8The epistles of St. Ignatius are presented here in their entirety, with the historic insight imparted in an excellent translation to English.

Saint Ignatius of Antioch was one of the foremost early Christians, acceding to the role of Bishop of Antioch in circa 67 A.D. . During his tenure as bishop he would author several Epistles - or letters - to various figures of the time. These writings are treasured as some of the earliest Christian texts extant.

Travelling widely during his life, St. Ignatius placed much effort in spreading the influence of Christianity. His writings are notable for coining the term 'Catholic Church', which remains in use to this day.

This edition includes letters which are generally considered authentic, being as they were individually referenced by the Roman historian Eusebius during the 4th century A.D. . These are as follows:

Epistle to the Ephesians, Epistle to the Magnesians, Epistle to the Trallians, Epistle to the Romans, Epistle to the Philadelphians, Epistle to the Smyrnaeans, Epistle to Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna.

For the sake of completeness, this edition also contains several epistles whose authenticity is disputed among historians and theologians. The general consensus is that these letters are spurious and were attributed to St. Ignatius a long time after his death. These include:

Epistle to the Tarsians; Epistle to the Antiochians; Epistle to Hero, a Deacon of Antioch; Epistle to the Philippians; The Epistle of Maria the Proselyte to Ignatius; Epistle to Mary at Neapolis, Zarbus; First Epistle to St. John; Second Epistle to St. John; The Epistle of Ignatius to the Virgin Mary.

This edition contains all original notes, as appended to the English translation originally printed in 1885.