apostolicfathers0201clem - Carmel Apologetics

370 EPISTLES OF S. IGNATIUS.
We have hitherto been concerned mainly with his relations to the
churches on his route; but something must now be said about the
church of his destination. The Roman Church occupies an exceptional
position among the communities addressed in the Ignatian Epistles ;
and the notices in the Roman letter therefore demand special attention.
It will be seen hereafter (p. 398 sq) how the absence of any appeal to
episcopal authority in this letter, and in this alone, harmonizes with
the conditions of the Roman Church as indicated by other nearly
contemporary documents. But this is not the only coincidence with
external history. It is clear, as I have stated elsewhere (p. 32), that
Ignatius is here represented as a condemned man, sent to Rome, not
Uke S. Paul, to be tried on appeal, but to be executed as a criminal'.
is equally plain that he is apprehensive
lest the interference of the Roman
Christians should procure a mitigation or a reversal of his sentence, so
that he will be robbed of the crown of martyrdom. How was this
possible Who were these powerful friends who might be expected to
rescue him from his fate Twenty years earlier, or twenty years later,
than the assumed date of Ignatius, it is not probable that any persons
sufficient influence would have been found in the Roman
possessing
Church. At least we have no evidence of their existence at either
date. But just at this moment Christianity occupied a position of
exceptional influence at Rome. During the last years
It
of Domitian's
reign the new religion had effected a lodgment in the imperial family
itself The emperor's cousin-german Flavins Clemens is stated to
have been converted to the Gospel ;
the same also is recorded of his
wife Flavia Domitilla who, besides her relationship by marriage, was
herself also own niece of Domitian^. The evidence of the catacombs in
the Coemcterium JDomitillae suggests that other members of the imperial
family
likewise became Christians.
These facts betoken a more or less
^
Kraus (Theolog. Quartalschr. 1873, tempus occupat, qtiod acddit in personis
p. 131) attempts to controvert the correct eorum ijiii ad bestias datnnantur^ (quoted
view maintained by Uhlhorn, that Igna- by Wieseler p. 133).
tius was sent to Rome for punishment as ^
On the subject of Flavius Clemens
a condemned criminal. He is fully an- and Flavia Domitilla, and generally on the
swered by Wieseler Chrisienvcrfolgungen spread of Christianity among persons of
p. 120 sq. The language of Ignatius in rank in Rome at this time, see Philip-
Ro7n. 4, where he calls himself not only plans p. 21 sq, Clem etit ofRome, i. p. 29
KaT&KpiTos, but SoOXos, is illustrated by sq (ed. 2). This is the subject of two
Digest, xlviii. 19. 29 ' Qui ultimo sup- articles by Yiiistwcltwer, Christlicke Prosplicio
damnantur, statim et civitatem et elyten der hohercn Stdnde im ersteti
libertatetn perdunt ; itaque praeoccupat y a krhundert, \n yahrb.f. Protest. Tkeol.
hie casus mortem et
nonnunquam longum 1882, p. 34 sq, p. 230 sq.