# To the Smyrnaeans 11.1

- Author: [Ignatius of Antioch](https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/authors/ignatius-of-antioch/)
- Work: [To the Smyrnaeans](https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ign-smyrnaeans/) (*Ad Smyrnaeos*)
- Date: ca. 110 (range ca. 105–135) (disputed)
- Source: Lake, LCL 24:262–264; 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-smyrnaeans/11/1/

Summary: Ignatius, least of the Antiochene Christians, asks prayer to reach God.

## Greek text

Ἡ προσευχὴ ὑμῶν ἀπῆλθεν ἐπὶ τὴν ἐκκλησίαν τὴν ἐν Ἀντιοχείᾳ τῆς Συρίας, ὅθεν δεδεμένος θεοπρεπεστάτοις δεσμοῖς πάντας ἀσπάζομαι, οὐκ ὢν ἄξιος ἐκεῖθεν εἶναι, ἔσχατος αὐτῶν ὤν· κατὰ θέλημα δὲ κατηξιώθην, οὐκ ἐκ συνειδότος ἀλλʼ ἐκ χάριτος θεοῦ· ἣν εὔχομαι τελείαν μοι δοθῆναι, ἵνα ἐν τῇ προσευχῇ ὑμῶν θεοῦ ἐπιτύχω.

## English translation (Claude)

Your prayer has reached the church in Antioch of Syria. Coming from there bound in most godly chains, I greet everyone, though I am not worthy to be from there, being the least of them. But by God's will I was counted worthy, not from any merit of mine, but by the grace of God, which I pray may be given to me in full, so that by your prayer I may attain to God.

## Translation notes

- “Not from any merit of mine” (οὐκ ἐκ συνειδότος): literally “not from what I am conscious of in myself.”

## Citation (SBL)

Ign. Smyrn. 11.1 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ign-smyrnaeans/11/1/).