Dying to Reach God

“Dying to Reach God, the letters of the early Christian martyrs Sts. Ignatius and Polycarp, is aimed at readers searching for a straightforward modern translation with commentary that is at once reverent, passionate, and pious. It will especially resonate with Evangelicals and biblically based Orthodox, Anglican, and Roman Catholic converts interested in the intersection of Holy Scripture, pastoral instruction, and the early church fathers.”


—Mother Nectaria McLees, editor, St. Nicholas Press





“William Weber has achieved a very difficult synthesis here: a close, granular reading and analysis of the writings of Sts. Ignatius of Antioch and Polycarp of Smyrna, and a warm, devotional exposition of their message on pages facing the newly translated texts. Indeed, to accomplish the first without the second would have been to miss the force and spirit of these precious and seminally influential writings, so crucial for understanding the earliest history and character of the church after the apostolic period itself.”


—Warren Farha, founder, Eighth Day Books





“William Weber has given us a literal yet readable translation of Ignatius and Polycarp, accompanied by a helpful commentary emphasizing Ignatius’s spiritual teaching within an Orthodox context. Protestants like myself may differ on some historical or theological points, but still need Ignatius’s spiritual message. His call to humility, dying to self, and a Christlike life, all well highlighted by Weber, is badly needed in our churches today.”


—James G. Sigountos, former associate professor of New Testament and patristics