CREEDE HINSHAW: There’s amazing history among earliest Christians

This column originated from my interest in archaeology after an article about some ancient Greek ruins caught my eye. These ruins were new excavations in the nation of western Turkey, that part of the world known as Asia Minor in the days of the Apostles.

These particular ruins were those of an ancient city called Magnesia: a metropolis some 700 years old when Jesus was crucified. Magnesia was a place of pomp and power, having claimed to have been visited by the goddess Artemis, who presumably elevated the stature of a city. In addition to impressive temples, an amphitheater, recently excavated, could seat 30,000 people.

Magnesia, according to my research, turned out to be eight miles from the ancient city of Ephesus. The two cities were once rivals; one of the gates in ancient Ephesus is called the Magnesian Gate, designed to keep the Magnesians from entering.

The proximity of these cities to each other was precisely what I had hoped for. I began to wonder if Paul would have visited Magnesia (it seems quite likely) or maybe written them a letter. He wrote the Corinthians, the Colossians, the Ephesians, the Philippians and the Thessalonians. Why not the Magnesians? Maybe he would have told the Magnesians to be generous in their respect for the rival Ephesians, reminding them to welcome each other as Christ has welcomed us.

But a little more research revealed that an authentic letter already exists written to the Magnesian Christians thriving in the shadow of the gods.

The Letter to the Magnesians, though not written by the Apostle Paul, and not in the Christian Bible, was probably written as early as A.D. 105 by Saint Ignatius, one of the early martyrs of the church. Ignatius, who might have been born around the time of Jesus’ crucifixion or maybe as late as A.D. 50, may have known some of the original apostles and would have heard many stories about Jesus from recent oral accounts.

This early Christian leader was arrested for his faith and marched to Rome, where he was thrown to wild beasts. Intending to make a final witness for his faith, he counseled the Roman Christians not to rescue him.

A person can easily find the Magnesian letter on the internet. The tone and character of the letter has echoes of Paul’s exhortations but is written to a church with a far greater level of organization than the earliest churches founded by Paul.

As Ignatius travelled to his martyrdom in Rome, he wrote letters to seven churches. Scholars are pretty unanimous these letters are authentic. Other letters attributed to Ignatius have less claim to authenticity.

Sometimes we Christians tend to ignore the earliest history of the Christian movement, going directly from the books of the New Testament to the 21st century. We are the poorer because we don’t know our history. Take a minute to at least examine Ignatius’ letter.

Today I am grateful for the earliest Christians and am reminded that our faith is built on their witness and courage. I am particularly intrigued by the church in Magnesia.