TOPICS FROM PRACTICE: Who was the "Little Child" in Matthew 18?

This week in practice we discussed Matthew 18 and some asked "Who was the little child that Jesus put in front of the disciples?" Please keep in mind this is according to tradition and is neither scripture, nor something certain from history.  At best, historians of period talk about it as "something I heard once."

Tradition/legend says that the child in this story was actually Ignatius of Antioch.  He was a first century Christian who became the third bishop of Antioch (Peter was the first).  He wrote a number of letters to the church, was a student of John the apostle, and died as a martyr in Rome.  He was also known as "Theophorus" which means "God bearer", due to his reputation for faithfulness.  His writings were some of the earliest examples of Christian theology.  He died around 100 A.D.