Learning Christ

4. Flesh and Spirit

118 4 flesh and spIrIt In the previous chapter we noted that Ignatius identifies the “union of flesh and spirit of Jesus Christ” as one of the primary dimensions of the unity that he wishes the churches to enjoy (Magn. 1:2), and we interpreted that statement to mean that Christians can, by grace, possess a union in their own flesh-and-spirit humanity that flows from, and participates in, the flesh-and-spirit union that exists in Jesus Christ. Indeed, the economic-Christological union of “flesh and spirit” brings about the soteriological-anthropological union of “flesh and spirit” that is constitutive of “the newness of eternal life” (Eph. 19:3). Having noted further that the expression “flesh and spirit” has a unique sense when it refers to Jesus Christ, we proceeded to expound this usage within a broad discussion of Ignatius’s Christology and nascent Trinitarianism. Continuing our investigation of the various dimensions of unity outlined in Magnesians 1, the agenda for the present chapter is as follows. First, I shall situate Ignatius’s anthropological use of the terms σάρξ and πνεῦμα within his broadly biblical view of reality and indicate the distinctly soteriological character of his anthropology. While granting that Ignatius’s use of σάρξ is not identical to what we find in Galatians or Romans, I will defend his anthropology as essentially biblical and Pauline . This apologia encounters some difficulty in what seems at first glance to be an incipiently gnostic formulation at Romans 6:2, where Ignatius describes salvation in terms of overcoming the allure of “matter,” departing from “the world,” and arriving at “pure light.” Since he implies that this sort of deliverance is required for one to become a “man” (ἄνθρωπος), is it possible to maintain that Ignatius’s anthropology is flesh and spIrIt 119 authentically biblical? To answer this important question and to get a firm handle on the relationship between anthropology and soteriology in Ignatius’s letters, it will be necessary to broaden our investigation a bit in order to take in elements of his cosmology, his understanding of spiritual warfare and martyrdom, and the epistolary aims and rhetorical strategy of Romans. The second item on our agenda, accordingly, will be a lengthy exposition of the star narrative of Ephesians 19, which is a key text for understanding Ignatius’s cosmology and its place within his overarching vision of the divine economy. Third, I shall transition from cosmology to the topic of spiritual warfare—traditionally viewed as an attempt to overcome three enemies: the world, the flesh, and the devil —by considering Ignatius’s teaching on the church’s relationship to the non-Christian world, especially as this is found in Magnesians 5 and Ephesians 10. Fourth, our attention will turn back to Romans, where the topics of spiritual warfare, Ignatius’s martyrdom, and personal eschatology (“attaining God”) all converge. Here I shall attempt to explain why Ignatius speaks of his death as a disappearance from the world, what he means by the crucifixion of desire, and why he is so worried that the Roman Christians may cooperate with the “envy” of the devil by forestalling his execution. In a final section I shall attempt to draw together the strands of the argument. It is worth recalling that Ignatius concludes the passage about the dimensions of unity by reminding his readers that “if we endure all the abuse of the ruler of this aeon and escape, we shall attain God” (Magn. 1:3). This statement contains Ignatius’s understanding of spiritual warfare in a nutshell, even as it raises the ticklish question of what he means by “escape.” In this chapter I hope to illuminate Ignatius’s “flesh and spirit” anthropology and his economic cosmology as foundational elements in his understanding of how human persons vanquish evil and come to salvation in Jesus Christ. As noted in the previous chapter, Ignatius views unity dynamically and teleologically. Our intrapersonal and interpersonal participation in the union of Jesus and the Father, which we certainly can experience now by faith and love, will be fully realized only after death, when “we shall attain God.” And for Ignatius, the attainment of God comes only by way of a battle of cosmic proportions. To analyze his teaching on the dimensions of unity in abstraction from what he says about cosmology and spiritual warfare, perhaps in order to sidestep difficult questions, is not therefore an option. 120 flesh and spIrIt...