Symbolika krzyża u Ignacego Antiocheńskiego i Polikarpa ze Smyrny

Abstract

St. Ignatius and St. Polycarp are the most famous names associated with the early church. The mystery of the cross is at the center of the soteriology of St. Ignatius who, drawing inspiration from St. Paul, presents the cross using symbolic images (machinery, trees, the victim) always in response to the negation of Christ’s Passion by the Docetists. In Ignatius’s letters, the Cross is incorporated in a developed metaphor. The deeper meaning o f this metaphor is the Cross as an instrument of Redemption. For him, the Cross is the synthesis of Salvation. The Cross is considered the tree of Life with its branches and fruits. Like Ignatius, Polycarp stresses the reality of Christ’s incarnation and passion and recommends prayer even for enemies of the Cross.