public calamity, whatever that calamity might be, the cry of the
panic-stricken Heathens was, 'The Christians to the lions!' It maybe
that, in Trajan's humanity, in order to prevent a general massacre by
the infuriated populace, or to give greater solemnity to the sacrifice,
the execution was ordered to take place, not in Antioch, but in Rome."
[108:1] I contend that these reasons, on the contrary, render execution
in Antioch infinitely more probable. To continue, however: the
earthquake occurred on the 13th, and the martyrdom of Ignatius took
place on the 20th December, just a week after the earthquake. His
remains, as we know from Chrysostom and others, were, as an actual fact,
interred at Antioch. The natural inference is that the martyrdom, the
only part of the Ignatian story which is credible, occurred not in Rome
but in Antioch itself, in consequence of the superstitious fury against
the [Greek: atheoi] aroused by the earthquake.

I will now go more into the details of the brief statements I have just
made, and here we come for the first time to John Malalas. In the first
place he mentions the occurrence of the earthquake on the 13th December.
I will quote Dr. Lightfoot's own rendering of his further important
statement. He says:--

"The words of John Malalas are: The same king Trajan was residing
in the same city (Antioch) when the visitation of God (_i.e._ the
earthquake) occurred. And at that time the holy Ignatius, the bishop
of the city of Antioch, was martyred (or bore testimony, [Greek:
emarturêse]) before him ([Greek: epi autou]); for he was
exasperated against him, because he reviled him.'" [109:1]

Dr. Lightfoot endeavours in every way to discredit this statement.
He argues that Malalas tells foolish stories about other matters,