TROPARUL ŞI POMENIREA ADUCERII MOAŞTELOR SF. IGNATIE TEOFORUL
Sfîntul Ignatie de Dumnezeu purtătorul sau Teoforul, fiind dus în Roma, din porunca împăratului Traian (98-117), precum se scrie în viaţa lui, şi de fiare fiind mîncat pentru Hristos, au rămas oarecare oase ale lui, care credincioşii, cei ce erau atunci acolo, mai întîi le-au pus cu cinste în Roma, la un loc însemnat; apoi, în vremea împărăţiei aceluiaşi Traian, le-au adus în Antiohia, spre apărarea cetăţii, spre tămăduirea bolnavilor, spre veselia a toată turma lui, şi spre slava lui Hristos Dumnezeu, pentru Care a pătimit cu osîrdie. Despre care, cel ce va voi ca să ştie toate, să caute în viaţa lui, în 20 de zile ale lunii decembrie.
Ὁ Ἅγιος Ἱερομάρτυς Ἰγνάτιος († 20 Δεκεμβρίου) ἦταν διάδοχος τῶν Ἀποστόλων καὶ χρημάτισε δεύτερος Ἐπίσκοπος Ἀντιοχείας. Ὑπῆρξε, μαζὶ μὲ τὸν Ἐπίσκοπο τῆς Ἐκκλησίας τῆς Σμύρνης Πολύκαρπο, μαθητὴς τοῦ Εὐαγγελιστοῦ Ἰωάννου τοῦ Θεολόγου. Μαρτύρησε ἐπὶ αὐτοκράτορα Τραϊανοῦ (98 – 117 μ.Χ.) στὴ Ρώμη, κατασπαραχθεὶς ἀπὸ τὰ θηρία.
Μετὰ τὸ φρικτὸ μαρτύριο τοῦ Ἁγίου, κάποιοι Χριστιανοὶ μάζεψαν ἀπὸ τὸν ἱππόδρομο τὰ ἐναπομείναντα ἅγια λείψανά του καὶ τὰ μετέφεραν στὴν Ἀντιόχεια. Ἡ Σύναξη αὐτοῦ ἐτελεῖτο στὴν Μεγάλη Ἐκκλησία.
Ἀπολυτίκιον. Ἦχος δ’. Ὁ ὑψωθεὶς ἐν τῷ Σταυρῷ.
Ὡς θησαυρὸν πλουτοποιῶν δωρημάτων, τὴν τῶν λειψάνων σου μυρίπνοον θήκην, τῇ ποίμνῃ σου μετήγαγον ἐκ Ῥώμης εὐσεβῶς· ἧσπερ τὴν ἐπάνοδον, ἑορτάζοντες πόθῳ, χάριν ἀρυόμεθα, πολλαπλῶν ἰαμάτων, τοὺς σοὺς ἀγῶνας μέλποντες ἀεί, Ἱερομάρτυς Ἰγνάτιε ἔνδοξε.
Κοντάκιον. Ἦχος δ’. Ἐπεφάνης σήμερον.
Ἐξ Ἑῴας σήμερον ἐξανατείλας, καὶ τὴν κτίσιν ἅπασαν, καταλαμπρύνας διδαχαῖς, τῷ μαρτυρίῳ κεκόσμηται, ὁ θεοφόρος καὶ θεῖος Ἰγνάτιος.
Μεγαλυνάριον.
Χάριν ἀναβλύζει οἷα πηγή, δωρεῶν ἀΰλων, ἡ σὴ θήκη ἡ εὐαγής, καὶ σωμάτων πάθη, καὶ καρδιῶν τοὺς σπίλους, ἀεὶ ἀνακαθαίρει, Πάτερ Ἰγνάτιε.
The Transfer of the Relics of the Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer: (See December 20). After the holy hieromartyr Ignatius was thrown to the lions in the year 107 on the orders of the emperor Trajan, Christians gathered up his bones and preserved them at Rome.
Later, in the year 108, the saint’s relics were collected and buried outside the gate of Daphne at Antioch. A second transfer, to the city of Antioch itself, took place in the year 438. After the capture of Antioch by the Persians, the relics of the Hieromartyr Ignatius were returned to Rome and placed into the church of the holy Hieromartyr Clement in the year 540 ( in 637, according to other sources).
St Ignatius introduced antiphonal singing into Church services. He has left us seven archpastoral epistles in which he provided instructions on faith, love and good works. He also urged his flock to preserve the unity of the faith and to beware of heretics. He encouraged people to honor and obey their bishops, „we should regard the bishop as we would the Lord Himself” (To the Ephesians 6)
In his Letter to Polycarp, St Ignatius writes: „Listen to the bishop, if you want God to listen to you… let your baptism be your shield, your faith a helmet, your charity a spear, your patience, like full armor.” (Compare Eph. 6:14-17 and the Wisdom of Solomon 5:17-20. Also THE LADDER 4:2)