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beasts.

Yet, as Peter Garnsey and Ramsey MacMullen have pointed out, citizens of the

lower classes could be exposed to these latter forms of punishments, especially as the

second century wore on.

This might imply that while Ignatius was a citizen, he may

well have come from the lower classes.

The road Ignatius probably travelled, the main highway across southern Asia Minor, ran

westwards to Ephesus, where travelers--or, in this case, a prisoner--would take ship to

go either directly to Italy or on up the coast to Troas. Near Laodicea, though, his guards

turned north and west to Philadelphia and later to Smyrna, where Ignatius apparently

stayed for some time. Polycarp (c.69/70-155/156), recently appointed bishop of Smyrna,

sought to minister to his needs upon his arrival in that town. When he came to Smyrna

there were also representatives of three other churches to meet him. Damas, the bishop of

the church in Magnesia-on-the-Meander, had come along with two elders from his

church, Bassus and Apollonius, and a deacon, Zotion.

From Tralles came the bishop

Polybius

and from Ephesus a number of leaders: Onesimus the bishop, a deacon by the

name of Burrhus, and Crocus, Euplus and Fronto.

It was at Smyrna that Ignatius wrote the letter to the Roman Church,

which contains the

heart of Ignatius reflection about his martyrdom. Of all of Ignatius letters only this one

is dated. He was writing it, he tells the Roman believers, on the ninth day before the

Kalends of September--that is, August 24.

Obviously a date is included since he wishes

For the range of punishments, see MacMullen, "Judicial Savagery in the Roman Empire", 147-166.

For the punishments to which Christians were subject, see Elaine H. Pagels, "Gnostic and Orthodox Views
of Christs Passion: Paradigms for the Christians Response to Persecution?" in Bentley Layton, ed., The
Rediscovery of Gnosticism. Volume 1: The School of Valentinus (Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1980), 266-270.

Peter Garnsey, "Legal Privilege in the Roman Empire", Past & Present, 41 (December 1968), 3-24;

MacMullen, "Judicial Savagery in the Roman Empire", 149-153. See also the larger study by Garnsey,
Social Status and Legal Privilege in the Roman Empire (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1970) and Elizabeth A.
Castelli, Martyrdom and Memory. Early Christian Culture Making (New York: Columbia University Press,
2004), 39-41.

Magnesians 2.

Trallians 1.1.

Ephesians 1.3-2.1. It has been argued that the Onesimus here is none other than the slave Onesimus

referred to in Pauls letter to Philemon. The name, however, is a common one and it is unlikely that it is the
same person. See William R. Schoedel, Ignatius of Antioch. A Commentary on the Letters of Ignatius of
Antioch, ed. Helmut Koester (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1985), 43-44.

Romans 10.1.

Romans 10.3.