Bishops, presbyters, deacons. To many of us these words are associated with the Roman Catholic Church, inciting ideas of legalism, corruption, and strange doctrines. While I’m not here to defend Roman Catholicism, I do think it is unwise to jump to such conclusions. The ideas of Bishops, presbyters, and deacons come from the early church fathers, those who came directly after the apostles. One of these, St. Ignatius of Antioch, wrote to many churches on the importance of bishops and obeying them.
Saint Ignatius
Ignatius of Antioch, the name sake of my Torrey group, lived during the first century and was bishop of Antioch. It is said that he was the third bishop of the church, following St. Peter and St. Evodius. Scholars agree that he was likely a disciple of Peter and that Peter himself appointed him to this position. Ignatius does not appear in history till right before his death when he writes several letters to churches. He was imprisoned for some unknown reason and was led to Rome to be martyred.
His icon is easily distinguished as a man being eaten by two lions. I got to go to Rome this January where three of us from Ignatius got to see the church dedicated to him and where his remains were likely stored. He firmly believed that his martyrdom was for him to be found pure. Fox writes in his Book of Martyrs Continue reading
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