Ignatius of Antioch (,
Ignátios Antiokheías; or 50 – 98 to c.108), also known as
Ignatius Theophorus (,
Ignátios ho Theophóros,
lit. "the God-bearing"),
Ignatius Nurono (
lit. "The fire-bearer") was an Apostolic Father, the third
bishop of Antioch and a student of
John the Apostle. En route to Rome, where he met his
martyrdom by
being fed to wild beasts, he wrote a series of letters which have been preserved as an example of very early
Christian theology. Important topics addressed in these letters include
ecclesiology, the
sacraments, and the role of
bishops.