Ignatius of Antioch wrote to the believers who were praying for him upon his impending death the following.
I must implore you; pray leave me to be a meal for the beasts, for it is they who can provide my way to God. I am his wheat, ground fine in Lions teeth, to be made purest bread for Christ. Better still, incite the creatures to become a sepulcher for me; let them not leave the smallest scrap of my flesh…When there is no trace of my body for the world to see, then I will truly be a disciple of Christ.