To the Smyrnaeans 9.1

Ignatius of Antioch · To the Smyrnaeans · ca. 110 (range ca. 105–135) · Troas · Read in context

Summary: Honoring the bishop is honoring God.

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Greek text · Lake, LCL 24:260–262

Εὔλογόν ἐστιν λοιπὸν ἀνανῆψαι ἡμᾶς, ὡς ἔτι καιρὸν ἔχομεν εἰς θεὸν μετανοεῖν. καλῶς ἔχει, θεὸν καὶ ἐπίσκοπον εἰδέναι. ὁ τιμῶν ἐπίσκοπον ὑπὸ θεοῦ τετίμηται· ὁ λάθρα ἐπισκόπου τι πράσσων τῷ διαβόλῳ λατρεύει.

English · Claude translation

It is reasonable, finally, for us to come to our senses, while we still have time to repent toward God. It is good to acknowledge God and the bishop. Whoever honors the bishop has been honored by God; whoever does anything without the bishop's knowledge serves the devil.

About this passage

Source: Lake, LCL 24:260–262 · Kirsopp Lake, ed. and trans., The Apostolic Fathers, vol. 1, LCL 24 (London: Heinemann; New York: Macmillan, 1912), 172–277 · Greek text: K. Lake, The Apostolic Fathers (LCL, 1912-1913), digitized by the First Thousand Years of Greek project (Open Greek and Latin), CC BY-SA 4.0
Also in: PG 5:713b–713c (found by text match)
Text: As printed in Lake, LCL 24. Manuscript variants and the editor's apparatus are not reproduced; no textual problem is noted in this passage.
Translation: Claude translation (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-26 · Translated by Claude from the Greek text of Lake (LCL 24, 1912); made independently of existing English translations.
Compare: Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1 (1885) (an older public-domain English translation, whole volume at CCEL; checked against ours only after ours was made)
Topics: Church office

Cite this passage

Ign. Smyrn. 9.1 (PG 5:713b–713c; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ign-smyrnaeans/9/1/).

Plain text

Ign. Smyrn. 9.1 (PG 5:713b–713c; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ign-smyrnaeans/9/1/).

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