Does this letter say that the church presides [over all Christendom] from Rome? Or that the church presides over the region of Rome? Do the translations you use have a comma? I don’t believe I had seen it translated that way before.
This text, which I found at
this site, has the text as follows:
“Ιγνατιος, ο και Θεοφορος, τη ηλεημενη εν μεγαλειοτητι πατρος υψιστου και Ιησου Χριστου του μονου αυτου, εκκλησια ηγαπημενη και πεφωτισμενη εν θεληματι του θελησαντος τα παντα α εστιν, κατα πιστιν και αγαπην Ιησου Χριστου του θεου ημων, ητις και προκαθηται εν τοπω χωριου Ρωμαιων, αξιοθεος, αξιοπρεπης, αξιομακαριστος, αξιεπαινος, αξιοεπιτευκτος, αξιαγνος, και προκαθημενη της αγαπης, χριστονομος, πατρωνυμος, ην και ασπαζομαι εν ονοματι Ιησου Χριστου, υιου πατρος· κατα σαρκα και πνευμα ηνωμενοις παση εντολη αυτου, πεπληρωμενοις χαριτος θεου αδιακριτως και αποδιυλισμενοις απο παντος αλλοτριου χρωματος, πλειστα εν Ιησου Χριστω τω θεω ημων αμωμως χαιρειν.”
Literally, it’s “which presides in the region of the land of the Romans”. It would seem that it’s not so much a description of that Church’s reach, but rather, merely a description of where the presiding Church is located.
Nevertheless, you don’t need to quibble over commas in order to understand what Ignatius is saying, if you’re questioning how he perceives the authority of the Church in Rome. Instead, you merely have to look at how he addresses the other Churches to whom he writes:
“Ignatius, who is also called Theophorus, to the Church of God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, which is at Philadelphia, in Asia”
“Ignatius, who is also called Theophorus, to the Church which is at Ephesus, in Asia”
“Ignatius, who is also called Theophorus, to the [Church] blessed in the grace of God the Father, in Jesus Christ our Saviour, in whom I salute the Church which is at Magnesia, near the Mæander, and wish it abundance of happiness in God the Father, and in Jesus Christ.”
“Ignatius, who is also called Theophorus, to the holy Church which is at Tralles, in Asia”
“Ignatius, who is also called Theophorus, to the Church of God the Father, and of the beloved Jesus Christ, which has through mercy obtained every kind of gift, which is filled with faith and love, and is deficient in no gift, most worthy of God, and adorned with holiness: the Church which is at Smyrna, in Asia”
As you can no doubt see for yourself, Ignatius only identifies one Church as ‘presiding’: the Church in Rome. No other Church to whom he writes gets anything even close to that kind of address. Clearly, he’s saying something to the Church of Rome that he’s not attempting to say to the other Churches.
