• Home
  • Works
  • Introduction Guide Collaboration Sponsors / Collaborators Copyrights Contact Imprint
Bibliothek der Kirchenväter
Search
DE EN FR
Works Ignatius of Antioch (35-110) Epistulae VII genuinae Epistles of Ignatius
The Epistle of Ignatius to the Romans Shorter and Longer Versions

Chapter VI.--By death I shall attain true life.

All the pleasures of the world, and all the kingdoms of this earth, 1 shall profit me nothing. It is better for me to die in behalf of 2 Jesus Christ, than to reign over all the ends of the earth. "For what shall a man be profited, if he gain the whole world, but lose his own soul?" 3 Him I seek, who died for us: Him I desire, who rose again for our sake. This is the gain which is laid up for me. Pardon me, brethren: do not hinder me from living, do not wish to keep me in a state of death; 4 and while I desire to belong to God, do not ye give me over to the world. Suffer me to obtain pure light: when I have gone thither, I shall indeed be a man of God. Permit me to be an imitator of the passion of my God. If any one has Him within himself, let him consider what I desire, and let him have sympathy with me, as knowing how I am straitened.

All the ends of the world, and all the kingdoms of this earth, 5 shall profit me nothing. It is better for me to die for the sake of Jesus Christ, than to reign over all the ends of the earth. "For what is a man profited, if he gain the whole world, but lose his own soul?"

I long after the Lord, the Son of the true God and Father, even Jesus Christ. Him I seek, who died for us and rose again. Pardon me, brethren: do not hinder me in attaining to life; for Jesus is the life of believers. Do not wish to keep me in a state of death, 6 for life without Christ is death. While I desire to belong to God, do not ye give me over to the world. Suffer me to obtain pure light: when I have gone thither, I shall indeed be a man of God. Permit me to be an imitator of the passion of Christ, my God. If any one has Him within himself, let him consider what I desire, and let him have sympathy with me, as knowing how I am straitened.


  1. Literally, "this age." ↩

  2. Literally, "into." ↩

  3. Matt. xvi. 26. Some omit this quotation.  ↩

  4. Literally, "to die." ↩

  5. Literally, "this age." ↩

  6. Literally, "to die." ↩

pattern
  Print   Report an error
  • Show the text
  • Bibliographic Reference
  • Scans for this version
Editions of this Work
The Letters (Loeb) Compare
Translations of this Work
Die sieben Briefe des Ignatius von Antiochien (BKV) Compare
Epistles of Ignatius
Commentaries for this Work
Einleitung zu den Briefen des Ignatius
Introductory Note to the Epistles of Ignatius

Contents

Faculty of Theology, Patristics and History of the Early Church
Miséricorde, Av. Europe 20, CH 1700 Fribourg

© 2025 Gregor Emmenegger
Imprint
Privacy policy