Polycarp to the Philippians
Sr. POLYCARP
THE EPISTLES TO THE PHILIPPIANS
INTRODUCTION
A suitable introduction to St. Polycarp would be to read what his contemporary, St. Ignatius of Antioch, says both to him and about him in the two letters sent to Smyrna shortly after his visit to that city.* In fact, acquaintance with these Ignatian letters is necessary if we would fully appreciate Polycarp's Epistle to the Philippians. In it Polycarp keeps
Ignatius constantly before us, whether in the mention of his name or in the use of some turn of expression peculiar to him.? Words familiar to us from Ignatius have a richer flavor when met again in Polycarp. Points of doctrine, stated or implied, as well as lessons in Christian virtue show the same face in both. But we learn more from Ignatius about the early Christian mentality than we do from Polycarp.
There is also a decided difference in their style of writing.
Ignatius is fiery, abrupt, and impetuous, while Polycarp is calm and sedate, more akin to Clement of Rome. All in all,
Polycarp is a happy complement to Ignatius.
Smyrna, the episcopal see of Polycarp, is situated in the centre of the west coast of Asia Minor. Its present interest to us is in the fact that it was visited by Ignatius on his journey to Rome. Polycarp, if he was not perhaps the host of the martyr-saint, at any rate joined the delegates from other Asian Churches in showering kindnesses on him. One of the notable results of this visit was, no doubt, the warm interest taken by Polycarp in the Ignatian epistles,* echoes
Sr. PoLtycarP from which are scattered throughout the letter to the Philippians.
After leaving Smyrna, Ignatius was taken northward to Troas, where another respite allowed him to write a letter to Polycarp and one to the Smyrnaeans, in both of which he urged his readers to despatch a messenger—" God's courier," as he says—to Antioch, where in the meantime peace had been restored. A few days later Ignatius crossed over to Neapolis in Macedonia, and from there went to Philippi, where another short stay enabled him to become acquainted with the Philippian community—St. Paul's first Christian settlement on European soil. Since Philippi, a commercial centre on the southern coast of Macedonia, was situated on the Egnatian Way, it was a natural stopping place for travellers from Asia to Italy. It was here that Ignatius was joined by two other Christians bound for Rome to be tried for their faith.
Until quite recently it has been customary to speak of " the Epistle of St. Polycarp to the Philippians." Its genuineness and authenticity have been well established; but critics could not agree on its date of composition. Since there is no attestation of it in contemporary literature, any conclusion that might be reached in regard to its date had to be based on such evidence as the letter itself affords. The story of the many attempts at dating the letter cannot be told in a few words.* Suflice it to say that, in the main, two groups of critics have long stood facing each other without a satisfactory adjustment of details.
'To the one it seemed imperative (13. 2) to assign an early date, that is, shortly after Ignatius's departure from Philippi, somewhere during the closing years of 'Trajan's reign (before 118); the other was convinced
(9. 2.) that the letter was written two or three decades later.
Now both groups worked out their conflicting views on the
INTRODUCTION
at » tacit assumption that the epistle was penned from start to finish at one and the same time. It is only a little more than a decade ago (1936) that this very assumption was subjected to close scrutiny.'
It was shown that the supposedly one letter of Polycarp was, in reality, a fusion of two communications despatched at entirely different dates. This two-letter theory separates Ch. 13 (with, or without, the postscript in 14)—" the Covering Note " which accompanied the batch of Ignatian letters sent by Polycarp to the Philippians—from the rest of the letter, " the Crisis Letter," that is, Chapters 1-12, which were written at some later time in answer to a wish of the Philippians for an exhortation on Christian life in general and, no doubt, a word of counsel in a crisis that had come upon their community.
The subjoined analysis both of "the covering note" and of "the letter" is based upon this theory, which in all essentials is here accepted as the last word on this long-standing controversy.
Soon after Ignatius's departure from their city, the Philippians sent a letter of congratulation, destined for the Church at Antioch, to Polycarp, asking him to forward it through a messenger of his own. Polycarp expresses his readiness to comply with the request. The bearer of his note also brought with him a bundle of Ignatian letters which the Philippians had asked for. 'The closing sentence leaves no doubt that, at the time of writing, Ignatius had not yet reached
Rome or, at any rate, that no news concerning his martyrdom had as yet arrived at Philippi. Since Ignatius visited Smyrna late in August, it follows that Polycarp's note probably was penned some time in September of the same year.
Twenty years or so later (about A. D. 135),' the Philippians informed Polycarp of the joy they had experienced in welcoming Ignatius and his fellow prisoners during their
Sr. PoLycaRrP stay in the city. Polycarp seizes upon this expression of joy as a fitting starting point for his admonitions. It was an old literary convention that, before censure is administered or caution advised, there must be praise.' Polycarp therefore praises the Philippians for the faith they had so strikingly exhibited in honoring the martyrs, and at once proceeds to exhort them to maintain a reputation they had acquired even in the days of St. Paul. Remain loyal to your faith, he says in substance, and show your loyalty by making God's commandments your rule of life. This is the gist of all that follows. The special counsels that are yet given are, some of them, so general as to suit any Christians anywhere in the world. In regular Ignatian style, Polycarp has a word to say about the proper conduct of Christian wives, of widows, of deacons, of presbyters, of young men and young women. We notice, however, that certain key words recur again and again.
The two points singled out for special insistence are purity of faith and the need of shunning avarice as the root of all evils.
As to avarice, Polycarp leaves us in no uncertainty about his meaning. A certain presbyter of the Philippian community and his wife had given grave scandal by some dishonest financial transaction, the nature of which is not disclosed. We also know what it was that threatened the purity of their faith. It has been shown that the earlier stages of Marcion's doctrinal errors fit best into the picture presented by the epistle.* Marcion was in Macedonia at the time and doubtless propagated his Docetic heresy, which denied the reality of the Incarnation and consequently destroyed the fruits of the Passion and death of Christ.
In exhorting his readers, Polycarp draws largely on Holy Scripture.® 'The bulk of his quotations is from St. Paul—the founder of the Philippian community—and the First Epistle
INTRODUCTION
~ of St. Peter. A strong appeal to the conscience of the Philippians introduces the remaining part of his exhortations: remember, he says, the great " lesson in holiness," *° that is, the teaching that a Christian, to be a true disciple of Christ, must be ready to imitate Christ's patient endurance " to the limit," and sacrifice his life in His service. The time was not far off when he practiced what he preached.
In his letter to a friend, a certain Florinus, a disciple of Polycarp, Irenaeus makes mention of several letters written by their former teacher.** The one addressed to the Philippians is alone extant.
The loss of this correspondence is sincerely regretted by students of early Christianity, for Polycarp must have been in a position to answer many questions concerning "a group of problems, each in its own way fundamental, to which Polycarp was probably better qualified than any other man that ever lived to give authoritative solutions." **
St. Jerome says that the letter to the Philippians was read in conventu Asiae down to his own day.
The question of the date of Polycarp's birth is involved in the practically hopeless controversy over an obscure passage in the Martyrdom, where he states that he has been serving his King for six and eighty years.** 'This means that he had been a Christian for that length of time.
He became a Christian by baptism; but was he baptized in his infancy or later in life? And if his parents were Jews or pagans, how old was he at his conversion? A similar doubt hangs over the date of his martyrdom, even though February 23, 155 Cor
February 22, 156) is generally accepted as the most probable.** Nor are we much helped by the fact that Polycarp went to Rome to confer with Pope Anicetus not long before his martyrdom—perhaps about the year 154; for while it is not likely for a man almost one hundred years old to under-
Sr. PoLycarpP take the hardships of such a journey, still the possibility of his doing so cannot be simply brushed aside.
The text of this epistle has come down in a somewhat carelessly made Latin version, consisting of fourteen chapters.
It was first printed in Paris as early as 1498 by Jacobus Faber Stapulensis.*"
The Greek text is preserved in nine manuscripts, all of 'which break off at the end of chapter 9 and are immediately followed by a section from the Epistle of Barnabas. 'They therefore derive from a manuscript that was itself a copy.
Chapters 9 and 13 (without the last sentence) are also preserved in Eusebius, Hist. eccl. 3.36.13 and 14. The Greek text was printed for the first time by Peter Halloix at Douai in 1633.
Yt ¥ i The text used for this translation is that of F. X. Funk, revised by K. Bihlmeyer, Die apostolischen Vater, I. Teil
CTubingen 1924) 114-20.
Other modern translations of note are the following:
Bosio, G., I Padri apostolici 2 (Corona Patrum Salesiana, ser. eraeca 14, Turin 1942) 163-201.
Kriiger, G., in E. Hennecke's Neutestamentliche Apokryphen (and ed., Tiibingen 1924) 537-40.
Lake, K., The Apostolic Fathers 1 (Loeb Classical Library, London 1912.) 279-301.
Lelong, A., Les Péres apostoliques 3 CTextes et documents 12, 2nd ed., Paris 1927) 108-28.
Lightfoot, J. B., The Apostolic Fathers (ed. by J. R. Harmer, London 1898) 175-81.
Zeller, F., Die apostolischen Véiter (Bibliothek der Kirchenvater 35, Munich 1918) 157-70.
THE EPISTLE<S> OF SAINT POLYCARP
BISHOP OF SMYRNA AND HOLY MARTYR
TO THE PHILIPPIANS
The First Epistle (Covering Note) [13.] Both you and Ignatius write that when someone is leaving for Syria,* he should take your letter along with him.
To this I will attend as soon as I find a convenient opportunity—either myself or the person whom I shall send to represent you as well as me.
2 The epistles of Ignatius °— those addressed by him to us and any others in our possession
—we are sending you herewith in compliance with your request. 'They are attached to this note. You will be able to derive great profit from them, for they deal with faith, patient endurance, and, in general, with matters that bear upon spiritual growth * in Our Lord. As for Ignatius himself and those who are with him, let us know whatever reliable information you may obtain."
The Second Epistle Polycarp and his assistants, the presbyters,* to the Church of God ® which resides as a stranger at Philippi: may mercy and peace from Almighty God and Jesus Christ our Savior be yours in abundance.' we 6*
Sr. PoLycarP 1. In Our Lord Jesus Christ * I share the great joy * you experienced in welcoming the images of the True Love * and, as was proper for you, speeding on their way the men locked in fetters that are fit for saints—those diadems of the true elect of God and Our Lord!" 2 I also congratulate you on the fact that your firmly rooted faith,* celebrated ever since the earliest days,° persists till now and still brings forth fruit to the honor *® of Our Lord Jesus Christ, who patiently went to meet His death for our sins "—He whom
God raised by ending the throes of death. 3 You never saw Him, and yet believe in Him with sublime and inexpressible joy—a joy which many desire to experience."
You are assured that you have been saved by a gratuitous gift, not by our actions "—no, but by the will of God through Jesus
Christ.
2. Therefore gird your loins and serve God in fear ** and in truth: leave untouched the idle prattle ** and the error of the masses; believe in Him who raised Our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead, and gave Him glory** and a throne at His right. To Him all things in heaven and on earth were subjected; *' Him every breathing creature worships; * He is to come as the Judge of the living and the dead; ** His Blood
God will avenge upon those that disobey Him. 2 Now, He who has raised Him from the dead will raise us also," provided we do His will, make His commandments our rule of life, and love what He loves; ** if we abstain from every kind of wrongdoing, avarice, love of money, slander, and false testimony; if we do not repay wrong with wrong, abuse with abuse," blow with blow, curse with curse, 3 but, on the contrary, bear in mind what the Lord taught when He said:
Do not judge, that you may not be judged; forgive, and you
EpIsTLES TO THE PHILIPPIANS
ye will be forgiven; show mercy, that you may have mercy shown you; the measure you use in measuring will be used in measuring out your share;** and, Blessed are the humble souls and those that are persecuted for conscience' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of /God.™ 3. It is not at my own instance," brethren, that I am sending you this written instruction on the practice of holy living; I do so because you first invited me. 2 Surely, neither am I, nor is anybody else like me, able to keep pace with the wisdom of blessed and glorious Paul.** Present among you—face to face with the generation then living—he accurately and authoritatively *" expounded to you the word of truth, and, again, when he was absent, wrote to you letters a careful study of which will enable you to grow strong * in the faith delivered to you— 3 a faith which is the mother of us all," while hope is her companion, and the love of God and Christ and the neighbor is paramount.** When a man is engrossed in these," he has fulfilled the commandment which insures justification. He who possesses love is entirely out of the reach of sin.
4. The beginning of all evils is the love of money."
Realizing, then, that we brought nothing into the world and cannot take anything out of it either," let us put on the armor of a holy life,** and first train ourselves to make the Lord's commandment our rule of life; ** 2 next,*® instruct your wives in the faith delivered to them, as well as in love and chastity: they must be attached to their husbands with perfect fidelity, love all others as well with perfect self-control, and impart to their children an education based on the fear of God. 3
Your widows must be discreet in keeping the faith plighted to the Lord; *' they must pray unceasingly for the community,
Sr. PoLycarpP and refrain absolutely from calumny, gossip, false testimony, love of money, and, in fact, evil of any kind. They must feel that they are God's altar, that He inspects everything for blemishes, and that nothing escapes Him—whether it is a thought or a sentiment or anything kept hidden in the heart."
5. Being assured, therefore, that God is not mocked," we are obliged to live in a manner befitting His commandment and glory. 2 Deacons," likewise, must be blameless when judged by His rule of rectitude. They are God's and Christ's servants, and not men's: they must not be slanderous, not double-tongued, not attached to money, temperate in all things, tender-hearted, zealous—thus realizing in their conduct the Lord's ideal,*t who became the Servant of all. If we win His approval in the present world, we shall also win the world to come: He has promised us to raise us from the dead. If we behave as worthy citizens of His kingdom, we shall also share in His royalty *°—that is, provided we persevere in faith. 3 Furthermore, young men must be absolutely above reproach; ** in particular, they must have regard for chastity, and refrain from every evil. It is, indeed, a noble thing to cut oneself off from the lusts that are rampant in the world. Lust of any kind makes war upon the spirit,** and neither fornicators nor the effeminate nor sodomites will inherit the kingdom of God,** nor those who do the unbecoming. Therefore it is a duty to refrain from all these things, and obey the presbyters and deacons ** as God and Christ.
Young women must keep their conscience pure and undefiled.* 6. Furthermore: the presbyters must be kind-hearted, merciful toward all, trying to reclaim what has gone astray,"® visiting any that are sick, not neglecting widow, orphan, or
EpisTLEs TO THE PHILIPPIANS
the poor. On the contrary, they must always have an eye to good behavior in the sight of God and men." They must refrain entirely from anger, partiality, unjust judgment, have nothing at all to do with love of money, and be neither quick to believe evil of anyone nor hasty in judging. They should realize that we all are debtors in the matter of sin.
2 If, accordingly, we pray the Lord to forgive us, we, too, are obliged to forgive. We all are in the full view of the Lord and God. All must stand at the judgment seat of Christ, and each must give an account of himself.°° 3 Let us, then, serve Him in awe and deepest reverence." 'This is what He
Himself, the Apostles, who preached the Gospel to us,*' and the Prophets, who announced in advance the coming of Our
Lord, have commanded us. Ambitious of noble deeds, let us keep aloof from seducers, false brethren, and such as bear the name of the Lord but for a mask. Such people lead empty-headed folk astray.
7. Indeed, whoever does not acknowledge Jesus Christ to have come in human flesh © is Antichrist; °* whoever does not admit the testimony of the Cross is sprung from the Devil; * whoever wrests the Lord's Gospel ® to suit his own lusts and denies both resurrection and judgment—such a one is the first-born of Satan.*'
2 Therefore let us leave untouched the senseless speculations * of the masses and the false doctrines, and turn to the teaching delivered to us in the beginning; let us be temperate and ready for our prayers," persevere in fasting, and fervently implore the All-seeing God not to expose us to temptation," since the Lord has said: The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak."
8. Unceasingly, then, let us cling to our Hope" and the Pledge of our justification, that is, Christ Jesus, who in His
Sr. PotycarP own Body took the weight of our sins up to the Cross; who did no wrong; nor was treachery found on His lips."* On the contrary, for our sakes—that we might live in Him—He endured everything. 2 Therefore let us become imitators " of <His> patient endurance and glorify Him whenever we suffer for the sake of His name. This is the example He has set us in His own Person, and this is what we have learnt to believe.
9. I therefore exhort you all to carry out the lesson in holiness * and practice patient endurance to the limit—an endurance of which you have had an object lesson not only in those blessed persons, Ignatius, Zosimus, and Rufus,"* but also in members of your own community as well as in Paul himself and the other Apostles. 2 Be persuaded that all these men did not run their race in vain," but in faith and holiness, and that they are now in the place due to them ® with the Lord whose sufferings they shared. Indeed, they did not love this present world, but Him who died for us and was raised to life by God ® for our sake.
10. 'These, then, are the things in which you must stand firm and follow the Lord's example: be steadfast and immovable in the faith; love the brotherhood; cherish one another; ** be united in the truth; with the meekness of the Lord" give precedence to one another; despise no one.
When able to do a work of charity, do not put it off; * for almsgiving delivers from death.* One and all, submit to each other's rights; your life among the Gentiles must be beyond reproach; thus by your good example ® you will win praise for yourselves, and the Lord will not be blasphemed on your account. 3 But perdition awaits him through whom the
EpiIsTLES TO THE PHILIPPIANS
name of the Lord is blasphemed.
'Therefore train all to self-control, which you yourselves are practicing."
11. I am exceedingly sorry for Valens, once your presbyter, because he so little appreciates the office conferred on him. I admonish youy therefore: shun avarice, and be pure and honest. Shun evil of any kind." 2 When a man is not able to practice self-control in these matters, how can he urge it on another? *° If a man does not shun avarice, he will be defiled by idolatry ** and reckoned among the heathen, who do not know the judgment of the Lord. Or do we not know that the saints will pass judgment on the world? * So Paul teaches.
3 For my part, I have not observed or heard of anything of the kind among you in whose midst the blessed
Paul labored, and who are mentioned in the beginning of his epistle.** Of you, indeed, he boasts in all the churches,**— such, that is, as had alone by that time come to know God, when we had not as yet learnt to know Him. 4 I am, then, exceedingly sorry for that man and his wife. May the Lord grant them sincere repentance.** And you, too, therefore, must be considerate in this matter: do not treat such persons as enemies," but reclaim them as diseased and straying members,*" so that you may preserve the whole of your community intact. In fact, by acting thus, you promote your personal spiritual growth."
12. I am confident that you are well-trained in the Scriptures *° and nothing escapes your attention—a privilege not granted to me. So I only say what has been said in the following texts:
Let no resentment lead you into sin; and do not let the sun go down on your resentment." Happy the man who remembers this; and this, I trust, is true of you. 2
May God and the Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and
St. POLYCARP
the eternal High Priest Himself," the Son of God, Jesus Christ, further your growth in faith and truth and in meekness that is perfect and without a vestige of resentment, as well as in patient endurance and long-suffering and perseverance and purity. May He also grant perfect fellowship with His saints ** to you, and along with you, to us, and indeed to all who are under heaven and destined to believe in Our
Lord Jesus Christ and His Father, who has raised Him from the dead. 3 Pray for all the saints.** Pray also for kings and magistrates and rulers,** and for such as persecute and hate you,** as well as for the enemies of the Cross.' Thus all will come to see how well you are doing," and you will be perfect in Him."
14. I am sending you this letter through the kindness of Crescens,°? whom I lately recommended to you and now recommend again. He has shown himself to be a man of irreproachable character during his stay with us, as, I am sure, he also will during his stay in your midst. I herewith commend to your kind attention his sister, as soon as she comes to you. Farewell in the Lord Jesus Christ in grace *"
—you and all your people. Amen.