After yesterday's heart-pounding, back and forth battle between upstart Lucy and favorite John the Baptist, you might have welcomed a weekend off to regroup. Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on your perspective), today is the one and only Saturday match-up in Lent Madness. If your name is Ignatius or if you've ever fantasized about naming your first-born son after one of these revered gentlemen, you won't want to miss this epic, long-anticipated Battle of the Iggys.
In the end Lucy defeated John the Baptist by the slimmest of margins in a bruising, bracket-busting battle. In addition to a record number of votes cast (5,200), we also saw a record number of comments (240) as passions were running high on both sides. Such is the "madness" of Lent Madness!
We even had our first mini-controversy that didn't involve a mug. Please know that when it comes to voter irregularities, the Supreme Executive Committee, like Big Brother, is watching. We had to zap 35 votes from John the Baptist last night after we noticed multiple votes from several ISP addresses. Again, please, one vote per person. If you have more than one family member voting -- that's fine. We're big fans of universal suffrage. If you're, say, a teacher logging multiple votes on behalf of your students -- just let us know. But voter fraud makes the saints weep so don't risk being cast into the outer darkness of life without Lent Madness (it's a miserable place that would make even the most hideous medieval gargoyle blush).
In the meantime, back to the task at hand. The great challenge of this battle? Voting for the correct Ignatius!
Ignatius of Antioch
Ignatius of Antioch (1st century CE) was Bishop of Antioch, located in modern Turkey, near its border with Syria. He is most known for the seven letters he wrote during his journey to martyrdom at Rome. These letters are among the earliest pieces of Christian theology outside of the New Testament, and give Ignatius a place among the “Apostolic Fathers” – those leaders of the church who served as the “bridge” between the Jesus and apostles themselves, and the rest of the early church.
We actually know very little about Ignatius outside of his journey to martyrdom. One pious legend holds that he was among the children blessed by Jesus and taken into his arms. It is certain, however, that around AD 68, Ignatius was chosen to serve as Bishop of Antioch, a see originally held by St. Peter himself. Sources disagree as to whether Ignatius was Antioch’s second or third bishop.
During the rule of the Emperor Trajan, Ignatius was condemned to death for being a Christian. He was led under a guard of ten soldiers to his martyrdom at Rome. It was during this journey that Ignatius wrote his letters. He was received en route to Rome at Smyrna, and there wrote letters encouraging the churches in Ephesus, Magnesia, and Tralles, and, most poignantly, a letter to the church in Rome commanding them not to intervene with authorities in order to prevent his martyrdom. He went from Smyrna to Troas, and there wrote letters to churches in Philadelphia and Smyrna, and to Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna.
Ignatius letters’ portray a man devoted to Christ and Christ’s church. He tirelessly defended the humanity, divinity, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Ignatius is an especially tireless advocate for the unity of the church through the community’s participation in the Eucharist – which he saw to be the continuing life of Jesus Christ in the church -- “breaking one bread, which is the medicine of immortality, the antidote we take in order not to die but to live forever in Jesus Christ.” Ignatius’ theology of episcopal ministry – most especially his tireless advocacy for the Bishop to serve as a locus of unity for the church – lies at the foundation of our understanding of episcopacy in our church today, where bishops are charged at their ordination to be guardians of the faith and unity of the church.
Ignatius’ letter to the Romans expressed his firm desire to be led to his martyrdom, begging the church in Rome to let him be “food for the wild beasts… God’s wheat… ground by the teeth of wild beasts, so that I may prove to be pure bread” (Rom 4:1). Around AD 115, Ignatius was granted his wish, as he was martyred in the coliseum, given over to the teeth of lions. Contemporary iconography of St. Ignatius of Antioch represents him as a bearded man, vested in bishop’s regalia, attacked by two lions, one making for his head, the other for his feet.
Collect for Ignatius of Antioch
Almighty God, we praise your Name for your bishop and martyr Ignatius of Antioch, who offered himself as grain to be ground by the teeth of wild beasts that he might present to you the pure bread of sacrifice. Accept, we pray, the willing tribute of our lives and give us a share in the pure and spotless offering of your Son Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
-- David Sibley
Ignatius of Loyola
Born in 1491 to a noble Basque family, Ignatius of Loyola was an exact contemporary of Archbishop Thomas Cranmer. (TC was two years older but they both died in 1556.)
As a mover and shaker in the Counter-Reformation and the founder of the Society of Jesus, a.k.a. the Jesuits, Ignatius lived during a period of great change in the Christian Church. His written legacy Spiritual Exercises, a set of meditations, prayers, and practices designed to help discern the presence of Jesus and the will of God in one’s life, continues to be valued by Christians to the present day.
He described himself as a young man as a vainglorious soldier. Badly wounded at the Battle of Pamplona in 1521, Ignatius was kindly carried by the French on a litter to his family’s castle of Loyola. There, after having his leg re-broken, (with a stub sawn off - ouch!), re-set, and stretched by weights, he had some extended time for reading to take his mind from the pain. The chivalrous romances he requested were unavailable so he read deeply of the life of Christ, particularly De Vita Christi, and the lives of saints. After months of recuperation and reflection, his conversion from a soldier of the realm to a knight of Christ was profound and adamant.
Ignatius resolved to live a life of poverty and self-denial and committed himself to doing heroic deeds and winning converts in the Holy Land. First he made his confession at the sanctuary of Monserrat where, after giving away his fine clothes to the poor and donning sackcloth, he suspended his sword and dagger on the altar. Then, after spending months in a cave in prayer and mastering the ascetic life, he journeyed to Jerusalem where his pilgrimage quickly turned to deep disappointment. After being received by the Franciscans for a few weeks, he was told he must return to Spain. The pope (one of those who, by the way, didn’t resign) had given the Franciscans the authority to send pilgrims home because of the hot trade in kidnapping visiting Christians and holding them for ransom was too costly.
In Spain -- with a heart full of earnest desire to serve God -- Ignatius turned to study, eventually spending many years studying and preaching in Paris. His fervor drew the attention of various inquisitors during that period, and he was their special guest on several brief occasions. In 1534 he gathered six particular friends who shared his vision, and they founded the Society of Jesus with Ignatius as its first Superior General. They were ordained in Rome in 1537, and the order was recognized by the Vatican three years later. Ultimately the Society of Jesus, with its motto -- ad maiorem Dei gloriam -- for the greater glory of God, sent missionaries around the world and founded many schools, universities, and seminaries. Ignatius and the many Jesuits were prime players in Counter-Reformation efforts across Europe, including England where they nettled the nascent Anglicans.
Ignatius died of Roman fever, or malaria, in a simple cell in Rome in 1556. He was canonized by Pope Gregory XV, who also didn’t resign, in 1622.
Collect for Ignatius of Loyola
Almighty God, from whom all good things come: You called Ignatius of Loyola to the service of your Divine Majesty and to find you in all things. Inspired by his example and strengthened by his companionship, may we labor without counting the cost and seek no reward other than knowing that we do your will; through Jesus Christ our Savior, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, now and for ever. Amen.
-- Heidi Shott
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201 comments on “Ignatius of Antioch vs. Ignatius of Loyola”
After six years of Jesuit education, and exposure to the social justice work of the order in the 60s, my vote goes to Ignatius of Loyola. Ignatius of Antioch is known only to students of church history. That said, Ignatius of Antioch does urge the model of bishop as shepherd/servant which I find particularly important in these times of authoritarianism/triumphalism among church leaders. See
Brent, Allen. Cultural Episcopacy and Ecumenism: Representative Ministry in Church History from the Age of Ignatius of Antioch to the Reformation. Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1992.
_____. Ignatius of Antioch: A Martyr Bishop and the Origin of Episcopacy. London: T&T Clark International, 2007.
Foster, Paul. "The Epistles of Ignatius of Antioch (Part 1)." The Expository Times 117, no. 12 (2006): 487-495.
_____. "The Epistles of Ignatius of Antioch (Part 2)." The Expository Times 118, no. 1 (2006): 2-11.
Hoffman, Daniel. “The Authority of Scripture and Apostolic Doctrine in Ignatius of Antioch.” Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 28, no. 1 (March 1985): 71-79.
Howell, Kenneth J. Ignatius of Antioch & Polycarp of Smyrna: A New Translation and Theological Commentary. Zanesville, OH: CHResources, 2009.
Lohr, Hermut. "The Epistles of Ignatius of Antioch." In The Apostolic Fathers: An Introduction, edited by Wilhelm Pratscher, translated by Elisabeth G. Wolfe, 91-115. Waco, TX: Baylor University Press, 2010.
Lotz, John-Paul. Ignatius and Concord: The Background and Use of the Language of Concord in the Letters of Ignatius of Antioch. New York: Peter Lang, 2007.
Maier, Harry O. The Social Setting of the Ministry as Reflected in the Writings of Hermas, Clement and Ignatius. Waterloo, Ontario: Wilfrid Laurier University Press, 1991.
Maybe if Iggy A wins the vote, he will no longer only be known by students of church history.
Whee, a bibliography! Thank you!
I confess I'm a bit uneasy with IofA's emphasis on the mono-episcopacy, which was just emerging. But your point about bishop as shepherd/servant is a very good one.
As another graduate of a Jesuit university (the University of Detroit, before it became UD-Mercy), I came to today's bios fully intending to vote for IggyL. And I did.
But it was harder than I thought it would be. MUCH harder.
I've loved reading all of today's comments, but felt a special pull toward those that have praised the Jesuits' educational, spiritual, and real-world accomplishments. My college education—and I was the first in my family to attend—has enriched my life beyond measure.
Since the abuse I have failed to place trust in the bishops. Don't think iggy if Antioch meant for this dismiss among the hierarchy. Therefore I am voting for the education and social justices of the Jesuits. Go Iggy of Loyola!
Have to vote for Iggy A for his teaching of the full unity of the church through the Eucharist. Bringing the children of our worship community into full participation in the Eucharist is central to my work as children's ministry director . So go Iggy A !
I must admit that being martyred by lions for one's faith is worthy of much veneration, I have much respect for the Jesuits and voted for Ignatius of Loyola. However the vote turns out, though, we can't go wrong with the Iggys.
Iggy of Loyola is my man: he started out as a romantic ladies's man who won the respect of his foes in battle by taking them on when he was hopelessly outnumbered (OT style). He encountered God when he realized that his fantasies about the saints left him feeling filled up as opposed to his romantic and sexual fantasies that left him dissatisfied. And THEN he decides to give God some quality time in a cave. He quieted his mind and opened himself to God. My favorite line of his, "I spent these days as a school child, taught by God." And THEN he created his Spiritual Exercises, which are amazing, transformative, and life-changing. AND that's just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Ignatius of Loyola!
This one was not nearly as difficult as previous contests (including Play-ins!) were for me. The unity thing puts I of A over the top!
And, as someone with precious little history, culture and religious education, I'm happy to be even aware that there are more than one Ignatiuses (Ignati?)...
Actually, I like all the romantic saints: Ig of Loyola, Teresa of Avila, Margaret of Cortona...hmm, something to bring up with a therapist or spiritual director...oh, was that out loud? 😉
Margaret of Cortona -- a rare and discerning choice! Do you suppose we can get her onto the bracket one of these Lents?
In reading about I of A I was struck by how much of what I most prize in the Church and Indeed in the Anglican tradition is found in his thinking. In I of L I find, along with much that is good and holy, a different vision. His Wikipedia article quotes him, I trust accurately, as having written in Rule 13 of the Spiritual Exercises:
"That we may be altogether of the same mind and in conformity with the Church herself, if she shall have defined anything to be black which appears to our eyes to be white, we ought in like manner to pronounce it to be black. For we must undoubtingly believe, that the Spirit of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Spirit of the Orthodox Church His Spouse, by which Spirit we are governed and directed to Salvation, is the same; ...”
Not exactly your three-legged stool.
Quite a few people seem to be voting for the Jesuits as we know them, rather than for their founder. While we may give thanks for the grace by which they have become so largely a force for good, and the grace by which I of L was led to establish them, they're not on the ballot; and the mixed nature of his legacy suffers when compared to the apparent purity of his opponent's.
My liberal RC upbringing leaned me towards Loyola but now asa recovering RC :-), I bristled at his anti-Reformation zeal and voted for Antioch.
One of the highest compliments I've ever had from my Jesuit-trained husband is "very good! That was a distinction almost worthy of the Jesuits!" I wish I had had a Jesuit education, alas! One more thing about the historical info on Iggy A: studies have shown that no Christians were ever martyred in the Coliseum. At other places in Rome, but not the Coliseum. So after reading all the comments so far, I'm going to . . . uhm . . . I really want to vote for the guy who keeps the Eucharist at the center of our lives. Well, I think I'll keep my decision secret.
I voted for IofL because of the modern Jesuits (and I am a Presbyterian). He set the tone and the spirit for a remarkable group of people whose influence on young people is extraordinary. It's a bit unfair to compare the two Is closely because they were of such different times.
Ignatius of Loyola gets my vote, a man who knew the value of an educated
mind and helped many to find and get that education.
Gotta go with Ignatius of Antioch - we are reading about him this week in EfM - and I admit his approach to Jesus' divine nature vs human nature!
My vote is for Ignatius of Antioch since he was a martyr for Christianity. Ignatius of Loyola almost got my vote for his theology and his starting of Jesuit teachings, but Ignatius of Antioch did create many ideas Episcopalians follow.
As we here at ECIM struggle with the consolidation of our three churches here on Guam I must go with Ignatius of Antioch. Unity through Eucharist, Body, mind and spirit. It's our siren call.
The-Rev.-Dr.-Elise-Feyerherm's-challenging-class-in-Patristics-requires-my-vote-for-Ignatius-of-Antioch.--I-find-myself-voting-for-the-ancient-ones-who-
kept-the-faith-going-despite-enormous-obstacles-----Incarnation,-all-the-way!
He-feels-pretty-relevant=today!--Not-that-I=of=L-was-not-a-great-saint,too!
This one was tough, but Iggy A's love of the Eucharist got my vote-
I voted for Iggy of Loyola. Someone who asked to be martyred "so that I may prove to be pure bread” sounded a touch too arrogant for me. I much more relate to to the playboy turned devoted Christian is much more relatable.
The Jesuits have been the source of so much pain and error in Church history. How could I vote for Loyola?
If Ignatius of Antioch had inspired his own order, I'm sure the same charge could have been leveled against him.
Forgive, be reconciled, and vote for Loyola!
The example of the Franciscans suggests that orders do differ when it comes to pain and error.
Gotta go with Loyola...all about the Jesuits baby!!
I was all set to vote for Iggy of Antioch, he had sound views or Bishop's and knowing what God was calling him to do and be.
And then I got to the collect for Iggy of Loyola, seeing God in all things. That spoke to my heart in a new way. Out of gratitude I'm casting my vote for Iggy of Loyola. And I have great respect for the Jesuits.
The lions did it for me, and the Eucharist! The symbolism is impeccable!
There is nothing fair about Lent Madness, the contest that pits one saint against another.
How can one choose the more saintly saint? Separated by centuries (sometimes), by culture, by geography, and by political and social realities, how can any-21st-century-one select a holy person from a pair of holy persons?
Impossible. Madness.
So, we study the saints, reflect on our own life experiences, wonder at their accomplishments, and, finally, vote.
Lent Madness is not for the faint of heart---nor for the entirely rational. One needs courage in the form of hot cocoa in a Lent Madness mug, of course.
So, I sigh and vote for Ignatius of Antioch for his episcopal idea, his letters & his sacrifice.
I do have great respect for the Jesuits, but I confess the art history buff in me was swayed by that gorgeous icon of Iggy of Antioch. Maybe that's why I also pick football teams based on their uniforms??
The comments on 'unity' are interesting to me because of the potential context. I'm not sure of Iggy I but suspect in his era factions were developing long before Constantine. Gnostics come to mind that may have been of concern in the early church. They were possibly seen as "breakaways" from the fledgling established church. The concern for unity was an effort to preserve the establishment. In fact the Gnostics may have called the 'establishment' loyalists. Modern "unity" issues surfacing in the diocese of South Carolina could be compared to this ancient threat to unity but a mirror image of the ancient context. In modern times, the established Episcopal Church is seen as drifting away from established "tradition." The breakaway churches are seen as preserving and protecting established tradition. I wonder if the Gnostics saw it the same way?
I didn't mean for this to come up as a 'reply' to your comment. Sorry.
What's up with the PC abbreviation "CE" ("Common Era") instead of good old "AD"?
I revere science too. Dating is a secular function. "AD" is pc.
Since scholars have concluded our Lord was born several years before the year 1, it seems incorrect to use Anno Domini for a misnumbered schema. I'm all in favor of C.E. / B.C.E to secularize the global numbering system.
I vote for CE/BCE too! Where's the button...?
I would not normally engage in suh shenanigans on a Saturday evening, but for this vote, I am informing my Oriental Orhodox family and friends. Jesus's preference is clear.
Speaking as one of the "nettled Anglicans" I think I had to vote for Iiggy of A since we here in Pittsburgh PA have had such controversy in our bishopric. Our hopes for unity lie in our new bishop. Let us hope that he not only can preserve unity but God's true word as well. No I'm not a progressive, but I do believe we need to live to what God intent.
All I know is that I have a great need to know that my bishop can hold the line when it comes to what the scriptures truly state!! I also plan to find the writings of Iiggy A as I feel a need to learn more.
Is anyone else noticing that the 53-47% margin mirrors the presidential election?
I have to vote for the person who lived for Christ and not the person who died for Christ. Loyola got my vote.