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Epistles of Ignatius

Chapter V.--Death is the fate of all such.

Seeing, then, all things have an end, these two things are simultaneously set before us--death and life; and every one shall go unto his own place. For as there are two kinds of coins, the one of God, the other of the world, and each of these has its special character stamped upon it, [so is it also here.] ¹ The unbelieving are of this world; but the believing have, in love, the character of God the Father by Jesus Christ, by whom, if we are not in readiness to die into His passion, ² His life is not in us.

Seeing, then, all things have an end, and there is set before us life upon our observance [of God's precepts], but death as the result of disobedience, and every one, according to the choice he makes, shall go to his own place, let us flee from death, and make choice of life. For I remark, that two different characters are found among men--the one true coin, the other spurious. The truly devout man is the right kind of coin, stamped by God Himself. The ungodly man, again, is false coin, unlawful, spurious, counterfeit, wrought not by God, but by the devil. I do not mean to say that there are two different human natures, but that there is one humanity, sometimes belonging to God, and sometimes to the devil. If any one is truly religious, he is a man of God; but if he is irreligious, he is a man of the devil, made such, not by nature, but by his own choice. The unbelieving bear the image of the prince of wickedness. The believing possess the image of their Prince, God the Father, and Jesus Christ, through whom, if we are not in readiness to die for the truth into His passion, ³ His life is not in us.

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Die sieben Briefe des Ignatius von Antiochien (BKV)

5. Kap. Tod und Leben ist uns vorgelegt.

1. Da nun die Dinge ein Ziel haben und zweierlei zugleich uns vorgelegt ist, der Tod und das Leben, so wird auch jeder an seinen besonderen Ort¹ gelangen; 2. wie es ja auch zwei Münzen gibt, nämlich eine Münze Gottes und eine dieser Welt; und zwar trägt jede derselben ihr eigenes Gepräge an sich: die Ungläubigen das Gepräge dieser Welt, die Gläubigen aber in Liebe das Gepräge Gottes des Vaters durch Jesus Christus, dessen Leben nicht in uns ist, wenn wir nicht selbst durch ihn bereit sind, auf sein Leiden hin zu sterben ....