Table Of Content

LEARNING CHRIST LEARNING CHRIST IgnatIus of antIoch & the Mystery of redeMptIon GREGORY VALL The Catholic University of America Press Washington, D.C. Copyright © 2013 The Catholic University of America Press All rights reserved The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standards for Information Science—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ansi z39.48-1984. ∞ Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Vall, Gregory, 1961– Learning Christ : Ignatius of Antioch and the mystery of redemption / Gregory Vall. pages cm Includes bibliographical references and index. isbn 978-0-8132-2158-8 (cloth : alk. paper) 1. Ignatius, Saint, Bishop of Antioch, —approximately 110. I. Title. br65.i34v35 2013 270.1—dc23 2013020069 To Francis Martin CONTENTS Acknowledgments ix Abbreviations xi Introduction 1 1. Scripture and Economy 27 2. Issues in Ignatian Scholarship 52 3. Jesus and the Father 88 4. Flesh and Spirit 118 5. Faith and Love 159 6. Judaism and Christianity 200 7. Word and Silence 256 8. A Luminous Mystery 284 9. Christ and the Church 301 10. Unity and Eschatology 359 Bibliography 377 Index of Primary Sources 387 Index of Greek Words and Phrases 394 General Index 397 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Devoting three years of my life to the letters of Ignatius of An- tioch has been a great privilege and a labor of love. I am grateful to the many colleagues and students at Ave Maria University who encouraged me along the way. Special thanks are due to Fr. Mat- thew Lamb and Dr. Michael Dauphinais, who have fostered my development as a scholar in practical ways. Jeremiah Vallery read an early draft of this book, made numerous helpful suggestions for its improvement, and inspired me with his own work on Ig- natius. Stephen Hildebrand and Thomas A. Robinson reviewed the penultimate draft and offered many valuable criticisms. Sarah DeVille of Canizaro Library located difficult-to-find books and articles. Paul Shields and Teresa Vall helped with the indexes. James Kruggel and Theresa Walker of the Catholic University of America Press, and Philip Gerard Holthaus, freelance copy edi- tor for the press, have been a pleasure to work with. I am grateful for Andrew Olson’s proofreading. His keen eyes found several errors at a late stage of the final manuscript. To my parents, sib- lings, and in-laws I owe an incalculable debt of gratitude. Above all, I thank them for their prayers. My wife, Lourdes, and our children—Teresa, Thomas, Ezra, and Mark—have been unfail- ing in their love, patience, and good humor. I hope they know that they are the joy of my life. Finally, I wish to dedicate this book to my mentor and dear friend, Fr. Francis Martin. ix