The famous _Egnatian_ road, [21:4] which passed through the place,
probably derived its title originally from some distinguished
member of the family. We learn from the letter of Polycarp that
_his_ Ignatius was a man of Philippi. Addressing his brethren
there, he says, "I exhort you all, therefore, to be obedient unto
the word of righteousness, and to practise all endurance, which
also ye saw with your own eyes in the blessed Ignatius, and
Zosimus, and Rufus, and IN OTHERS ALSO AMONG YOURSELVES" (Sec. 9).
These words surely mean that the individuals here named were men
of Philippi. It is admitted that two of them, viz. Zosimus
and Rufus, answered to this description; and in the Latin
Martyrologies, as Dr. Lightfoot himself acknowledges, [22:2] they
are said to have been natives of the town. It will require the
introduction of some novel canon of criticism to enable us to
avoid the conclusion that Ignatius, their companion, is not to be
classed in the same category.

It is well known that when Marcus Aurelius became emperor he
inaugurated a new system of persecution. Instead of at once
consigning to death those who boldly made a profession of
Christianity, as had heretofore been customary in times of trial,
he employed various expedients to extort from them a recantation.
He threw them into confinement, bound them with chains, kept them
in lingering suspense, and subjected them to sufferings of
different kinds, in the hope of overcoming their constancy. It
would seem that Ignatius, Zosimus, Rufus, and their companions
were dealt with after this fashion. They were made prisoners, put
in bonds, plied with torture under the eyes of the Philippians,
and taken away from the city, they knew not whither. It may be
that they were removed to Thessalonica, the residence of the Roman