January 29 / February 11
After the holy hieromartyr Ignatius was thrown to the lions in the year 107 on the orders of the emperor Trajan, Christians gathered up his bones and preserved them at Rome.
Later, in the year 108, the saint’s relics were collected and buried outside the gate of Daphne at Antioch. A second transfer, to the city of Antioch itself, took place in the year 438. After the capture of Antioch by the Persians, the relics of the Hieromartyr Ignatius were returned to Rome and placed into the church of the holy Hieromartyr Clement in the year 540 (in 637, according to other sources).
Saint Ignatius introduced antiphonal singing into Church services. He has left us seven archpastoral epistles in which he provided instructions on faith, love and good works. He also urged his flock to preserve the unity of the faith and to beware of heretics. He encouraged people to honor and obey their bishops, “We should regard the bishop as we would the Lord Himself.” (To the Ephesians 6)
In his Letter to Polycarp, Saint Ignatius writes: “Listen to the bishop, if you want God to listen to you… let your baptism be your shield, your faith a helmet, your charity a spear, your patience, like full armour.” (Compare Eph. 6:14-17 and the Wisdom of Solomon 5:17-20. Also The Ladder 4:2)
The Canon of the Saint, the acrostic whereof is: “In songs do I hymn Ignatius, the star of the East”, the composition of Theophanes, in Tone IV
Ode I, Irmos: Having traversed the depths of the Red Sea with dryshod feet, Israel of old vanquished the might of Amalek in the wilderness by Moses’ arms stretched out in the form of the Cross.
Holy Hieromartyr, Ignatius, pray to God for us.
Guiding my life to virtue, O God-bearer Ignatius, illumine me with the light of the grace which shineth in thee, and by thy supplications set at naught the tumult of the passions.
Holy Hieromartyr, Ignatius, pray to God for us.
Thou wast like most fertile soil, increasing its seed a hundredfold at the harvest, O God-bearer Ignatius, for Christ Who watereth souls with the rain of the Spirit.
Holy Hieromartyr, Ignatius, pray to God for us.
The Master and God of all, perceiving with the power of His foreknowledge the nobility of thy soul, O God-bearer Ignatius, illumined thee with the divinely splendid radiance of grace.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Illumined by the rays of the noetic Sun, O most wise one, thou didst hasten in splendor from the East like the material sun, casting light upon the darkness of the West by thy preaching.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
O most pure Bride of God, thou gavest birth to One of the all-divine Trinity Who through thee revealed Himself as like us in the flesh, as the Father willed and with the coöperation of the most Holy Spirit.
Ode III, Irmos: Thy Church rejoiceth in Thee, O Christ, crying aloud: Thou art my strength, O Lord, my refuge and my consolation!
Holy Hieromartyr, Ignatius, pray to God for us.
Heal thou my mind which hath been afflicted with grievous carnal passions, O ever-memorable Ignatius, martyr of Christ.
Holy Hieromartyr, Ignatius, pray to God for us.
Knowing well that thou wast of one mind with the apostles, Christ appointed thee as a teacher shining with divine light upon all the Churches.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Having beheld the Bestower of life slain for thy sake, O Ignatius, with love thou didst hasten to endure death for His sake.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Cleansed by the Spirit beforehand, O pure one, thou gavest birth to the Word of the Father, for the benefit of rational nature.
Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Sessional hymn, Tone III, Spec. Mel. “Of the divine Faith…”: Illumined by the divine Spirit, with pastoral boldness and great wisdom thou didst put to shame the savagery of the tyrants; and, drawing thyself across the chasm of falsehood, O venerable father, thou didst reach the divine haven. Entreat Christ God, that He grant us great mercy. (Twice)
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Theotokion: Without separating Himself from the divine Essence when He took flesh in thy womb, the one Lord remained God though He became man; and even after thy birthgiving He preserved thee, His Virgin Mother, as immaculate as thou wast before giving birth. Him do thou earnestly beseech, that He grant us great mercy.
Stavrotheotokion (replaces the Theotokion of Wednesday and Fridays): The unblemished Ewe-lamb of the Word, the incorrupt Virgin Mother, beholding Him Who sprang forth from her without pain suspended upon the Cross, cried out, lamenting maternally: “Woe is me, O my Child! How is it that Thou dost suffer willingly, desiring to deliver man from the indignity of the passions?”
Ode IV, Irmos: Beholding Thee lifted up upon the Cross, O Sun of righteousness, the Church stood rooted in place, crying out as is meet: Glory to Thy power, O Lord!
Holy Hieromartyr, Ignatius, pray to God for us.
Fittingly called God-bearer, in that thou didst clothe thyself with life in Christ, thou dost radiantly anoint all to receive crowns through desire, O confirmation of martyrs.
Holy Hieromartyr, Ignatius, pray to God for us.
Thou wast animated by the power of Him Who for thy sake was nailed to the Cross, O God-bearer Ignatius; for thou didst permit the wild beasts to separate thee from the world, enabling thee to go to Him Whom thou didst desire with love.
Holy Hieromartyr, Ignatius, pray to God for us.
Desiring the beauties of the Master, and loving Him with unwavering devotion, O God-bearing martyr Ignatius, thou didst diligently emulate His sufferings.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Adorned with the purple robe of thy blood and the oil of thy priestly anointing, O holy hierarch, initiate of the mysteries of God, thou shinest forth with joy, crying unto Christ: Glory to Thy power, O Lord!
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
He Who by His divine power created all things out of nothing, O Mother of God, was born of thee, illumining the world with the radiant beams of divinity and the splendour of divine knowledge.
Ode V, Irmos: Thou hast come, O my Lord, as a light into the world: a holy light turning from the darkness of ignorance those who hymn Thee with faith.
Holy Hieromartyr, Ignatius, pray to God for us.
Beholding Christ now face to face, no longer as though reflected in a mirror, O Ignatius, thou hast truly united thyself to Him Who loveth thee.
Holy Hieromartyr, Ignatius, pray to God for us.
Thou hast truly drawn forth enlightenment from the wellspring of the Bestower of light, O Ignatius; for Christ, holding thee in His all-pure hands, did hallow thee.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Acquiring a mind illumined by the Spirit of God, O Ignatius, thou sendest forth the divinely inscribed laws of grace like tablets.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
From on high the angel joyously let his cry ring forth unto thee, O Theotokos, announcing to thee the ineffable conception of the Master.
Ode VI, Irmos: I will sacrifice to Thee with a voice of praise, O Lord, the Church crieth unto Thee, cleansed of the blood of demons by the blood which, for mercy’s sake, flowed from Thy side.
Holy Hieromartyr, Ignatius, pray to God for us.
Possessed of the hypostatic Wisdom of God, thou didst set at naught the dogmas of the wisdom of the Greeks, O initiate of sacred mysteries, and with a great noise thou didst consign to oblivion all memory of their falsehood.
Holy Hieromartyr, Ignatius, pray to God for us.
Cease thou never to pray for those who celebrate thy memory, O most blessed one, that they be delivered from most grievous temptations and misfortunes, in that thou art a right acceptable priest.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Excelling in courage and wisdom, O venerable and God-bearing martyr, thou wast shown to be adorned with the beauty of righteousness and chastity and surrounded by the virtues.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Finding thee alone like an all-pure rose, a lily of the valley, in the midst of thorns, O Mother of God, the Bridegroom and Word issued forth from thy womb.
Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Kontakion, Tone IV, Spec. Mel. “Thou hast appeared today…”: Thou didst shine forth from the East today, illumining all creation with thy doctrines, O God-bearing and divine Ignatius, and art adorned with martyrdom.
Ikos: Sanctifying Jeremiah from his mother’s womb and, as the Omniscient One, knowing beforehand when he would be born and that he would be a habitation of His Holy Spirit, God straightway filled him with life from his youth and sent him, as His prophet and herald, to proclaim His holy coming to all on earth. And when God Himself was born of the Virgin and went forth to preach, He found the God-bearing and divine Ignatius to be a disciple worthy of His grace from infancy.
Ode VII, Irmos: The children of Abraham in the Persian furnace, afire with love of piety more than with the flame, cried out: Blessed art Thou in the temple of Thy glory, O Lord!
Holy Hieromartyr, Ignatius, pray to God for us.
Adorned with the divine myrrh of the priesthood, O venerable one, and with the blood of thy martyrdom, in both thou didst shine forth, crying: Blessed art Thou in the temple of Thy glory, O Lord!
Holy Hieromartyr, Ignatius, pray to God for us.
Having enlightened the whole world with thy laws, with the Bread of heaven thou didst feed the faithful who cry out to thy Master: Blessed art Thou in the temple of Thy glory, O Lord!
Holy Hieromartyr, Ignatius, pray to God for us.
Illumined with radiant beams and shining with the splendor of the effulgence of the Origin of light, thou didst receive heavenly delight, rejoicing, O God-bearer, thou boast of martyrs.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
As thou didst say, O ever all-memorable martyr, thou wast ground as the grain of God by the teeth of wild beasts, and becamest a most pure bread for Him Who nurtureth all things in His divine goodness.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Rejoice, O sanctified and divine habitation of the Most High; for through thee, O Theotokos, hath joy been given to those who cry: Blessed art thou among women, O most immaculate Mistress!
Ode VIII, Irmos: Stretching forth his hands, Daniel shut the lions’ mouths in the pit; and the young lovers of piety, girded about with virtue, quenched the power of the fire, crying out: Bless the Lord, all ye works of the Lord!
Holy Hieromartyr, Ignatius, pray to God for us.
Standing before the tribunal, O wise and holy one, with purity of mind thou didst theologise concerning the uncreated Trinity; and, undaunted before the thrones of the savage tyrants, with noetic splendour thou didst cry out: Bless the Lord, all ye works of the Lord!
Holy Hieromartyr, Ignatius, pray to God for us.
Rationally governing thy mind with divine dogmas, O blessed Ignatius, with torrents of wisdom thou didst utterly drown the wicked demon-tyrant, the prince of deception, crying out: Bless the Lord, all ye works of the Lord!
Holy Hieromartyr, Ignatius, pray to God for us.
Shining with the boundless light of the Godhead, O invincible martyr, thou didst dispel the unstable darkness of ungodliness, sending forth radiant epistles to those who chant: Bless the Lord, all ye works of the Lord!
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Thou didst not fear the savagery and rapacity of the wild beasts, O godly Ignatius; for the power of the Most High Who shone forth from the Virgin arrayed thee in the armour of the Cross as thou didst chant: Bless the Lord, all ye works of the Lord!
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Thou, alone among all generations, O all-pure Virgin, wast shown to be the Mother of God; and thou wast a dwelling-place of the Godhead, O most immaculate one, unburnt by the fire of the unapproachable Light. Wherefore, we all call thee blessed, O Mary Bride of God.
Ode IX, Irmos: Christ, the Chief Cornerstone uncut by human hands, Who united the two disparate natures, was cut from thee, the unquarried mountain, O Virgin. Wherefore, in gladness we magnify thee, O Theotokos.
Holy Hieromartyr, Ignatius, pray to God for us.
Most divine love, holding thy soul fast, O blessed one, burned up all the material griefs of the world with immaterial fire, and presented thee as crowned to the Summit of all desires.
Holy Hieromartyr, Ignatius, pray to God for us.
Thou didst hasten to the most calm and radiant haven, O God-bearer, escaping the raging of both savage and rational beasts as though they were a tempest of threefold waves; and now thou art transported in ecstasy, receiving everlasting delight.
Holy Hieromartyr, Ignatius, pray to God for us.
Adorned with an ornate crown, O initiate of the sacred mysteries, thou dost excel; for in thee the glory of the priesthood and martyrdom are conjoined, and as one who shareth in both thou hast been glorified by thy Master.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
As one of manifest sanctity, possessing boldness before thy Master and God, O Ignatius, pray thou, that those who with faith celebrate thy memory be delivered now from temptations.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Quench thou the flame of my passions with the shining dew of thy prayer, O most pure one, in that thou didst receive the divine Fire in thy womb without being consumed; for thee do I have as the hope of my salvation, O Bride of God.
Troparion, Tone IV: As thou didst share in the ways of the apostles and didst occupy their throne, thou didst find thine activity to be a passage to divine vision, O divinely inspired one. Wherefore, ordering the word of truth, thou didst suffer for the Faith even to the shedding of thy blood, O hieromartyr Ignatius. Entreat Christ God, that our souls be saved.
Prayer: O great hierarch, Ignatius the God-Bearer! We bow down before thee and beg thee: look upon us, sinners, who resort to thine intercession! Beseech the Lord to forgive us all our sins. As thou didst lay down thy soul as a martyr for the faith, grant us also courage to imitate thee in all things. Nothing in life could separate thee from thy love for the Lord: neither flattering promises, nor prohibitions, nor threats, nor the worst of torments. Thou didst joyfully appear before the beasts of fierce death, and, like an angel, thou wast in the abodes of our Heavenly Father, and thy prayer is greatly powerful before the Lord. Be, then, O holy God-Pleaser, an advocate before the Lord, asking for us a prosperous and peaceful life, health, and salvation, and in all prosperity, and victory over our enemies, that He, the Merciful One, may overshadow us with His grace and protect us in all ways with His holy angels. Help us by thy holy prayers to Almighty God, to deliver us from hunger, earthquake, drought, lack of rain and deadly diseases. Be a quick helper for us in every sorrow, especially at the hour of our death; appear to us as a bright protector and intercessor and beg the Lord to favour all of us, who now fervently pray to thee, who hast received the Kingdom of Heaven after a Christian death; for all the saints together with thee eternally glorify the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.