Primary source · Koine Greek
The Epistle of Ignatius to the Romans
Ignatius of Antioch · c. AD 108, written en route to martyrdom
What this text is
The most famous of the seven genuine letters: from the road to the arena, Ignatius begs the Roman church not to use its influence to save him from the beasts.
Profile of Ignatius of Antioch →
Interlinear passages
Word-for-word glosses of the original; the complete public-domain translation is linked below.
Chapter 4.1 — God’s wheat
ΣῖτόςWheatεἰμιI amθεοῦ,of Godκαὶandδι᾽throughὀδόντωνteethθηρίωνof beastsἀλήθομαι,I am groundἵναthatκαθαρὸςpureἄρτοςbreadεὑρεθῶI may be foundτοῦofΧριστοῦ.Christ
Public-domain translations
J. B. Lightfoot (1885)
I am God’s wheat, and I am ground by the teeth of wild beasts that I may be found pure bread of Christ.
Roberts–Donaldson (ANF, 1885)
I am the wheat of God, and am ground by the teeth of the wild beasts, that I may be found the pure bread of Christ.
Manuscript witnesses
Codex Parisinus-Colbertinus gr. 1451
10th c.Romans travels apart from the other six letters, embedded in the Martyrium Colbertinum.
Syriac and Armenian versions
4th–5th c. (translations)The Syriac abridgment and Armenian version carry Romans east within living memory of the middle recension.
Patrologia Graeca, vol. 5 (Migne)
1857Standard pre-critical text of the corpus.
Provenance
Written from Smyrna, c. AD 107, en route to martyrdom at Rome
Editions & scholarship
Critical editions and standard translations behind the text above.
- Ignace d'Antioche: Lettres (SC 10)P. T. Camelot, 4th ed. 1969Critical edition with French translation.
- The Apostolic Fathers, vol. I (Loeb 24)Kirsopp Lake, 1912Public-domain Greek-English standard.