Remarks on the Epistles of Ignatius

The author claims that the legitimacy of the epistles of Ignatius is vital to the Episcopacy and Presbyterianism. He provides a limited biography of Ignatius. Controversy exists over the martyrdom: why bring Ignatius to Rome to be martyred when other Christians were simply killed where they were? It is unclear if Ignatius even wrote his epistles; eleven were first published in 1502, but a twelfth appeared later. The letters do not seem to have a single author and only seven are recognized by Protestants. All of the letters have numerous copies and translations. The author declares that a number are forgeries, many have been tampered with, others shortened, and not all can be attributed to Ignatius. Because letters advocate hierarchy, they are held up to support Episcopacy. The author dislikes the forceful language of the pro-hierarchy letters, which he samples from a few epistles. Also, even if they were real, the letters do not totally endorse prelacy. The author questions the structure the prelacy establish in the epistles compared to the Episcopacy created from its model. The author concludes that support for prelacy is based on false assumptions.