• Bishop of Antioch in Syria
• Wrote a letter to each of six churches at beginning of 2nd century, ca 100-117, while being led through western Asia Minor to his execution as a martyr in Rome
• Letters exhort unity among believers
• Basis of unity was three-fold ministry of bishop, presbyter, and deacon
• Churches written to were at:
• Ephesus
• Magnesia
• Tralles
• Rome
• Philadelphia
• Smyrna
• Personal note to Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna

Derived from Gospel Parallels, Ed. Burton H. Throckmorton, Jr., 1979, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville