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To the Romans

St Ignatius of Antioch, Lake, Loeb 1912

Chapter 8

Desire of martyrdom

I no longer desire to live after the manner of men, and this shall be, if you desire it. Desire it, in order that you also may be desired.

I beg you by this short letter; believe me. And Jesus Christ shall make this plain to you, that I am speaking the truth. He is the mouth which cannot lie, by which the Father has spoken truly.

Pray for me that I may attain. I write to you not according to the flesh, but according to the mind of God. If I suffer, it was your favour: if I be rejected, it was your hatred.