The Connection Between Salvation, Martyrdom and Suffering According to St. Ignatius of Antioch

Sa？etak Ignatius of Antioch passed on many of his ideas about salvation, martyrdom and suffering through the epistles which he wrote shortly before being martyred. The author did not articulate the relationship between salvation and martyrdom very clearly, probably because he had little time to do so. Thus, should some of the expressions he uses, such as “to attain unto God” and “now I am perfected”, be correlated with martyrdom, it would seem that martyrdom is the only way for a Christian to attain unto God and to be perfected. This paper proves that Ignatius did not see martyrdom as a means to achieve salvation, but as the right way for a Christian to leave this earthly life in order to be with God for eternity through the salvation given by Christ