Jesus Christ our God — What does Ignatius mean?
Posted by admin at December 23rd, 2010
Another interesting issue came up. Ignatius in the early second century calls Jesus Christ “our God”:
“…according to the love of Jesus Christ our God”
It all sounds great in support of the deity of Christ, but the only problem is that Ignatius makes a contradictory statement a few sentences later:
“…I also salute in the name of Almighty God, and of Jesus Christ His Son…”
Ignatius here makes a very clear distinction between the Almighty God and Jesus Christ.
I see two possible options to resolve the contradiction (you might have more):
1. the term “our God” is a forgery;
2. the term “god” here is used in the sense of human superior, as in
2. the term “god” here is used in the sense of human superior, as in
John 10:34 Jesus answered them, “Has it not been written in your Law, ‘I SAID, YOU ARE GODS’?35 “If he called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken),36 do you say of Him, whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’?
I personally opt for the second option.
