Kontakion 1
O holy hierarch Ignatius, chosen passion-bearer, elect of Christ, to thee we offer hymns of praise. As thou standest with the angels before the throne of the Most High, never cease to pray for us who earnestly cry out to thee:
Rejoice, O God-bearing Ignatius, great and all-glorious athlete!
Ikos 1
Thou didst become like the angels when the Lord, taking thee in His all-pure arms, set thee in the midst of His disciples and, laying His hand upon thy head, said to them: “Except thou be converted, and become as little children, thou shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.” Wherefore, bending our knees, we cry out to thee:
Rejoice, thou God didst bear!
Rejoice, for thou didst have God continually in thy heart! Rejoice, good and faithful servant!
Rejoice, man of divine desires!
Rejoice, for from thy youth thou lovest Christ with all thy heart!
Rejoice, for thou didst commit thyself wholly to Him!
Rejoice, O God-bearing Ignatius, great and all-glorious athlete!
Kontakion 2
Seeing the pious life of the holy John the Theologian, thy teacher, thou greatly desireth to serve the Lord with him, preaching the Holy Gospel to those who sat in darkness and the shadow of death, and teaching them to chant to the one true God: Alleluia!
Ikos 2
Perceiving in the Spirit that the angels in heaven glorify God, the Creator of heaven and earth, in the Holy Trinity, crying one to another: “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of Sabaoth!” in the Church on earth thou establisheth the practice of chanting also. Wherefore, with compunction we cry out to thee:
Rejoice, pillar and foundation of the Church of God! Rejoice, beacon of Orthodoxy!
Rejoice, for thou wast a bishop of the Church where the name Christian was first uttered!
Rejoice, for thou wast vouchsafed to receive ordination from the preeminent apostles!
Rejoice, for thou wast accounted worthy to behold the angels of heaven glorifying God!
Rejoice, for now thou glorifieth the Lord in the company of the angels!
Rejoice, O God-bearing Ignatius, great and all-glorious athlete!
Kontakion 3
The power of the most High strengthened thee, O holy Ignatius, when, standing before the Emperor Trajan, thou wast undaunted by his threats, but manfully confessed Christ to be the true God, putting the ungodliness of the heathens to shame, and taught the faithful to chant to God: Alleluia!
Ikos 3
Having received from the Lord the grace to enlighten the people of God, thou didst guide them to divine knowledge by thy words, and even more by thy manner of life, being for them a model of love, spirit, faith, purity and humility. Wherefore, we chant to thee:
Rejoice, for thou didst bear the name of God before kings and infidels!
Rejoice, for thou didst shepherd well thy flock!
Rejoice, thou by humility acquireth exalted things!
Rejoice, thou whom by poverty obtaineth riches!
Rejoice, preserver of the traditions of the apostles! Rejoice, faithful guardian and wise builder of the Church of God!
Rejoice, O God-bearing Ignatius, great and all-glorious athlete!
Kontakion 4
A tempest of malice raging in his heart, Trajan summoned thee before him and wrathfully demanded: “Art thou the God-bearer? Wherefore do thou pervert my people?” And to him thou didst reply: “I am the God-bearer, but I am not perverting your people, but saving them!” Who does not bless this, thy confession of the Faith? And we, magnifying thee, chant to God: Alleluia!
Ikos 4
Hearing thy confession, the faithful people glorified God; but Trajan, gnashing his teeth, again demanded: “Why art thou called God-bearer?” And thou sayest: “For I bear my God in my heart.” Wherefore, we chant to thee:
Rejoice, faithful warrior of the King of heaven!
Rejoice, invincible champion of the faith!
Rejoice, good shepherd!
Rejoice, advocate for our souls!
Rejoice, for, enlightened by the divine Spirit, with pastoral boldness thou puteth the savagery of the tyrant to shame!
Rejoice, for, guiding the flock of Christ, thou illumineth many with the light of knowledge divine!
Rejoice, O God-bearing Ignatius, great and all-glorious athlete!
Kontakion 5
Considering all the beauties of the world to be as dung that thou might acquire Christ, O Ignatius, thou crieth: “Who shall separate me from the love of God? Tribulation is sweet to me; the bonds I bear for Him Whom I desire are pleasant; persecutions are dearer to me than my homeland, and pangs are more delightful to me than health of body!” And we, honoring thy glorious memory, cry out to God: Alleluia!
Ikos 5
Seeing thee to be an invincible confessor of the Faith of Christ, the ungodly Trajan condemned thee to death; but thou didst cry out, rejoicing: “For me it is more pleasant to die than to live! Christ, and to die for Him, is gain! Unto Him do I go; Him do I love; Him do I hope to receive!” Wherefore, O holy Ignatius, we bless thee:
Rejoice, thou whose desire it was to depart and be with Christ!
Rejoice, pure sacrifice to God!
Rejoice, imitator of the sufferings of Christ!
Rejoice, for thou wast crucified with Christ!
Rejoice, for thou didst shed thy blood for Christ!
Rejoice, for by thy blood thou adorneth thy hierarchal vesture!
Rejoice, O God-bearing Ignatius, great and all-glorious athlete!
Kontakion 6
Thou wast shown to be a preacher of patience, O God- bearing Ignatius, when thou joyfully listened to the sentence condemning thee to be rent asunder by wild beasts. And blessing thy steadfast and undaunted confession of the Faith, and marveling at the great grace residing in thee, we chant to God the angelic hymn: Alleluia!
Ikos 6
Thou didst shine forth like the sun in the beauty of thy soul, O favorite of God, when the soldiers didst load thee down with chains; for thou didst accept this new torment as vesture of salvation and raiment of joy, and proceeded to thy suffering in Rome as to a wedding feast. Wherefore, we chant to thee:
Rejoice, fathers!
Rejoice,glory of the Church of Antioch!
Rejoice, beauty and ornament of the divinely-wise harp of the Holy Spirit!
Rejoice, invincible soldier of Christ!
Rejoice, thou who casteth down the pride of Trajan!
Rejoice,for thou puteth the devil to shame!
Rejoice, O God-bearing Ignatius, great and all-glorious athlete!
Kontakion 7
When thou wast about to depart from Antioch, O holy hierarch of Christ, thou didst earnestly beseech the Lord not to abandon thy flock. Then the people wept and lamented seeing thee led forth to death; but, blessing them, thou chanteth to God: Alleluia!
Ikos 7
God, Who is wondrous in His saints, comforted thee, O holy Ignatius, when, escorted to Rome by ten soldiers, in Smyrna thou didst meet the holy Polycarp, a righteous man. And conversing with him, thou rejoiceth in God thy Savior. Wherefore, we bless thee:
Rejoice, for thou didst keep faith in Christ!
Rejoice, for thou possesseth unshakable hope!
Rejoice, for thou glorifieth the name of Christ throughout the world!
Rejoice, for a crown of righteousness was prepared for thee!
Rejoice, faithful minister of the Lord!
Rejoice, lamp of God, burning and shedding light!
Rejoice, O God-bearing Ignatius, great and all-glorious athlete!
Kontakion 8
Strange and wondrous was thy journey to Rome, the place of thy martyrdom, for soldiers of the tyrant led thee, but the people of God, with their bishops and priests, greeting thee as a divine angel and, hearkening to thy words with delight, chanted to God: Alleluia!
Ikos 8
Traveling to Rome to suffer, as one whose desire it was to depart this life and be with Christ thou didst joyfully chant: “I am the grain of God. Let me be ground by the teeth of wild beasts, and I will be shown to be bread pure for God!” Wherefore, marveling at thine endurance, and glorifying God’s dispensation for thee, we chant:
Rejoice, model of courage and endurance!
Rejoice, unshakable rule of faith and piety!
Rejoice, invincible confessor of Christ!
Rejoice, for thou feareth not fire, or sword, or the teeth of roaring lions!
Rejoice, for by thy patience thou gladdeneth the angels of God!
Rejoice, for by thy courage thou glorifieth the name of Christians!
Rejoice, O God-bearing Ignatius, great and all-glorious athlete!
Kontakion 9
Having committed thyself wholly to God, thou didst fear, unable to bear the sight of thy sufferings, the faithful might prevent thee from undergoing them. Wherefore, in a letter thou didst beseech them: “O beloved, help me to be crucified with Christ, to suffer and to die for Him that I may reign and live with Him forever, chanting to God: Alleluia!
Ikos 9
Even the most eloquent of orators are unable to hymn thy sufferings as is meet; wherefore, though it is better for us to love silence, yet, overcome by love for thee, in our hearts’ want we cry to thee:
Rejoice, for thou hast brought many to Christ! Rejoice, for by thy epistles thou hast made clear the way to salvation!
Rejoice, for thou hast given those thirsty for salvation the waters of piety to drink!
Rejoice, for with the light of divine knowledge thou have enlightened those blind in the eyes of their souls!
Rejoice, for thou hast spurred those paralyzed by sin to the path of salvation!
Rejoice, for thou hast comforted those weeping and sorrowful!
Rejoice, O God-bearing Ignatius, great and all-glorious athlete!
Kontakion 10
Desiring to save thy soul, O holy Ignatius, thou didst set it aflame with seraphic love for God. “O brethren,” thou didst beg the Christians, “wish me death, for it will lead me to Christ. The wild beasts are for me a source of joy; fire is dew to me. I hasten to die, that I may live with Christ!” Wherefore, thou didst make thine abode in the mansions of heaven, where with the angels thou chanteth to God: Alleluia!
Ikos 10
The King of heaven, the good Comforter, the Spirit of truth, set thee to shepherd the Church of Christ, to rightly divine the word of the Truth, to teach the faithful people, and to rebuke the adverse. Wherefore, we cry out to thee:
Rejoice, teacher of piety!
Rejoice, denouncer of impiety!
Rejoice, thou didst lay down thy life for thy sheep!
Rejoice, thou acquireth the crown of martyrdom!
Rejoice, thou in thy life didst pray unceasingly for Christians!
Rejoice, thou even after death prayeth for us!
Rejoice, O God-bearing Ignatius, great and all-glorious athlete!
Kontakion 11
Hymning the Lord and praying to Him without ceasing, O holy Ignatius, thou didst teach the people entrusted to thee to do likewise: “Pray unceasingly, that your meekness may be known to all. Abide in fraternal love, lest for us, and believe in Him. He is Life everlasting. And he who believes in Him, even though he dies, yet shall he live.” And we, glorifying God Who has given us such an instructor, cry out to Him: Alleluia!
Ikos 11
Like the sun thou didst bravely traverse the earth from the east to the west, passing from the earth to Christ without setting, and enlightening the world with thy doctrine. Wherefore, we cry out to thee:
Rejoice, favorite of Christ!
Rejoice, martyr and pastor!
Rejoice, speedy helper amid misfortunes! Rejoice, defender of those persecuted for righteousness!
Rejoice, physician of the infirm!
Rejoice, protection and aid for those who have recourse to thee with faith!
Rejoice, O God-bearing Ignatius, great and all-glorious athlete!
Kontakion 12
Great grace and rich mercy hast thou received from Christ our God to pray for all who call upon thee with faith. Wherefore, we entreat thee: By thine intercession before the Lord help us to preserve in our heart undoubting faith, immutable hope and unfeigned love for God and neighbor, that, fighting the good fight, we may chant to our Savior: Alleluia!
Ikos 12
Hymning thy struggles, we honor thy sufferings, we praise thy courage, we bless thy holy end, and we earnestly beseech thee: Hear us who cry out to thee:
Rejoice, thou didst finish the course of thy life in glory!
Rejoice, thou with thine own blood sealed the truth of the doctrine of Christ!
Rejoice, thou didst receive from Christ the crown of righteousness prepared for all who love His appearing!
Rejoice, thou maketh thine abode amid the splendors of the saints!
Rejoice, for thou joineth chorus with the archangels!
Rejoice, for thou delighteth to gaze upon God face to face!
Rejoice, O God-bearing Ignatius, great and all-glorious athlete!
Kontakion 13
O much-suffering and all-wondrous martyr, Ignatius the God-bearer! Accept from us, the unworthy, this meager hymnody of praise, and entreat God to preserve and defend us with His grace against all evil in this life, and not to forsake us at the hour of our death, but to count us worthy to inherit the kingdom of heaven after our end and to chant to Him everlastingly: Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
Ikos 1
Thou didst become like the angels when the Lord, taking thee in His all-pure arms, set thee in the midst of His disciples and, laying His hand upon thy head, said to them: “Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.” Wherefore, bending our knees, we cry out to thee:
Rejoice, thou God didst bear!
Rejoice, for thou hadst God continually in thine heart!
Rejoice, good and faithful servant!
Rejoice, man of divine desires!
Rejoice, for from thy youth thou loveth Christ with all thy heart!
Rejoice, for thou didst commit thyself wholly to Him!
Rejoice, O God-bearing Ignatius, great and all-glorious athlete!
Kontakion 1
O holy hierarch Ignatius, chosen passion-bearer, elect of Christ, to thee we offer hymns of praise. As thou standest with the angels before the throne of the Most High, never cease to pray for us who earnestly cry out to thee:
Rejoice, O God-bearing Ignatius, great and all-glorious athlete!
Prayer to the Holy Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer
O great and holy hierarch Ignatius, the God-bearer! Before thee, do we fall down and to thee, do we pray: Look upon us sinners who have recourse to thee, and beseech the Lord, that He forgive us all our offenses. As thou didst lay down thy life for the Faith in martyrdom, grant that we also may find the courage to imitate thee in all things. Nothing in this life was able to separate thee from thy love for the Lord, neither false promises, nor threats, nor menaces, nor tortures themselves—and thou didst stand with joy before the wild beasts, condemned to a cruel death, and like an angel soared aloft to the mansions of thy heavenly Father. Wherefore, thy prayer counts for much with the Lord.
O holy favorite of God, be an intercessor for us before our Savior. By thy holy prayers to God Almighty help all Orthodox Christians, that He deliver us from famine, earthquake, hail, drought and deadly plagues, and that He grant us health and salvation. Be for us a speedy aid amid every tribulation, and even more, show thyself to be for us a defender and mediator at the hour of our death; and entreat the Lord, that all of us who now pray fervently to thee may, after a Christian end, be vouchsafed to receive the kingdom of heaven, where with thee, all the saints glorify the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.