# To the Romans 4.1

- 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 24:230; 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)
- Also in: PG 5:689a (found by text match)
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-26
- Canonical URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ign-romans/4/1/

Summary: Ignatius begs the Romans not to save him: he is God's wheat, to be ground into Christ's bread.

## Greek text

Ἐγὼ γράφω πάσαις ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις, καὶ ἐντέλλομαι πᾶσιν, ὅτι ἐγὼ ἑκὼν ὑπὲρ θεοῦ ἀποθνήσκω, ἐάνπερ ὑμεῖς μὴ κωλύσητε. παρακαλῶ ὑμᾶς, μὴ εὔνοια ἄκαιρος γένησθέ μοι. ἄφετέ με θηρίων εἶναι βοράν, διʼ ὧν ἔνεστιν θεοῦ ἐπιτυχεῖν. σῖτός εἰμι θεοῦ καὶ διʼ ὀδόντων θηρίων ἀλήθομαι, ἵνα καθαρὸς ἄρτος εὑρεθῶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ.

## English translation (Claude)

I am writing to all the churches and charging them all that I am dying for God of my own free will, unless you hinder me. I urge you: do not become an untimely kindness to me. Let me be food for the wild beasts, through whom I can attain to God. I am God's wheat, and I am being ground by the teeth of wild beasts, so that I may be found pure bread of Christ.

## Translation notes

- “An untimely kindness” (εὔνοια ἄκαιρος): a proverbial expression.

## Citation (SBL)

Ign. Rom. 4.1 (PG 5:689a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ign-romans/4/1/).