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Why did Eusebius of Caesarea date the arrest of St. Ignatius of Antioch to 107 or 108?
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St. Ignatius of Antioch
Painting of St. Ignatius of Antioch, tempera and oil paint on panel by an anonymous artist, 1400–99.
Eusebius of Caesarea, in his Ecclesiastical History, reported that the arrest and condemnation of St. Ignatius of Antioch occurred during the reign of the Roman emperor Trajan.
While Eusebius provides the dates of 107 or 108 for these events, he does so on unknown grounds. Historical records regarding the life of Ignatius are limited, as he is known almost entirely through his own letters, none of which provide a specific year for his arrest or martyrdom.1