The Glorified and Ascended Body of Christ in St. Ignatius of Antioch

St. Ignatius of Antioch (c. 35–107 AD),¹ an early Christian bishop, theologian, and martyr, was born in Syria and became the third bishop of Antioch. Ignatius often refers to himself in his writings as “Theophorus,” typically translated God-bearer,² emphasizing his role as one who carries within himself the presence of God. This concept aligns with the early Christian understanding of believers as temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 3:16–17, RSV), meaning Ignatius saw his life as imbued with the indwelling presence of Christ. Michael Holmes, in the well-loved The Apostolic Fathers, translates Theophorus as “Image Bearer,” then explains: “In the Greek inscriptions the term is commonly used as a title, describing those who carry divine images or shrines in religious processions (imagery and terminology that Ignatius applies to the Christian Community and to himself).”³

For someone writing during the infancy of the Church, Ignatius’s insights are deeply impressive. His letters are cherished as foundational texts in Catholic theology and ecclesiology, providing a clear window into the beliefs and practices of the early Church and shaping Christian doctrine on unity and sacraments into modern times.

Ignatius’s thinking was influenced by St. Paul, who had visited and preached at Antioch at least three times during his life; by St. Peter, who had a discussion in Antioch with St. Paul (Gal. 2:11, RSV); and finally by his friend Polycarp, who was a disciple of St. John. Many attribute the awesome depth of his insights to his holiness and theological background. James T. O’Conner, in The Hidden Manna: A Theology of the Eucharist, writes:

“With allusions to St. Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 10:17, Ignatius urges his fellow Christians to assemble in common, obeying the bishop, and ‘breaking one bread that is the medicine of immortality and the antidote against dying that offers life for all in Jesus Christ.’ In this way, he unites the notions of ecclesial unity, the role of the bishop and the medicinal eschatological effect of the Eucharist. . . . One may say that St. Ignatius reflects in his letters all the major Eucharistic themes that would appear again and again throughout Christian history. The Eucharist is Jesus himself; it is sacrifice, thanksgiving, the cause of the unity of the Church, spiritual medicine, pledge of Resurrection, and model for Christians to imitate.”⁴

Thesis

This article follows in the footsteps of Gregory Vall’s Learning Christ⁵ to argue that Jesus’s glorified and ascended body enables deification and union with the Trinity through the sacraments, especially the Eucharist, for all believers across time.

Prominence of Eucharistic References

Ignatius consistently emphasizes the Eucharist’s centrality to Christian life and unity. In the following references, Ignatius highlights the foundational role the Eucharist plays in uniting believers with Christ’s body and, by extension, the life of the Trinity. Below are the main references in Ignatius’ Letter to the Ephesians; references he makes to the Eucharist in other letters are in this endnote.⁶

• Ephesians 5:1–2: Anyone not within the sanctuary lacks the bread of God and separates himself from Christ.
• Ephesians 13:1: He exhorts the Ephesians to be diligent in coming together to break one bread, which he associates with Christ’s flesh, fostering unity and communion within the Church.
• Ephesians 17:1–2: The Church comes about because of Christ’s death and resurrection.
• Ephesians 20:2: The Eucharist is the medicine of immortality.

Christology and Theology of St. Ignatius of Antioch

Ignatius of Antioch, in his letters, was adamant about the real, incarnate nature of Christ, as well as the salvific power of His bodily resurrection and ascension. In his Letter to the Romans, he writes, “I want the bread of God, which is the flesh of Christ.”⁷ Here, Ignatius emphasizes that Christ’s true body is the means by which believers are united with God, both physically and spiritually, foreshadowing Catholic sacramental theology and the doctrine of deification.

The Glorified Body of Christ as the Means of Union with God

For Ignatius, Christ’s glorified and ascended body serves as both a reality and a conduit for believers to enter into communion with the divine life of the Trinity. Ignatius’s letters illustrate his belief in the Eucharist as a transformative encounter with Christ’s glorified body, as seen in the following passages:

1. Letter to the Smyrnaeans, 6:2 – Ignatius emphasizes the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist and warns that those who deny it separate themselves from salvation.
2. Letter to the Romans, 7:3 – Ignatius expresses his deep desire for union with Christ, saying, “I want the bread of God, which is the flesh of Christ.”⁸ This statement emphasizes the Eucharist as a real participation in the glorified body of Christ, through which believers are united with Him.
3. Letter to the Ephesians, 2:1–4:3 – Ignatius encourages the Ephesians to gather frequently to celebrate the Eucharist, which he views as a means of harmony/unity with Christ and, implicitly, communion with the divine.

In these letters, Ignatius views the Eucharist as not just a symbol but a real, transformative encounter with Christ’s glorified body. By partaking in it, the faithful enter into a union with Christ that brings them into communion with the life of the Trinity.

The Eucharist, the Medicine of Immortality: Imperishability and the Risen Christ’s Presence in the Church

In his letters, Ignatius reveals that the Eucharist is not merely a sacrament but the permanent presence of the risen Christ within His Church. Gregory Vall, in Learning Christ, argues that Ignatius believed the Church is brought to life primarily through the Holy Spirit, a gift stemming directly from Christ’s death and resurrection.⁹ The Church, in turn, is “mingled” with Jesus as Jesus is “mingled” with the Father.¹⁰ Through the Eucharist, believers are granted imperishability, partaking in Christ’s resurrection and experiencing a foretaste of eternal life. Ignatius emphasizes that by sharing in Christ’s glorified flesh, the Church and its members are imparted immortality. In his letter to the Ephesians, he famously refers to the Eucharist as the “medicine of immortality,” linking it to the essence of Christian hope in the resurrection.¹¹ He further describes this medicine as “the antidote we take in order not to die but to live forever in Jesus Christ.”¹² This statement encapsulates Ignatius’s view of the Eucharist as the means by which Christians are united with the risen Christ, the source of eternal life. For Ignatius, the Eucharist is a real participation in Christ’s life, death, and resurrection, through which the imperishable life of Christ is communicated to the faithful.

The Eucharist and the Risen Christ

At the heart of Ignatius’s theology of the Eucharist is the conviction that it is the means by which the living Christ remains with His Church. In Ignatius’s time, the memory of Christ’s physical resurrection was still fresh in the minds of Christians. They believed that the risen Christ was not only an event in the past but a present and living reality. The Eucharist, then, was seen as the concrete means by which the Church could continue to encounter Christ. In the Eucharist, the Church is not simply commemorating a historical event; it is participating in the ongoing presence of Christ in the world.

For Ignatius, the Eucharist is the antidote to death because it connects the believer to the immortal Christ. The Apostle Paul had already written about the transformative power of the Eucharist, particularly in 1 Corinthians 11:23–26, where the breaking of bread and sharing of the cup were presented as a proclamation of Christ’s death until He returns. However, for Ignatius, the Eucharist goes further. It is the means by which baptized believers are mystically incorporated into the resurrected life of Christ, participating in His victory over death in an ongoing way. In the Eucharist, the Church experiences the reality of the Resurrection as a present, ongoing event, continuously renewing the gift of eternal life.

Deification and Participation in the Divine Nature

Ignatius’s Eucharistic theology not only speaks to unity with Christ but also hints at the transformative power of the sacrament, echoing the concept of deification or, as scripture puts it, becoming “partakers of the divine nature.” (2 Pet. 1:4, RSV) His description of the Eucharist as a life-giving, transformative encounter provides a basis for later teachings on the sacrament’s role in Christian divinization. Here are a few key examples:

Letter to the Ephesians 20: Ignatius refers to the Eucharist as the “medicine of immortality and the antidote we take in order not to die but to live forever in Jesus Christ.”¹³ This phrase underscores his view that the Eucharist confers a life-giving, transformative effect on the believer, echoing the concept of divinization, where the faithful are granted a share in the divine, eternal life through union with Christ.

Letter to the Romans 7: Ignatius expresses his deep desire for union with Christ, stating that he seeks “the bread of God, which is the flesh of Jesus Christ” and “the drink of God, which is his blood.” This intense language emphasizes that partaking of the Eucharist is a means of intimate participation in Christ’s life, leading toward a transformative union with the divine.

Letter to the Smyrnaeans 6–7: Ignatius warns against those who deny the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist, asserting that those who do not confess it “deny the good gift of God.”¹⁴ He links belief in the true presence to participation in salvation, suggesting that the Eucharist is not merely symbolic but a channel for receiving the divine presence, essential for attaining eternal life and being transformed by God.¹⁵

Ignatius sees the Eucharist as a vital, tangible way for Christians to partake in the life of Christ, which he equates with divine life itself. By partaking in Christ’s body and blood, believers are drawn into a deeper union with God, pointing toward divinization through their incorporation into the life of Christ.

Ignatius’ Concept of Deification Is Still Current Nineteen Centuries Later

In his encyclical focused entirely on the Eucharist, Ecclesia de Eucharistia, Pope John Paul II articulates the profound transformative union with Christ through the Eucharist, drawing believers closer to God, a “mutual abiding.”¹⁶ He writes:

“Eucharistic communion brings about in a sublime way the mutual ‘abiding’ of Christ and each of his followers: ‘Abide in me, and I in you’ (Jn 15:4) . . . The Eucharist thus appears as both the source and the summit of all evangelization, since its goal is the communion of mankind with Christ and in him with the Father and the Holy Spirit.”¹⁷

Pope Benedict XVI deepens this understanding in his Jesus of Nazareth – Holy Week: From the Entrance into Jerusalem:

“Because Jesus is with the Father, he has not gone away but remains close to us. Now he is no longer in one particular place in the world as he had been before the ‘Ascension’: now, through his power over space, he is present and accessible to all — throughout history and in every place.”¹⁸

Thus, Ignatius’ emphasis on the glorified body of Christ is still understood as foundational to believers’ sacramental participation in the Trinity. In his Apostolic Exhortation Sacramentum Caritatis, Pope Benedict XVI goes on to write:

“By receiving the body and blood of Jesus Christ we become sharers in the divine life in an ever more adult and conscious way. Here too, we can apply Saint Augustine’s words, in his Confessions, about the eternal Logos as the food of our souls. Stressing the mysterious nature of this food, Augustine imagines the Lord saying to him: ‘I am the food of grown men; grow, and you shall feed upon me; nor shall you change me, like the food of your flesh, into yourself, but you shall be changed into me.’ It is not the eucharistic food that is changed into us, but rather we who are mysteriously transformed by it. Christ nourishes us by uniting us to himself; ‘he draws us into himself.’”¹⁹

Conclusion

St. Ignatius of Antioch’s theology of the glorified and ascended body of Christ serves as a profound foundation for understanding Christian deification and eternal union with the Trinity. Through his letters, Ignatius reveals that the Eucharist is not merely symbolic but a transformative encounter with the risen Christ, making believers partakers in the divine life. He teaches that, through the Eucharist, the faithful are united to Christ’s glorified body, enabling them to share in His resurrection and partake in eternal life. By emphasizing the Eucharist as the “medicine of immortality,” Ignatius highlights its role as the primary means by which Christians can experience deification and anticipate their ultimate union with God.

This theology remains deeply relevant to modern Catholic theology and spiritual practice. Ignatius’s emphasis on the glorified body of Christ resonates with contemporary teachings on the Eucharist, as seen in the works of Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI, who reaffirm that in Eucharistic communion, believers are drawn into the life of the Trinity. For Catholics today, Ignatius’s insights encourage a reverent and faith-filled approach to the Eucharist, recognizing it as a tangible link to Christ’s eternal presence and a foretaste of divine union. Ignatius’s Eucharistic vision remains a pillar of Catholic theology, providing believers with a timeless invitation to encounter Christ’s glorified presence and anticipate eternal communion with the Trinity.