The Nature and Significance of Ignatius of Antioch’s Use of Jewish Scripture: "We Love the Prophets"

Benjamin Sargent offers a detailed examination of the use of scriptural quotations and allusions in the letters of Ignatius, employing methods used in the study of the use of Scripture in the New Testament.

He aims to define an Ignatian ’hermeneutic’ whilst also using a more accurate picture of interpretation in Ignatius to consider its significance in early Christianity.

Sargent first focuses on the seven letters of the middle recension, as well as the long and short recensions, situating the use of Scripture in the letters within their historical context and positing that Ignatius possessed a real interest in the Scriptures of Israel rather than merely making a dismissive appeal to history. After these surveys, Sargent further examines the salvation historical narrative into which Scripture is placed by Ignatius, again noting a similarity with the types of eschatological narrative substructures found in Paul and 1 Peter. He finally compares the hermeneutics employed in the middle recension letters to those of other early Christian texts, arguing that Ignatius’ approach to interpretation shares many of the hermeneutical assumptions seen in early Christian texts which are closest to apocalyptic Judaism.

Benjamin Sargent is Vicar of New Forest Edge Churches, UK, and Research Fellow at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford, UK.