Letter of Ignatius to Smyrnaeans is a forgery! (Short)

[하토브.]

Letter of Ignatius to Smyrnaeans is a forgery!

Letter of Ignatius to Smyrnaeans is a forgery fabricated by a pseudonym Ignatius in the eleventh century.

1)    It teaches Episkopes are above Elders, but Apostle Peter was an elder( 1 Peter 5:1) and Apostle John was Elder too ( 2 John 1, 3John 1). In that case which Episkope ( Bishop) was above John or Peter? Ignatius is said to be a Bishop in Antioch. Then Ignatius and Polycarp were in the level of Bishops, while Peter and John were Elders, lower than the class of Ignatius and Polycarp? NONESENSE!

Even in Revelation which was written 11 years earlier, there is no mentioning of Bishops above Elders. John bowed down to the Elder then the Elder rebuked John saying < Don’t do that> ( Rev 19:13) which means the Elders are the highest office in the Church and in the Heaven, different from the Letter.

2) Jesus taught < Wherever 2-3 gather together in the name of Jesus, He will be there ( Mt 18:20) That is the fundamental truth of the church, but the Letter says < wherever the Bishop appears, let the people gather together> This is replacing Jesus with Bishop, the clergy system which is unbiblical as all Born Again Believers are the priests offering the Blood of Jesus by believing and remembering it, to God. So, the Letter oppose to the Bible.

 3) Letter says only the Bishop can baptize the people, but Philip was a deacon but he baptized Ethiopian Eunuch ( Acts 8:26-39).

4) It uses Flesh instead of Body, word Eucharist without explanation, which means such terminology were known to the church people after they were well established and understood, after some centuries later. Bible uses Kuriakon Deipne which is translated into Lord’s Supper in 1 Cor 11:20

 5) It emphasizes Bishop's authority too much without mentioning his duty of humbleness and meekness as Peter mentioned in 1 Peter 5:2-3.

2 Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;

6) The existing copies are dating back only to 11 century and only 2-3 manuscripts survive, which are too few to prove the veracity of them, While New Testament Bible has 5,366 manuscripts, some dating back to 2nd century, many by 5-6 century, Vatican Codex around 350AD. Matthew has over 1000 manuscripts, Mark 620, John 920, Acts 800, which are enough to verify the veracity of the manuscripts. Latin manuscripts are 9,200.

Letter of Ignatius was fabricated at lease several centuries later than 107AD, after the Catholic started to exist from October 251AD.