Dying to Reach God: A New Translation and Commentary on the Writings of St. Ignatius of Antioch and St. Polycarp of Smyrna, Second-Century Christian Martyrs
Ebook
What happened to the church after the apostles were gone? Men they ordained like Ignatius and Polycarp demonstrate what it was like. They left behind nine amazing writings that illuminate the mystery of Jesus Christ and the challenges of the second-century church. This book has translations for each text with side-by-side commentary and other aids to help the reader understand and apply what is being said. Ignatius, bishop of Antioch, wrote seven letters on his way to Rome to be martyred in the arena. Six of these went to churches, including three churches that the apostle John had written to. Ignatius's seventh letter went to Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna. He, in turn, wrote a letter to the church at Philippi, the very church the apostle Paul founded and wrote to. The final piece, the first of its kind, is a detailed account of Polycarp's arrest and martyrdom in imitation of the Lord. The purpose of this book is to encourage and exhort readers to learn from the words and deeds of Ignatius and Polycarp how to follow Christ in the apostolic way of sacrificial and submissive love.
“Dying to Reach God, the letters of the early Christian martyrs Sts. Ignatius and Polycarp, is aimed at readers searching for a straightforward modern translation with commentary that is at once reverent, passionate, and pious. It will especially resonate with Evangelicals and biblically based Orthodox, Anglican, and Roman Catholic converts interested in the intersection of Holy Scripture, pastoral instruction, and the early church fathers.”
—Mother Nectaria McLees, editor, St. Nicholas Press
“William Weber has achieved a very difficult synthesis here: a close, granular reading and analysis of the writings of Sts. Ignatius of Antioch and Polycarp of Smyrna, and a warm, devotional exposition of their message on pages facing the newly translated texts. Indeed, to accomplish the first without the second would have been to miss the force and spirit of these precious and seminally influential writings, so crucial for understanding the earliest history and character of the church after the apostolic period itself.”
—Warren Farha, founder, Eighth Day Books
“William Weber has given us a literal yet readable translation of Ignatius and Polycarp, accompanied by a helpful commentary emphasizing Ignatius’s spiritual teaching within an Orthodox context. Protestants like myself may differ on some historical or theological points, but still need Ignatius’s spiritual message. His call to humility, dying to self, and a Christlike life, all well highlighted by Weber, is badly needed in our churches today.”
—James G. Sigountos, former associate professor of New Testament and patristics
- Title: Dying to Reach God: A New Translation and Commentary on the Writings of St. Ignatius of Antioch and St. Polycarp of Smyrna, Second-Century Christian Martyrs
- Author: William W. Weber
- Publisher: Resource Publications
- Print Publication Date: 2024
- Logos Release Date: 2024
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Ebook
- ISBNs: 9781666775778, 9781666775754, 1666775754, 9781666775761, 1666775762, 1666775770
- Resource ID: LLS:9781666775778
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2024-08-08T20:48:12Z
William W. Weber is a retired educator. His professional career included Christian college administration and teaching history in private and public schools at the high school and college levels. Currently, he serves as a teacher and usher at his parish church and a subdeacon at its mission church. He and his wife have four adult children and five grandchildren.