St. Polycarp Revisited
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I will be citing from The Apostolic Fathers, Volume I: I Clement. II Clement. Ignatius. Polycarp. Didache, translated by Bart D. Ehrman, and published by Harvard University Press in 2003. All emphasis will be mine.
Letter to the Philippians
1
I greatly rejoice together with you in our Lord Jesus Christ. For you have received the replicas of true love and have, as was incumbent upon you, sent ahead those who were confined in chains fitting for the saints, crowns for those who have truly been chosen by God and our Lord. 2. And I rejoice that the secure root of your faith, proclaimed from ancient times, even now continues to abide and bear fruit in our Lord Jesus Christ. He persevered to the point of death on behalf of our sins; and God raised him up after loosing the labor pains of Hades.1 3. Even without seeing him, you believe in him with an inexpressible and glorious joy2 that many long to experience. For you know that you have been saved by a gracious gift—not from works3 but by the will of God through Jesus Christ.
2
Therefore, bind up your loose robes and serve as Gods slaves in reverential fear and truth, abandoning futile reasoning and the error that deceives many, and believing in the one who raised our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead and gave him glory4 and a throne at his right hand. Everything in heaven and on earth is subject to him;5 everything that breathes will serve him (ho pasa pnoe latreusei); he is coming as a judge of the living and the dead;6 and God will hold those who disobey him accountable for his blood. 2. But the one who raised him from the dead will raise us as well,7 if we do his will, walking in his commandments and loving the things he loved, abstaining from every kind of injustice, greed, love of money, slander, and false witness, not paying back evil for evil, or abuse for abuse,8 or blow for blow, or curse for curse, 3. but remembering what the Lord said when he taught: "Do not judge lest you be judged; forgive and it will be forgiven you; show mercy that you may be shown mercy; the amount you dispense will be the amount you receive in return."9 And, "blessed are the poor and those persecuted for the sake of righteousness, because the kingdom of God belongs to them."10
3
I am writing these things about righteousness, brothers, not on my own initiative but at your request. 2. For neither I nor anyone like me is able to replicate the wisdom of the blessed and glorious Paul. When he was with you he accurately and reliably taught the word of truth to those who were there at the time. And when he was absent he wrote you letters. If you carefully peer into them, you will be able to be built up in the faith that was given you. 3. This faith is the mother of us all,11 with hope following close after, and the love of God, Christ, and neighbor leading the way. For anyone centered in these has fulfilled the commandment of righteousness. For the one who has love is far removed from all sin.
1 Acts 2:24.
2 1 Pet 1:8.
3 Eph 2:5, 8-9.
4 I Pe t 1:21.
5 Cf. 1 Cor 15:28; Phil 2:10; 3:21.
6 Acts 10:42.
7 cf. 2 Cor 4:14.
8 1 Pet 3:9.
9 Matt 7:1-2; Luke 6:36-38; cf. 1 Clem 13:2.
10 Luke 6:20; Matt 5:10.
11 Gal 4:26. (Pp. 333, 335, 337)
Polycarp affirms the physical death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus into heaven to be seated on a throne alongside of God. The blessed martyr also attests that every created thing that breathes is to give Christ latreuo, which is the worship that God alone is to receive:
“Then Jesus said to him, ‘Away with you, Satan! for it is written, “Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him (kai auto mono latreuseis).”’” Matthew 4:10 New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (NRSVUE)
Polycarp even praises Paul by calling him glorious.
What makes this all the more interesting is how the beloved Bishop clearly refutes sola fide, since he interprets Eph. 2:8-9 to mean that God grants salvation as a gracious gift to the believers who are doing his will and obeying his commandments.
5
Since we know that God is not mocked,19 we should walk in a manner worthy of his commandment and glory. 2. So too the deacons should be blameless20 before his righteousness as ministers of God and of Christ, not of humans. They should not be slanderous or insincere, but free from the love of money, self-restrained in every way, compassionate, attentive, and proceeding according to the truth of the Lord, who became a minister for everyone. If we are pleasing to him in the present age we will receive also the age that is coming, just as he promised that he would raise us from the dead and that, if we conducted ourselves worthily of him, we would also rule together with him21—so long as we believe. 3. So too let the young men be blameless in all things, concerned above all else for their purity, keeping themselves in check with respect to all evil. For it is good to be cut off from the passions of the world, since every passion wages war against the spirit,22 and neither the sexually immoral, nor the effeminate, nor male prostitutes will inherit the kingdom of God;23 nor will those who engage in aberrant behavior. Therefore we must abstain from all these things, and be subject to the presbyters and deacons as to God and Christ. And the virgins must walk in a blameless and pure conscience.
6
The presbyters also should be compassionate, merciful to all, turning back those who have gone astray, caring for all who are sick, not neglecting the widow, the orphan, or the poor, but always taking thought for what is good before both God and others,24 abstaining from all anger, prejudice, and unfair judgment, avoiding all love of money, not quick to believe a rumor against anyone, not severe in judgment, knowing that we are all in debt because of sin. 2. And so if we ask the Lord to forgive us, we ourselves also ought to forgive; for we are before the eyes of the Lord and of God, and everyone must appear before the judgment seat of Christ, each rendering an account of himself.25 3. And so we should serve as his slaves, with reverential fear and all respect, just as he commanded, as did the apostles who proclaimed the gospel to us and the prophets who preached, in advance, the coming of our Lord. We should be zealous for what is good, avoiding stumbling blocks, false brothers, and those who carry the name of the Lord in hypocrisy, leading the empty-minded astray.
7
For anyone who does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is an antichrist;26 and whoever does not confess the witness of the cross is from the devil;27 and whoever distorts the words of the Lord for his own passions, saying that there is neither resurrection nor judgment—this one is the firstborn of Satan. 2. And so, let us leave behind the idle speculation of the multitudes and false teachings and turn to the word that was delivered to us from the beginning, being alert in prayer and persistent in fasting. Through our entreaties let us ask the God who sees all things not to bring us into temptation,28 just as the Lord said, "For the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak."29
8
Thus we should persevere, unremitting in our hope and in the down payment of our righteousness, which is Christ Jesus, who bore our sins in his own body on the tree, who did not commit sin nor was deceit found in his mouth;30 but he endured all things on our account, that we might live in him. 2. Therefore we should be imitators of his endurance, and if we suffer for his name, we should give him the glory. For he set this example for us through what he did,31 and we have believed it.
9
Therefore I urge all of you to obey the word of righteousness and to practice all endurance, which you also observed with your own eyes not only in the most fortunate Ignatius, Zosimus, and Rufus, but also in others who lived among you, and in Paul himself and the other apostles. 2. You should be convinced that none of them acted in vain,32 but in faith and righteousness, and that they are in the place they deserved, with the Lord, with whom they also suffered. For they did not love the present age;33 they loved the one who died for us and who was raised by God for our sakes.
19 Gal 6:7.
20 Cf. 1 Tim 3:8-13.
21 2 Tim 2:12.
22 1 Pet 2:11.
23 1 Cor 6:9.
24 Prov 3:4; cf. 2 Cor 8:21.
25 Cf. Rom 14:10, 12; 2 Cor 5:10.
26 Cf. 1 John 4:2-3.
27 Cf. 1 John 3:8.
28 Matt 6:13.
29 Matt 26:41.
30 1 Pet 2:24, 22.
31 cf. 1 Pet 2:21.
32 Phil 2:16.
33 Cf. 2 Tim 4:10. (Pp. 339, 341, 343, 345)
Polycarp proclaims that Jesus Christ came into the flesh, died for our sins, was raised from the dead, being the Lord that forgives sins and will comes to judge. He clearly affirms that the dead shall be resurrected, and expressly says that anyone who denies the coming resurrection and judgment of mankind is Satan’s firstborn. The holy martyr also states that believers are the slaves of Christ, and that the elders and deacons belong to both God and Jesus.
10
And so, you should stand firm in these things and follow the example of the Lord, secure and unmoveable in your faith, loving the brotherhood, caring for one another, united in the truth, waiting on one another in the gentleness of the Lord, looking down on no one. 2. When you are able to do good, do not put it off,34 since giving to charity frees a person from death.35 Let all of you be subject to one another, keeping your interactions with the outsiders above reproach, that by your good works you may receive praise and the Lord not be blasphemed because of you. 3. For woe to the one through whom the name of the Lord is blasphemed.36 Teach all, therefore, to conduct themselves in a sober way, as you yourselves are doing.
11
I am extremely sad for Valens, once a presbyter among you, that he should so misunderstand the office that was given him. Thus I urge you to abstain from love of money and to be pure and truthful. Abstain from every kind of evil.37 2. For if someone cannot control himself in such things, how can he preach self-control to another?38 Anyone who cannot avoid the love of money will be defiled by idolatry and will be judged as if among the outsiders who know nothing about the judgment of the Lord. Or do we not realize that "the saints will judge the world?"39 For so Paul teaches. 3. But I have neither perceived nor heard that you have any such thing in your midst, among whom the most fortunate Paul labored and who are found in the beginning of his epistle. For he exulted in you among all his churches, which alone knew God at that time; for we had not yet come to know him. 4. And so, my brothers, I am very sad for that man and his wife; may the Lord give them true repentance. And you yourselves should act in a sober way in this matter. Rather than judge such people as enemies, call them back as frail and wayward members, so as to heal your entire body. For when you do this, you build yourselves up.
12
I am confident that you are well trained in the sacred Scriptures and that nothing is hidden from you; but to me this has not been granted. Only, as it is written in these Scriptures, "Be angry and do not sin, and do not let the sun go down on your anger."40 How fortunate is the one who remembers this; and I believe this to be the case among you. 2. So may the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the eternal priest himself, the Son of God, Jesus Christ, build you up in faith and truth and in all gentleness, without anger, and in patience, forbearance, tolerance, and purity; and may he grant to you the lot and portion to be among his saints—and to us as well with you, and to everyone under heaven who is about to believe in our Lord and God, Jesus Christ, and in his Father, who raised him from the dead. 3. Pray for all the saints.41 Pray also for kings and magistrates and rulers, as well as for those who persecute and hate you42 and for the enemies of the cross, that your fruit may be manifest to all and you may be made perfect in him.
13
Both you and Ignatius have written to me that if anyone is going to Syria he should take along your letter. I will do so if I have the opportunity—either I or someone I send as a representative on your behalf and mine. 2. We have forwarded to you the letters of Ignatius that he sent to us, along with all the others we had with us, just as you directed us to do. These accompany this letter; you will be able to profit greatly from them, for they deal with faith and endurance and all edification that is suitable in our Lord. And let us know what you have learned more definitely about Ignatius himself and those who are with him.
34 Cf. Prov3:28.
35 Tob 4:10.
36 Cf. Isa 52:5.
37 cf. 1 Thess 5:22.
38 Cf. 1 Tim 3:5.
39 1 Cor 6:2.
40 Eph 4:26; Ps 4:5.
41 Cf. Eph 6:18.
42 Cf. Matt 5:44; Luke 6:27. (Pp. 347, 349, 351)
In this section, Polycarp describes Jesus as the Lord and God of all believers, being the eternal High Priest that the Father raised from the dead. The holy Bishop even cites the deuteron-canonical book Tobit to prove that charity saves from death.
Martyrdom of Saint Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna
The church of God that temporarily resides in Smyrna to the church of God that temporarily resides in Philomelium, and to all congregations of temporary residents everywhere, who belong to the holy and universal church. May the mercy, peace, and love of God the Father and of our Lord Jesus Christ be multiplied. (P. 367)
3. The proconsul became more insistent and said, "Take the oath and I will release you. Revile Christ." But Polycarp responded, "For eighty-six years I have served him, and he has done me no wrong. How can I blaspheme my king who has saved me?"
10
When the proconsul persisted and said, "Swear by the Fortune of Caesar," Polycarp answered, "If you are so foolish as to think that I will swear by the Fortune of Caesar, as you say, and if you pretend not to know who I am, listen closely: I am a Christian. But if you wish to learn an account of Christianity, appoint a day and listen." 2. The proconsul replied, "Persuade the people." Polycarp said, "I think you deserve an account, for we are taught to render all due honor to rulers and authorities appointed by God, 8 in so far as it does us no harm. But as to those, I do not consider them worthy to hear a reasoned defense."
11
The proconsul said, "I have wild beasts, and I will cast you to them if you do not repent." He replied, "Call them! For it is impossible for us to repent from better to worse; it is good, though, to change from what is wicked to what is right." 2. Again the proconsul said to him, "If you despise the wild beasts, I will have you consumed by fire, if you do not repent." Polycarp replied, "You threaten with a fire that burns for an hour and after a short while is extinguished; for you do not know about the fire of the coming judgment and eternal torment, reserved for the ungodly. But why are you waiting? Bring on what you wish." (Pp. 381, 383)
14
So they did not nail him, but they tied him. And when he placed his hands behind his back and was tied, he was like an exceptional ram taken from a great flock for a sacrifice, prepared as a whole burnt offering that is acceptable to God. Looking up into heaven he said, "Lord God Almighty, Father of your beloved and blessed child Jesus Christ, through whom we have received knowledge of you, the God of angels, of powers, and of all creation, and of every race of the upright who live before you, 2. I bless you for making me worthy of this day and hour, that I may receive a share among the number of the martyrs in the cup of your Christ, unto the resurrection of eternal life in both soul and body in the immortality of the Holy Spirit. Among them may I be received before you today as a sacrifice that is rich and acceptable, just as you prepared and revealed in advance and now fulfilled—the true God who does not lie. 3. For this reason and for all things I praise you, I bless you, I glorify you through the eternal and heavenly high priest Jesus Christ, your beloved child, through whom be glory to you, WITH HIM AND THE HOLY SPIRIT, both now and for the ages to come. Amen." (Pp. 387, 389)
17
But the jealous and envious Evil One, the enemy of the race of the upright, having seen the greatness of Polycarp's death as a martyr and the irreproachable way of life that he had from the beginning—and that he had received the crown of immortality and was awarded with the incontestable prize—made certain that his poor body was not taken away by us, even though many were desiring to do so and to have a share in [Or: to commune with; or: to have fellowship with] his holy flesh. 2. So he incited Nicetas, the father of Herod and brother of Alee, to petition the magistrate not to hand over his body, "Lest," he said, "they desert the one who was crucified and begin to worship this one." The Jews instigated and strongly urged these things, and kept watch when we were about to take him from the fire. For they did not realize that we are never able to abandon Christ, who suffered for the salvation of the entire world of those who are being saved, the one who was blameless for sinners; nor are we able to worship (sebasthai) any other. 3. For we worship (proskynoumen) this one who is the Son of God (), but we love the martyrs as disciples and imitators of the Lord. And they are worthy, because of their unsurpassable affection for their own king and teacher. May we also become partners and fellow disciples with them!
18
When the centurion saw the contentiousness caused by the Jews, he placed Polycarp's body in the center and burned it, as is their custom. 2. And so, afterwards, we removed his bones, which were more valuable than expensive gems and more precious than gold, and put them in a suitable place. 3. There, whenever we can gather together in joy and happiness, the Lord will allow us to commemorate the birthday of his martyrdom, both in memory of those who have already engaged in the struggle and as a training and preparation for those who are about to do so.
19
Such are the matters pertaining to the blessed Polycarp, who along with those from Philadelphia was the twelfth martyr in Smyrna; but he alone is remembered by all, discussed even by the outsiders in every place. For he was not only an exceptional teacher but also a superb martyr. Everyone longs to imitate his martyrdom, since it occurred in conformity with the gospel of Christ. 2. Through endurance he overcame the unjust ruler and thus received the crown of immortality. And now he rejoices together with the apostles and all those who are upright, and he glorifies God the Father and blesses our Lord Jesus Christ, the savior of our souls, pilot of our bodies, and shepherd of the universal church throughout the world.
20
You had asked for a lengthier explanation of what took place, but for the present we have mentioned only the principal points through our brother Marcion. When you have learned these things, send our letter to the brothers who are further afield, that they may also glorify the Lord who selects his chosen ones from among his own slaves. 2. And now to the one who is able to lead us all by his grace and gift into his eternal kingdom, through his child, the unique one, Jesus Christ, be the glory, honor, power, and greatness forever. Greet all the saints. Those who are with us greet you, as does Evaristus, the one who is writing the letter, with his entire household.
21
But the blessed Polycarp bore his witness unto death on the second day of the new month of Xanthikos, February 23, on a great Sabbath, at 2:00 in the afternoon. But he was arrested by Herod while Philip of Tralles was high priest, Statius Quadratus was proconsul, and Jesus Christ was ruling as king forever. To him be the glory, honor, greatness, and eternal throne, from one generation to the next. Amen. 22 We bid you farewell, brothers, you who conduct yourselves in the word of Jesus Christ according to the gospel; WITH HIM be glory to God, both Father AND HOLY SPIRIT [Or: God, and the Father, and the Holy Spirit], for the salvation of his holy chosen ones, just as the blessed Polycarp bore witness unto death. May we be found to have followed in his footsteps in the kingdom of Jesus Christ! 2. Gaius transcribed these things from the papers of Irenaeus, a disciple of Polycarp; he also lived in the same city as Irenaeus. And I, Socrates, have written these things in Corinth from the copies made by Gaius. May grace be with everyone. 3. And I, Pionius, then sought out these things and produced a copy from the one mentioned above, in accordance with a revelation of the blessed Polycarp, who showed it to me, as I will explain in what follows. And I gathered these papers together when they were nearly worn out by age, so that the Lord Jesus Christ may gather me together with his chosen ones into his heavenly kingdom. TO HIM be the glory with the Father AND THE HOLY SPIRIT forever and ever. Amen.
Another Epilogue, From the Moscow Manuscript
Gaius transcribed these things from the writings of Irenaeus; he also lived in the same city with Irenaeus, a disciple of the holy Polycarp. 2. For this Irenaeus was in Rome when the bishop Polycarp was martyred, and he taught many people. And many of his writings—which are excellent and supremely true—are in circulation; in them he remembers Polycarp, because he studied under him. He powerfully refuted every heresy and passed on the ecclesiastical and universal rule of faith, as he received it from the holy one. 3. He also says that Marcion, from whom come those who are called Marcionites, once met the holy Polycarp and said, "You need to recognize us, Polycarp." But he then replied to Marcion, "I do recognize you—I recognize the firstborn of Satan!" 4. This also is found in the writings of Irenaeus, that on the day and hour that Polycarp was martyred in Smyrna, Irenaeus, who was in the city of the Romans, heard a voice like a trumpet saying, "Polycarp has been martyred." 5. And so, as was indicated before, Gaius made a transcription from the writings of Irenaeus, as Isocrates did, in Corinth, from the copies of Gaius. And then I, Pionius, wrote a copy from those of Isocrates, in accordance with a revelation of the holy Polycarp, after seeking out these writings and gathering them together when they were nearly worn out by age, so that the Lord Jesus Christ may gather me together with his chosen ones into his heavenly kingdom. TO HIM be the glory, with the Father AND THE SON AND THE HOLY SPIRIT, forever and ever. Amen. (Pp. 391, 393, 395, 397, 399, 401)
This letter is remarkable in that it shows the holy Bishop’s fearlessness and willingness to be burned alive and killed for the glory of Christ. It is also significant since it confirms that St. Irenaeus was a disciple of the beloved St. Polycarp, and further shows how the early Christians were Trinitarians who worshiped and glorified the Son and the Holy Spirit along with the Father.
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