# To the Romans, inscription

- Author: [Ignatius of Antioch](https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/authors/ignatius-of-antioch/)
- Work: [To the Romans](https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ign-romans/) (*Ad Romanos*)
- Date: ca. 110 (range ca. 105–135) (disputed)
- Source: Lake, LCL 24:224–226; Kirsopp Lake, ed. and trans., The Apostolic Fathers, vol. 1, LCL 24 (London: Heinemann; New York: Macmillan, 1912), 172–277 (Greek text: K. Lake, The Apostolic Fathers (LCL, 1912-1913), digitized by the First Thousand Years of Greek project (Open Greek and Latin), CC BY-SA 4.0)
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-26
- Canonical URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ign-romans/0/

Summary: Ignatius greets the church at Rome with unusual honor.

## Greek text

Ἰγνάτιος, ὁ καὶ Θεοφόρος, τῇ ἠλεημένῃ ἐν μεγαλειότητι πατρὸς ὑψίστου καὶ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦ μόνου υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ ἐκκλησίᾳ ἠγαπημένῃ καὶ πεφωτισμένῃ ἐν θελήματι τοῦ θελήσαντος τὰ πάντα, ἅ ἐστιν, κατὰ ἀγάπην Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, τοῦ θεοῦ ἡμῶν, ἥτις καὶ προκάθηται ἐν τόπῳ χωρίου Ῥωμαίων, ἀξιόθεος, ἀξιοπρεπής, ἀξιομακάριστος, ἀξιέπαινος, ἀξιεπίτευκτος, ἀξίαγνος καὶ προκαθημένη τῆς ἀγάπης, χριστώνυμος, πατρώνυμος, ἣν καὶ ἀσπάζομαι ἐν ὀνόματι Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, υἱοῦ πατρός· κατὰ σάρκα καὶ πνεῦμα ἡνωμένοις πάσῃ ἐντολῇ αὐτοῦ, πεπληρωμένοις χάριτος θεοῦ ἀδιακρίτως καὶ ἀποδιυλισμένοις ἀπὸ παντὸς ἀλλοτρίου χρώματος πλεῖστα ἐν Ἰησοῦ Χριστῷ, τῷ θεῷ ἡμῶν, ἀμώμως χαίρειν.

## English translation (Claude)

Ignatius, who is also called Theophorus, to the church that has received mercy in the majesty of the Father Most High and of Jesus Christ his only Son; beloved and enlightened by the will of him who willed all things that exist, according to the love of Jesus Christ our God; the church that presides in the place of the region of the Romans, worthy of God, worthy of honor, worthy of blessing, worthy of praise, worthy of success, worthy in purity, and presiding in love, bearing the name of Christ, bearing the name of the Father; which I greet in the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father. To those who are united in flesh and spirit with every commandment of his, filled with the grace of God without wavering, and filtered clean of every foreign stain: abundant greetings, blamelessly, in Jesus Christ our God.

## Translation notes

- “Presides in the place of the region of the Romans” (προκάθηται ἐν τόπῳ χωρίου Ῥωμαίων): the church leads in the territory of the Romans. How much this implies about the Roman church's standing among the churches has been debated since the Reformation; the words themselves are translated here without interpretation.
- “Presiding in love” (προκαθημένη τῆς ἀγάπης): or “presiding over the love,” where “love” may mean the whole fellowship of believers (compare Ign. Trall. 13.1).
- “Filtered clean of every foreign stain” (ἀποδιυλισμένοις ἀπὸ παντὸς ἀλλοτρίου χρώματος): literally “strained of every foreign color,” an image from straining wine or dye.

## Citation (SBL)

Ign. Rom. 0 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ign-romans/0/).