the Apostles and the Fathers of the early Church. Receiving from the Apostles themselves, whose auditor he was, not only the substance of revelation, but also their own inspired interpretation of it; dwelling, as it were, at the very fountain-head of Gospel truth, his testimony must necessarily carry with it the greatest weight and demand the most serious consideration.
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Cardinal Newman did not exaggerate the matter when he said: "The whole system of Catholic doctrine may be discovered, at least in outline, not to say in parts filled up, in the course of his seven epistles".See: The Theology of the Seven Epistles of St. Ignatius, "Historical Sketches", London, 1890)Among the many Catholic doctrines to be found in the letters are the following:
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OF COURSE THIS IS TRUE !
Because it was IGNATIUS who allegedly wrote all the lies at the behest of Roman Emperor Trajan, as they conspired to FOUND the Catholic church by combining PAGANISM with CHRISTIANITY !
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1. The Church was Divinely established as a visible society, the salvation of souls is its end,
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2. Those who separate themselves from it cut themselves off from God
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3. The hierarchy of the Church was instituted by Christ
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4. The threefold character of the hierarchy
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5. The order of the episcopacy superior by Divine authority to that of the priesthood
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6. The unity of the Church
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7. The holiness of the Church (Smyrn., Ephes., Magn., Trall., and Rom.);
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8. The catholicity of the Church
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9. The doctrine of the Eucharist (Smyrn., c. viii), which word we find for the first time applied to the Blessed Sacrament, just as in Smyrn., viii, we meet for the first time the phrase "Catholic Church", used to designate all Christians;
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10. The Incarnation (Ephes., c. xviii);
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11. The supernatural virtue of virginity, already much esteemed and made the subject of a vow (Polyc., c. v);
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12. The religious character of matrimony (Polyc., c. v);
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13. The value of united prayer (Ephes., c. xiii);
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14. The primacy of the See of Rome. He, moreover,
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15. He denounces the Protestant doctrine of private judgment in matters of religion.
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(Isn't it amazing that Ignatius could allegedly write this decree denouncing Protestant doctrine, hundreds of years before the Reformation by Martin Luther ever took place? But maybe not, he no doubt wrote them from his grave, which is probably still packed with roaring wild animals. In fact, it seems that according to the Catholic church, Ignatius seems to have done his best writing from his grave.)
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16. The heresy against which he chiefly inveighs is Docetism.
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17. Neither do the Judaizing heresies escape his vigorous condemnation.
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Here it is in its original form, without us breaking it down for OUR readers:
The hierarchy of the Church was instituted by Christ (lntrod. to Philad.; Ephes., c. vi); the threefold character of the hierarchy (Magn., c. vi); the order of the episcopacy superior by Divine authority to that of the priesthood (Magn., c. vi, c. xiii; Smyrn., c. viii; Trall., c. iii); the unity of the Church (Trall., c. vi; Philad., c. iii; Magn., c. xiii); the holiness of the Church (Smyrn., Ephes., Magn., Trall., and Rom.); the catholicity of the Church (Smyrn., c. viii); the infallibility of the Church (Philad., c. iii; Ephes., cc. xvi, xvii); the doctrine of the Eucharist (Smyrn., c. viii), which word we find for the first time applied to the Blessed Sacrament, just as in Smyrn., viii, we meet for the first time the phrase "Catholic Church", used to designate all Christians; the Incarnation (Ephes., c. xviii); the supernatural virtue of virginity, already much esteemed and made the subject of a vow (Polyc., c. v); the religious character of matrimony (Polyc., c. v); the value of united prayer (Ephes., c. xiii); the primacy of the See of Rome (Rom., introd.). He, moreover, denounces in principle the Protestant doctrine of private judgment in matters of religion (Philad. c. iii), The heresy against which he chiefly inveighs is Docetism. Neither do the Judaizing heresies escape his vigorous condemnation.
IF THE "IGNATIUS" LETTERS WERE NOT INCRIMINATING TO CATHOLIC CHURCH DOCTRINE, AND MORE SPECIFICALLY, TO THEIR DOCTRINE OF THE SO-CALLED "TRINITY".
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WHY WAS IT NECESSARY FOR EVERYONE TO KEEP REWRITING THEM ?
.. THE FIRST SET OF REWRITTEN LETTERS:The four letters found in Latin only were printed in Paris in 1495. The common Latin version of eleven letters, together with a letter of Polycarp and some reputed works of Dionysius the Areopagite, was printed in Paris, 1498, by Lefevre d'Etaples. Another edition of the seven genuine and six spurious letters, including the one to Mary of Cassobola, was edited by Symphorianus Champerius, of Lyons, Paris, 1516.
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THE SECOND SET OF REWRITTEN LETTERS:
Valentinus Paceus published a Greek edition of twelve letters (Dillingen, 1557). A similar edition was brought out at Zurich, in 1559, by Andrew Gesner; a Latin version of the work of John Brunner accompanied it. Both of these editions made use of the Greek text of the long recension.
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THE THIRD SET OF REWRITTEN LETTERS:
In 1644 Archbishop Ussher edited the letters of Ignatius and Polycarp. The common Latin version, with three of the four Latin letters, was subjoined. It also contained the Latin version of eleven letters taken from Ussher's manuscripts. In 1646 Isaac Voss published at Amsterdam an edition from the famous Medicean Codex at Florence. Ussher brought out another edition in 1647, entitled "Appendix Ignatiana", which contained the Greek text of the genuine epistles and the Latin version of the "Martyrium Ignatii".
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THE FOURTH SET OF REWRITTEN LETTERS:
In 1672 J.B. Cotelier's edition appeared at Paris, containing all the letters, genuine and supposititious, of Ignatius, with those of the other Apostolic Fathers. A new edition of this work was printed by Le Clerc at Antwerp, in 1698. It was reprinted at Venice, 1765-1767, and at Paris by Migne in 1857.
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THE FIFTH SET OF REWRITTEN LETTERS:
The letter to the Romans was published from the "Martyrium Colbertinum" at Paris, by Ruinart, in 1689. In 1724 Le Clerc brought out at Amsterdam a second edition of Cotelier's "Patres Apostolici", which contains all the letters, both genuine and spurious, in Greek and Latin versions. It also includes the letters of Mary of Cassobola and those purporting to be from the Blessed Virgin in the "Martyrium Ignatii", the "Vindiciae Ignatianae" of Pearson, and several dissertations.
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THE SIXTH SET OF REWRITTEN LETTERS:
The first edition of the Armenian version was published at Constantinople in 1783. In 1839 Hefele edited the Ignatian letters in a work entitled "Opera Patrum Apostolicorum", which appeared at Tubingen. Migne took his text from the third edition of this work (Tubingen, 1847). Bardenhewer designates the following as the best editions: Zahn, "Ignatii et Polycarpi epistulae martyria, fragmenta" in "Patr. apostol. opp. rec.", ed. by de Gebhardt, Harnack, Zahn, fasc. II, Leipzig, 1876; Funk, "Opp. Patr. apostol.", I, Tubingen, 1878, 1887, 1901; Lightfoot, "The Apostolic Fathers", part II, London, 1885, 1889; an English version of the letters to be found in Lightfoot's "Apostolic Fathers", London, 1907, from which are taken all the quotations of the letters in this article, and to which all citations refer.
Why do they need so many different versions of one guy's letters, when common sense makes it clear that he never wrote any of the letters in question, because they were all written hundreds of years after his death !!!
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PLUS, THE FACT THAT - NO ONE - WRITES ANY LETTERS AT ALL, WHILE THEY ARE BEING HELD PRISONER IN AN OPEN CAGE FULL OF LEOPARDS AND WILD ANIMALS, BY AN ENTIRE BATTALION OF MEAN SPIRITED ARMED SOLDIERS !!NOT TO MENTION THE FACT THAT - NO ONE - WRITES LETTERS FROM HIS GRAVE, TO A WOMAN WHO IS LIKEWISE DEAD !!!
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. . . N O . O N E !!!THEREFORE, ALL OF THE IGNATIUS LETTERS THAT WERE ALLEGEDLY WRITTEN AT THE BEHEST OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH WERE NO DOUBT - WRITTEN - BY THE CATHOLIC CHURCH, BECAUSE OLE IGNATIUS HAD OBVIOUSLY BEEN MURDERED BY EMPEROR TRAJAN JUST OUTSIDE THE GATES OF ANTIOCH, AND QUITE OBVIOUSLY NEVER EVEN MADE IT TO ROME.
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