died 0441; 110, Rome; Western feast day October 17; Eastern feast day December 20
Early Christian martyr.
Probably of Syrian origin, he may have been a pagan who persecuted Christians before his conversion. He succeeded St. Peter the Apostle as bishop of Antioch. During the reign of Trajan , Roman authorities arrested Ignatius and sent him to Rome, where he was tried and executed. He wrote a series of famous letters on the journey to Rome, attempting to encourage his fellow Christians during their persecution. The letters condemn two sets of heretics: the Judaizers, who insisted that Christians continue to follow Jewish law, and the Docetists, who maintained that Jesus only appeared to suffer and die on the cross.