Polycarp, and the Presbyters that are with him, to the Church of God which is at Philippi, mercy unto you and peace from God Almighty, and the Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour, be multiplied.
1. I rejoiced greatly with you, in our Lord Jesur Christ, that ye received the patterns of true love, and accompanied as it behoved you, those who were bound with chains, the fitting ornament of saints, * the crowns of those who are truly chosen of God and our Lord: and that the firm root of your faith, which was preach- ed from ancient times, remains until' now, and brings forth fruit to our Lord Jesus Christ, who suffered himself to be brought even to death for our sins: “ whom ,God raised up, having loosed the pains of death:,,b “in whom, having not seen him, ye believe; and believing rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory 6 Into which joy many desire to enter, knowing that “by grace ye are saved, not of works,” d but by the will of God, through Jesus Christ.
2. “ Wherefore, girding up the loins (of your minds),” • serve God in fear and truth, laying aside all empty and vain speech, and the error of many, “ believing in him • Thus Ignatius, in bis Epistle to the Ephesians, c. 11. calls bis drains “ spiritual jewels.* 1 Compare also bis Epistle to the Smyr • neam, § 11. In like manner Cyprtan, Epist. 76. (Pell.) “ Dicatis Deo hominibus, et fidem suam religiose, virtute testantibus, ornaments sunt ista, non vincula: nec Christianorum pedes ad infamiam copulant, sed clarificant ad coronam. O pedes lebciter vincti, qui non a fabro sed Domino resolvuntur f O pedes fejiciter vincti, qui itinere salutari ad paradisum diriguntur! O pedes in seculo ad prssens ligati, ut sink semper apud Doming*! liberi!” Compare Edsbbius, Eccles. Hist. i. 5.
48 THE EPISTLE OF POLYCARP [$ 3.
that raised up our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead, and gave him glory,” f and a throne at his right hand: to whom all things in heaven and earth are subject;* whom every living creature worships; who comes to be the judge of the quick and dead; whose blood God shall require of them that believe not in him. But He that raised up Christ from the dead, shall raise up us also, if we do his will, and walk in his commandments, and love the things which he loved; abstaining from all unrighteousness, inordinate affection, h love of money, evil-speaking, false-witness: not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing, or blow for blow, or curse for curse: but remembering what the Lord taught us, say- ing, “ Judge not, that ye he not judged: forgive, and it shall be forgiven unto you:” be merciful, that ye may obtain mercy; “ for with the same measure that ye mete withal, it shall be measured to you again;’ M and that “ Blessed are the poor, and they that are perse- cuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of God.” k 3. I have not assumed to myself, brethren, the liberty of writing to you these things concerning righteousness; but you yourselves before encouraged me. For neither can I, nor any other such as I am, come up to the wis- dom of the blessed and renowned Paul, who, being among you, in the presence of those who then lived, taught with exactness and soundness the word of truth; who in his absence also wrote an Epistle 1 to you, into which if you diligently look, you may be able to be edified iii the faith delivered unto you, which is the mother of us all, being followed with hope, and led on by love both toward God and Christ, and toward our neighbor. For if any one hath these things, he hath fulfilled the law of righteousness: for he that hath charity is far from all sin.
h Eph. iv. 19. Col. iii. 5. 1 Pet. iii. 9.
1 foterohis. The word imaroXdi, in the plural, i» sometimes used for a single epistle, as Cotelerius shows. Por.YCiRP might possibly, however, allude to the Epistles of St. Paul to the ThessalO' Diana, or to the Corinthians, the contents of which would be coa^ m untested to the Philippians.
4. Bot “ the love of money is the beginning of all evils.” * Knowing, therefore, that “ we brought nothing into the world, neither are we able to carry any thing out,”® let us arm ourselves with the armor of righteous- ness, and teach first ourselves to walk in the command- ment of the Lord, and then your wives to walk like- wise in the faith and love and purity which is given unto them, loving their own husbands in all truth, and kind- ly affectionate to all others equally in all temperance, and to bring up their children in the instruction and fear of God: that the widows be sober as to what con- cerns the faith of the Lord, praying without ceasing ° for all men, being far from all detraction, evil-speaking, false-witness, love of money, and all evil: knowing that they are the altars of God; and that he sees all blemish- es, p and nothing is hid from him, either of words or thoughts, nor any of the secret things of the heart.
5. Knowing, therefore, that God is not mocked, * we ought to walk worthy both of his command and of his glory. In like manner the deacons must be blameless in the sight of his righteousness, as the ministers of God in Christ, and not of men: not false accusers, not double-tongued, not lovers of money, temperate in all things, compassionate, careful in walking according to the truth of the Lord, who became the servant of all; whom if we please in this present world, we shall be made partakers also of that which is to come, according as he hath promised to us that he will raise us from the dead; and that if we shall walk worthy of him, we shall also reign together with him, if we believe. In like manner the young men must be blameless in all things, above all taking care of their purity, and restraining themselves from all evil. For it is good to emerge r out of the lusts which are in the world: for every lust warreth against the Spirit: • and “ neither fornicators, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, shall inherit the kingdom of God,” 1 neither they which p irdrra ftutftovKorrtlrai. See Clem. Rom. Sect: 41. q Gal. vi. 7. r dvarirrmlhi. This reading appears preferable to dvcucdirrardai, “ to be cut off.’* Thus Chrysostom, dt Sacerd. Lib. i. 1. T D* Si pucpdv col airdg d v lit v ip a roS (hurtKoti kXSSwos.
act foolishly Wherefore it is necessary that ye abstain from all these things, being subject to the presbyters and deacons, as unto God and Christ: the virgins also should walk in a spotless and pure conscience.
6. Let the elders « also be compassionate, merciful to all, bringing back such as are in error, 2 seeking out all those that are weak, not neglecting the widow or the fatherless, or the poor s but providing always what is good in the sight of God and men abstaining from all wrath, respect of persons, and unrighteous judg^ ment; being far from all covetousness: not ready to believe any thing against any; not severe in judgment, knowing that we are all debtors in point of sin. If therefore we pray to the Lord that he would forgive us, we ought also to forgive.* ** For we are before the eyes of our Lord and God, and “ must all stand before the judgment seat of Christ,”* and shall every one give an account for himself* Let us therefore so serve him, with fear and all reverence, as he himself hath commanded, and as the apostles who have preached the Gospel unto us, and the prophets who have foretold the coming of our Lord, (have taught us): being zeab ous of what is good, abstaining from all offence, and from false brethren, and from those who bear the name of Christ in hypocrisy, who deceive vain men* 7. “ For whosoever confesses not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh, is antichrist:” k and whosoever confesses not his suffering upon the cross, is of the devil. And whosoever perverts the oracles of the Lord to his own lusts, and says there is neither resurrection nor judgment, he is the first-born of Satan. 6 Wherefore leaving the vanity of many, and false doctrines, let us return to the word which was delivered to us from the beginning, “ watching unto prayer, ” d and persevering in fasting; with supplication beseeching the all-seeing • Presbyters. * Elek. xxxlv. 4. r Rom. xii. 17. ■ MtU. vi. 12-14.
• Marcion is said to have once met Polvcarp, and to have addressed him with the words, 1 Dost thou acknowledge me V The reply attri- buted to Polycarp is, ‘ I acknowledge thee for the first-born of Satan.' Buses. Hitt. iv. 14. Iren. Adv. \Hcsr. iii. 3. In the interpolated Epistle of Ignatius to the TYaUians, Sec. 11. Simon Magna is called TO THE PHIL1PPIAN8.
51 God, not to lead us into temptation,* as the Lord hath said, “ the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” f 8. Let us therefore without ceasing hold steadfastly to him who is our hope, and the earnest of our righte- ousness, even Jesus Christ, who “ bare our sins in his own body on the tree who “ did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:” s but endured all for our sakes, that we might live through him. Let us therefore imitate his patience; and if we suffer for his name, let us glorify him. For this example he hath given us by himself, and so we have believed.
9. I exhort you all therefore to obey the word of righteousness, and exercise all patience, which ye have seen set forth before your eyes, not only in the blessed Ignatius, and Zosimus, and Rufus, but also in others among yourselves,* 1 and in Paul himself, and the other apostles; being confident of this, that all these have not run in vaiii, but in faith and righteousness: and that they are gone to the place which was due to them, in the presence of the Lord, with whom also they suf- fered. For they loved not this present^world, but him that died for us, and was raised again by God for our sake.
10. ‘Stand therefore in these things, and follow the example of the, Lord, being firm and immutable in the faith, lovers of the brotherhood, lovers of one another, companions together in the truth, being kind and gentle toward each other, despising none. When it is in your power to do good, defer it not, for “ charity delivereth from death.” k “ Be all of you subject one to another, having your conversation honest among the Gentiles,” 1 that by your good works both ye your- selves may receive praise, and the Lord may not be blasphemed through you. m But wo to him by whom the name of the Lord is blasphemed* Wherefore * ift&r — Dodwell, in his Dissertationes Cyprianicce, Diss. xi. 27. supposes fjfidw to be the correct reading: and imagines that Polycarp is speaking of a persecution which took place in his own time, either in the Chtirch of Smyrna or in that of Philippi.
i Sections 10, 11, 12 are lost in the Greek. The logs is supplied by the old Latin version.
k Tobit xii. 9. 1 1 Pet. ii. 12. * Rom. ii. 24. Tit. ii. 5.
52 THE EPISTLE OF POLYCARP [$ 11, 12.
teach all men sobriety, in which do ye also exercise yourselves.
11. Iam greatly afflicted for Valens, who was once made a Presbyter among you; that he should so little understand the place that was given unto him. Where- fore I admonish you that ye abstain from concupi- scence; n and that ye be chaste and true of speech. Keep yourselves from all evil. 0 For he that in these things cannot govern himself, how shall he be able to prescribe them to another? If a man doth not keep himself from concupiscence, he shall be polluted with idolatry, p and he shall be judged as if he were a Gentile. But who of you are ignorant of the judgment of God? “Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world,” 1 * as Paul teaches? But I have neither perceived nor heard any thing of the kind in you, among whom the blessed Paul labored; and who are named in the begin- ning of his epistle. r For he glories of you in all the churches which alone had then known God: for we had not yet known him. Wherefore, brethren, I am ex- ceedingly sorry both for him, and for his wife: may God grant them true repentance. And be ye also moderate on this occasion; and consider not such as enemies, but call them back, as suffering and erring members, lhat ye may save your whole body. For by so doing ye edify yourselves.
12. For I trust that ye are well exercised in the holy Scriptures, and that nothing is hid from you. But at present it is not granted unto me to practise that which is written, “ Be ye angry and sin not,” and “ Let not the sun go down upon your wrath.”* Blessed is he that believeth and remembereth these things; which also I trust ye do. Now the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and he himself who is our ever- lasting High Priest, the Son of God, even Jesus Christ, n The old Latin translation has avarUia: the Greek probably had irUovs£ia. That this word should, in many places, be rendered m the sense here given, is fully shown by Suicer on the words vXtovuriu and n\eovt$(a, and by Hammond on Rom. i. 29. and 1 Cor. v. 10. See also Paley, Sermon xlii. edit. 1825.
It appears from what follows, that both Valens and his wife had fallen into adultery.
' Phil. I * Ps. iv, 4. Eph. iv. 26.
TO THE FHILIPP1ANS.
53 build you up in faith and truth, and in all meekness and lenity, and in patience and long-suffering, and forbear? ance and chastity: and grant unto you a lot and portion among his saints, and unto us with you, and unto all that are under heaven, who shall believe in our Lord Jesus Christ, and in his Father who raised him from the dead. 1 Pray for all the saints. Pray also for kings, and authorities, and princes, and for those who persecute you and hate you, and for the enemies of the cross: that your fruit may be manifest in all, and that ye may be perfect in Christ, 13. Both ye and Ignatius wrote to me,® that if any one went (hence) into Syria, he should also bring back your letters with him; which also I will do, if I have a convenient opportunity, either by myself, or by him whom I shall send upon your account. The Epistles of Ignatius which he wrote unto us,* and others as many as we have with us, we have sent to you, according to your order; which are subjoined to this Epistle; from which ye may be greatly profited. For they treat of faith and.patience, and of all things which pertain to edification in our Lord, 14. What ye know certainly of Ignatius, and those that are with him, signify unto us.
These things have I written unto you by Crescens, whom by this present Epistle I have recommended to you, and do now again commend. For he hath had his conversation without blame among us, and I trust in like manner also with you. You will also have regard unto his sister when she shall come unto you. Be ye safe in the Lord Jesus Christ; and his grace be with you all. Amen, ■ See Ignatius’ Epistle to the Smymeana, Sect. 11.
* The two Epistles which Ignatius wrote, one to Polycarp, the other io the Church of the Smyrneans.
THE EPISTLE OP IGKATIUS TO THE EPHESIANS.
Ignatius,