In the thesis we have examined the letters of St. Ignatius of Antioch and have searched for themes of unity in them. This was first revealed to us in the unity of Christian communities. For Ignatius the Eucharist can also be only one. Within the seven letters, we also learn a great deal about the importance of the episcopal ministry and its duties, tasks and benefits. The key is the bishops commitment to God and to his faithful, and the fulfilment of all the ten Commandments, the Holy Scriptures and following Gods way of life. Fort he bishop represents God in the earthly life, and the Holy Spirit is indwelling the person.
The essence of the thesis is the meaning of the seven letters of Saint Ignatius of Antioch, which he transmits or presents to all the inhabitants of the six places who want to follow him and learn about his testimony of his own martyrdom, which he experienced at the hands of the Roman soldiers, and in this way we are presented with Ignatius s path to God, the search for God.
In the seven works of Ignatius we are presented with a set of elements of the unity of the Church, and the essence of it is the conclusion of a friendship between the bishop, the people and God; one that is not merely and only human, but is above all spiritual, because the meaning of the bishops duty lies above all in the blessedness of the faithful, who are united to the bishop just as the Church is united to Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ to the Father, so that only all things are unanimously one in unity. Ignatius lets us know that it is not, therefore, a question of uniformity, but of a hierarchical arrangement between the three subjects. Hence Ignatius of Antiochs well known metaphor:«that I way be known as the pure bread of Christ«; from this Ignatius presents us with his Christology, which defines Jesus Christ as the suffering God, and this is the essence of Ignatius s entire walk and creative path: the representation of prolonged prayer and contemplation or gazing; flesh and spirit; born and unborn; God incarnate; born of Mary and born of God …
|