In a compilation of his historical papers called "Hitler, Homer, Bible, Christ" Richard Carrier writes about Ignatius:
His point is that xtian writers, attempting to bullshit everyone, pretend that there is some consensus that the Ignatian epistles are regarded as authentic. Carrier disagrees and this is merely one of a myriad of problems with them.
Put another way, the Ignatius story.....
Quote:Some scholars argue that the context of the Ignatian letters makes exactly zero historical sense. Ignatius is supposed to have been arrested and sent to Rome on a crime of illegal assembly (as a Christian), and on his journey to court his Roman jailers willingly take him to visit community after community of felonious illegal assemblies, and to meet with them and write letters to them and generally continue to flagrantly commit the capital crime for which he was arrested, in the presence of entire communities of fellow Christians also flagrantly committing that same crime, and in fact actively promoting the commission of that crime across half the Empire, and his Roman jailers don’t mind. Not only do they not report any of this illegal activity, but they even aid and bet it at every step, taking him from church to church, allowing him ready access to his fellow criminals, a regular supply of papyrus and ink, and interfering not one whit. That sure is odd. Don’t you think?
His point is that xtian writers, attempting to bullshit everyone, pretend that there is some consensus that the Ignatian epistles are regarded as authentic. Carrier disagrees and this is merely one of a myriad of problems with them.
Put another way, the Ignatius story.....