rsonally knew the apostle John and heard his teachings which confirms that the logos in John 1:1 is not spoken of as a literal pre-incarnate Son, but as a Son who was already conceived in the mind (logos) of the Father before the ages of human history began.
The testimony of the earliest Christian witness was clearly Modalistic Monarchian (Oneness). Ignatius repeatedly called Jesus “God” without once mentioning him as an alleged God the Son (Ephesians 1.1, 7.2, 15.3, 17.2, 18.2, 19.3; Trallians 7.1; Romans 3.3, 6.3; Smyrneans 1.1; Polycarp 8.3). In fact, no early Christian writers used the words “Eternal Son” or “Eternally begotten Son” during the first two hundred years of Christian history.
Ignatius of Antioch wrote in Polycarp 3:2,
“Look for Him who is above time - the Timeless, the Invisible, who for our sake became visible, the Impassible, who became subject to suffering on our account and for our sake endured everything.”
Ignatius was taught by the original apostles, he wrote that the God who became “visible” was first “invisible” before his birth. Trinitarians often affirm that the Son was visible as one of the angels of Yahweh (Christophanies) in the Hebrew Scriptures, while the Father was invisible. But to Ignatius and the earliest Christian witness, the only invisible God later became the visible Son who was “subject to suffering on our account.”
Ignatius wrote to the Ephesians, “God appeared in the likeness of man unto the newness of everlasting life; and that which had been perfected in the counsels of God began to take effect.” (Ignatius to the Ephesians 19:3, J.B. Lightfoot Translation)
The Roberts-Donaldson translation of Ignatius to the Ephesians 19:3 expands on the nuances of meaning from the Greek text,
God Himself being manifested in human form for the renewal of eternal life. And now that took a beginning which had been prepared by God.” (Ephesians 19:3, Roberts-Donaldson Translation)
Ignatius wrote, “GOD appeared (“manifested” Roberts-Donaldson Translation) in the likeness of man (“in human form” – Roberts-Donaldson Translation), and that which had been perfected in the councils of God (“had been prepared by God” Roberts-Donaldson Translation) began to take effect (“took a beginning” Roberts-Donaldson Translation).”
Ignatius first identified Jesus as God who appeared as A MAN (‘in human form’) before he identified the human aspect of his existence as “that which had been perfected in the councils of God” which later “began to take effect.” The Greek text indicates that Jesus as a human child born and Son given was a “that which took a beginning” (1 John 1:1 - “That which was from the beginning”) who was “made” (Rev. 3:14 – Jesus is “the beginning of the creation of God”; Heb. 2:17 – “made fully human in every way” NIV) “in the councils of God (Ephesians 1:11; Proverbs 8:22-26),” while the God who had “manifested” Himself “in human form” has always existed as the One who is “not made.”
Ignatius wrote to the Ephesians, “There is one Physician who is possessed both of flesh and spirit; BOTH MADE [created] and NOT MADE (not created); GOD EXISTING IN FLESH; true life in death; BOTH OF MARY (human) AND OF GOD (divine); first passible and then impassible, even Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Ephesians 7:2, Roberts-Donaldson Translation)
Ignatius clearly believed that the Son of God was “made” [created] as man” but was “not made” [not created] as God. For God as God is “not made,” nor does God as God have “a beginning.” For Ignatius taught that the Son was a “that which had been perfected in the councils of God” before taking on “a beginning” by his begetting (Ignatius to the Ephesians 19:3).
Lightfoot’s Translation sheds more light on the nuances of the Greek text in Ephesians 7:2,
“There is one only Physician, of flesh and of spirit, generate [created] and ingenerate [uncreated], GOD IN MAN, true life in death, Son of Mary and Son of God, first passible [capable of feeling or suffering] and then impassible [incapable of suffering pain], Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Ignatius to the Ephesians 7:2, J.B. Lightfoot Transl