Was the Pope Hidden in Ignatius’ Letter to Rome?

Did Ignatius of Antioch believe there was a bishop in Rome?

One of the most common arguments against early Roman primacy is that Ignatius never explicitly mentions a bishop in his Letter to the Romans while repeatedly emphasizing bishops everywhere else. But is the argument really that simple?

In this episode, Stephen Boyce examines the historical context surrounding Ignatius’ journey to Rome under arrest during the reign of Trajan, the unique language Ignatius uses for the Roman Church, and whether the silence surrounding the bishop of Rome may actually reflect the dangerous political realities facing Christians in the imperial capital.

We will also examine:

• Ignatius’ famous “presiding” language

• The significance of Peter and Paul in Romans 4

• Whether Rome already possessed a recognized authority distinct from other churches

• The possible identity of the bishop of Rome during Ignatius’ imprisonment

• Why Ignatius treats the Roman Church differently from every other church in his corpus

• Whether the “no bishop mentioned” argument creates more problems than it solves

Was the pope hidden in Ignatius’ Letter to Rome? Or does the letter actually undermine later claims about Roman primacy?

Join us as we walk carefully through the historical, textual, and theological evidence surrounding one of the most debated letters in early Christianity.

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My paper on Ignatius

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