Bearing God

The Life and Works of St. Ignatius of Antioch the God-Bearer

By: Andrew Stephen Damick

Narrated by: Andrew Stephen Damick

Length: 4 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's summary

St. Ignatius, first-century Bishop of Antioch, called the “God-bearer”, is one of the earliest witnesses to the truth of Christ and the nature of the Christian life. Tradition tells us that as a small child, Ignatius was singled out by Jesus himself as an example of the childlike faith all Christians must possess (see Matthew 18:1-4). In Bearing God, Father Andrew Damick recounts the life of this great pastor, martyr, and saint, and interprets for the modern listener five major themes in the pastoral letters he wrote: martyrdom, salvation in Christ, the bishop, the unity of the Church, and the Eucharist.

Ancient Faith: the leading publisher of books about Orthodox Christianity in English.

©2017 Andrew Stephen Damick (P)2022 Andrew Stephen Damick

Life & Works of a Great Martyr

Bearing God by Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick is an inside look on St. Ignatius of Antioch’s life and works. The book shares a synthesis of the main themes that appear throughout St. Ignatius’s letters. The book is beautifully narrated by Fr. Andrew, which makes it easy to listen to and understand.

I appreciated that in the introduction of the book, Fr. Andrew shares how he is personally connected to St. Ignatius and how learning about St. Ignatius was part of what brought him to the Orthodox faith. Hearing this personal account made me more excited to listen to the book because it reminded me that this is not just another historical work or a reminder of how the early church operated, but that these works from the early church must translate into our lives in the way we act as Christians.

A few of the ideas that stood out to me the most in this book are how St. Ignatius viewed martyrdom, the role of the bishop, and the importance of the unity of the church. Hearing about how St. Ignatius was truly desiring martyrdom, even deflecting people who were trying to spare him from this end, was a wake-up call in seeing if I truly desire to suffer with Christ as St. Ignatius did. I also appreciated learning about the importance of the bishop and how in the early church, the bishop was also the local priest. Learning about how St. Ignatius truly sees each person as bearing God was beautiful. Finally, the importance of the unity of the church stood out to me because of Christ’s prayer in John 17.

I wish I read St. Ignatius’s letters before reading this book because I think I would have gotten a lot more out of the book had I read the letters first. I recommend this book to those who want to learn more from one of the earliest church fathers from someone who has a personal connection to the saint!

Wow

I’m a novice at when it comes to the fathers, but I was incredibly encouraged and edified by learning of Ignatius. I too desire to bear God in this way in my own life after listening to this audiobook. It was amazing. Only God’s grace could produce such boldness in the face of death. This is a great book to help build your faith and stoke a fire and a passion for God in you.

Good Read

Great book about the Saint and his faith in Chrst. Good narration by the author that keeps the listener going.

A primer for living the orthodox life

I read/listened to Bearing God: The Life and Works of St. Ignatius of Antioch twice before writing this review because I needed time to consider all that I had experienced during the first and even second reading. During the first reading, somewhere along the second chapter, I remember calling a friend and telling her I needed to take a break because I felt my entire thoughts about the Orthodox faith being shaken. Not in the way that I didn’t believe the same “facts” --- but the realization that I was not living the Orthodox faith in the way that it was meant to be lived.

Fr. Andrew begins the book with a brief overview of the life of St. Ignatius of Antioch. In this explanation of the life of St. Ignatius, we get to know and understand he was a disciple of John the Apostle and one of the Apostolic Fathers of the Orthodox Church and was ultimately martyred for his faith in the Coliseum at Rome. The subsequent chapters discuss the letters that he wrote to various churches and his contemporary and fellow Bishop, St. Polycarp, while he was on the journey to martyrdom.

The chapters discussing the St. Ignatius’ teachings from his epistles are grouped by subject matter: martyrdom, salvation in Christ, the role of the bishop, the unity of the Church and the Eucharist. These chapters could come off as didactic; however, Fr. Andrew’s approach makes them relatable and practical in living the Orthodox Faith. This book does not add or subtract from the core teachings of the Orthodox Faith in creed or statement of Faith, but it does turn the way we live and practice our faith on its head. We cannot celebrate the Eucharist without the clergy (Bishop) and they cannot celebrate it without us, the lay people of the church. The Orthodox church is truly communal with the Eucharist as its central force. In the Eucharist we partake of the body and blood of Christ and in this partaking, He dwells within us --- and we in Him. We truly do “bear God” and do merely “represent” but as members of the Orthodox Church ARE the Body of Christ in the world.

The Church hierarchy, the Eucharist, and the church being the Body of Christ are not new concepts, but Fr. Andrew uses the teachings of St. Ignatius to spotlight that we simply cannot view the Orthodox faith in an individualized way or simply as a matter of inward belief. Our participation in the Liturgy and the Eucharist makes us one with Christ and each other. And if we are One with Him and each other, then we must live our faith outwardly and differently.

This book is a must read for anyone who really wants to understand how we should live as Orthodox Christians.

A Saint for all seasons

St. Ignatius of Antioch has always held a special place in my heart as his writings were part of the reason I became Orthodox. His epistles show the continuity of the Faith from the apostles who taught him down to the parishes of today. Fr. Andrew Damick’s book “Bearing God” serves both as a beautiful introduction to St. Ignatius of Antioch and an illumination of this saints words for our modern age. In his book he focuses on five main themes from St. Ignatius’ epistles - martyrdom, salvation in Christ, the Bishop, the unity of the Church, and the Eucharist.

Weaving together the words of St. Ignatius, the Gospel, and his own research Fr. Damick shows how the from the earliest Christians the Church was episcopal, sacramental, and rooted in the witness of martyrs. He also uses these writings not only to explain what the early church did but how modern Orthodox should be. For instance, he writes that St. Ignatius was worried that some of the churches along his route to Rome might try and stop the Roman’s from killing him which would deprive him of his chance to unite with Christ’s suffering and that Christians today should be that committed to Christ. He also uses St. Ignatius’ refutations of the Docetists (those who said Christ didn’t have a physical body) to explain why having an Orthodox understanding of salvation matters and why we need to avoid modern day heresies.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in learning more about St. Ignatius and his teachings. Fr. Damick does an excellent job at helping us understand this Saint in his historical context and showing why he still matters.

Protestant Listener

Was a really insightful and interesting book to listen to. Learned a lot about Church History and why my Orthodox brethren do what they do. Very good and engaging listen. Helps to have some basic understanding of scripture and Holy Tradition.

This is a very well-researched reflection on the writings of Saint Ignatius, one of the earliest Christian writers.

I liked how true the author was to the intentions and words of Saint Ignatius, I learned a lot, and I liked getting more insight into the early church.