Ignatius to the Magnesians

The case for

1. It is an early, widely accepted witness that comes from the generation right after the apostles.

   The evidence

   Polycarp of Smyrna, who met Ignatius, mentions collecting and sending on his letters (Philippians 13). Eusebius (Church History 3.36) names Magnesians among the seven genuine letters, and most modern scholars accept the middle recension that contains it as authentic.

2. Its teaching closely tracks the New Testament, especially Paul and John.

   The evidence

   It warns against Judaizing in terms close to Galatians (Magn. 8, 10), echoes 1 Corinthians 5:7 on the 'old leaven' (10.2), and says Christ did nothing without the Father, as in John 5:19 (7.1). It affirms that Jesus was truly born, suffered and rose under Pontius Pilate (11), the same confession found in 1 Timothy 6:13 and the later creeds.

3. The early church read and valued it as a trusted guide.

   The evidence

   Irenaeus and Origen quote Ignatius, and his letters were copied, translated and widely read in Greek, Latin, Syriac, Armenian and Coptic. Its early mention of the 'Lord's day' replacing the Sabbath (9.1) and its use of the word 'Christianity' (10.1, 10.3) are often cited as evidence of what second-century churches actually believed and did.

The case against

1. No church ever treated it as scripture, and its author did not claim to write scripture.

   The evidence

   It appears in no canon list: not the Muratorian fragment, not Athanasius in 367, not Hippo or Carthage, and not the Ethiopian canon. Unlike 1 Clement or Hermas, it was not bound into the great Bible codices. Ignatius himself writes that he does not give orders as Peter and Paul did (Romans 4.3; Trallians 3.3).

2. The text came down in tangled forms, and its genuineness has been questioned.

   The evidence

   A 'long recension' with fourth-century additions circulated for centuries. The shorter form now accepted survives in Greek in essentially one 11th-century manuscript. A minority of scholars still argue that all seven letters are later forgeries.

3. Parts of its teaching go beyond or sharpen the New Testament, so it should be read with care.

   The evidence

   It tells readers to do nothing without the bishop and compares him to God and the presbyters to the apostles (6.1, 7.1). That is a more developed church order than appears in the New Testament, where 'overseer' and 'elder' largely overlap. It also says it is 'out of place' to speak of Jesus Christ and practise Judaism (10.3), a harsher contrast between church and synagogue than Paul's own position (Romans 9–11).