Epistula Polycarpi: Translation and commentary
LETTER OF POLYCARP BISHOP OF SMYRNA AND MARTYR TO THE PHILIPPIANS
Polycarp and the presbyters with him, to the church of God that lives as aliens in Philippi. May mercy and peace be multiplied to you from God Almighty and Jesus Christ our Saviour.
1. I greatly rejoice together with you in our Lord Jesus Christ. For you have welcomed the images of true love and have, as you are accustomed to doing, helped on their way those confined in chains suitable for saints, which are diadems of those who are truly chosen by God and our Lord.
2. And I also rejoice that the strong root of your faith, proclaimed from ancient times, even now continues to abide and bear fruit for our Lord Jesus Christ. He stood firm until death for our sins, and God raised him up after losing the birth pangs of Hades.
3. Even without seeing him, you believe in him with an unspeakable and glorious joy in which many desire to enter. For you know that you have been saved by grace — not of works but by the will of God through Jesus Christ.
1. Therefore, bind up loose robes and serve God in fear and truth, abandoning vain and idle talk and the error that deceives many, keeping your faith in the one who raised our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead and gave him glory and a throne at his right hand. Everything in heaven and on earth is subject to him and everything that breathes will serve him, who is coming as judge of the living and the dead, and whose blood God will require of those who disobey him.
2. But the one who raised him from the dead will raise us as well, if we do his will, walking in his commandments and loving the things he loved, abstaining from every kind of unrighteousness, greed, love of money, slander, and false witness, not repaying evil for evil, or insult for insult, or blow for blow, or a curse for curse.
3. Remember what the Lord said when he taught: “Do not judge, so that you may not be judged; forgive and you will be forgiven; show mercy that you may be shown mercy; the amount you dispense will be the amount you receive in return.” And: “Blessed are the poor and those persecuted for the sake of righteousness because theirs is the kingdom of God.”
1. These things, brothers, I am writing about righteousness, not on my own initiative, but because you have provoked me.
2. For neither I nor anyone like me is able to follow the wisdom of the blessed and glorious Paul. When he was with you, he accurately and reliably, face to face, 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 study them, you will be able to build yourselves up in the faith that was given to you.
3. This faith is the mother of us all, followed by hope and led by love towards God, Christ, and neighbour. For anyone who lives in these has fulfilled the commandment of righteousness. for anyone who has love is far removed from all sin.
1. The love of money is the beginning of all troubles. Since we know that we brought nothing into the world and can carry nothing out, let us arm ourselves with the weapons of righteousness and teach one another, first of all, to walk in the commandment of the Lord.
2. Then you should teach your wives to walk in the faith given them and in love and purity and to be affectionate towards their own husbands in all truth. Teach them also to love everyone equally, with all self-restraint and to discipline their children in the fear of God.
3. You should teach the widows to be self-controlled with respect to faith in the Lord, to pray unceasingly for everyone, and stay far away from all calumny, slander, false witness, love of money, and all evil, knowing that they are God’s altar and that all sacrifices are carefully inspected for a blemish and that nothing escapes his notice, whether thoughts, intentions, or any of the secrets in the heart.
1. Since we know that God is not mocked, we should walk in a manner worthy of his commandment and glory.
2. Similarly, the deacons must be blameless before his righteousness as servants of God and of Christ, not of humans. They should not be slanderous or insincere, but free from the love of money, temperate, compassionate in everything, diligent, and walking according to the truth of the Lord, who became a servant 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 prove to be citizens worthy of him, we will also reign with him if we keep the faith.
3. So let the young men also be blameless in all things, concerned above all else for their purity, reining themselves away from all evil. For it is good to be cut off from the passions of the world since every passion wages war against the spirit. Neither the fornicator, nor the effeminate, nor men who have intercourse with each other will inherit the kingdom of God; nor will those who are doing perverse things. Therefore we must abstain from all this, and be obedient to the presbyters and deacons as to God and Christ. And the virgins must walk with a pure and blameless conscience.
1. The presbyters, for their part, must be compassionate, and merciful to all, turning back those who have gone astray, visiting all the sick, not neglecting the widow, the orphan, or the poor, but always aiming at what is good before both God and humans, abstaining from all anger, prejudice, and unfair judgment, staying far away from all love of money, not quick to believe a rumour against anyone, not harsh in judgment, knowing that we all are 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 we must all stand before the judgment seat of Christ, each rendering an account of himself.
3. So let us serve him with fear and all reverence, just as he himself has 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 vain people astray.
1. For anyone who does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is an antichrist; and whoever does not confess the witness of the cross is of the devil; and whoever distorts the sayings of the Lord for his own passions, saying that there is neither resurrection nor judgment, that man is the firstborn of Satan.
2. And so, let us leave behind the vain speculation of the many and their false teachings and turn to the word delivered to us from the beginning, being sober in prayer and constant in fasting, earnestly asking the all-seeing God not to lead us not into temptation, just as the Lord has said, “For the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.”
1. Let us therefore incessantly hold fast to our hope and in the guarantee of our righteousness, who is Christ Jesus, who bore our sins in his own body upon the tree, who did not commit sin nor was deceit found in his mouth; but he endured all things for our sakes, that we might live in him.
2. Let us, therefore, become imitators of his patient endurance, and if we should suffer for his name, let us glorify him. For he gave us this example in his own person, and we have put our trust in it.
1. Therefore, I urge all of you to obey the word of righteousness and to practice all endurance, which you also saw with your own eyes not only in the blessed Ignatius, Zosimus, and Rufus, but also in others who lived among you, and in Paul himself and the other apostles.
2. Be convinced that none of them ran in vain, 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, but the one who died for us and who was raised by God for our sakes.
1. Therefore, stand firm in these things and follow the example of the Lord, being firm and unmovable in faith, loving the brotherhood, caring for one another, united in the truth, giving way to one another in the gentleness of the Lord, despising no one.
2. When you are able to do good, do not delay, since alms deliver you from death. Let all of you be subject to one another, keeping your conversation with the Gentiles unblameable, that you and your good works may be praised and that the Lord may not be blasphemed because of you.
3. For woe to the one through whom the name of the Lord is blasphemed. Therefore, teach soberness to all, the way in which you yourselves interact with others.
1. I am deeply grieved for Valens, once a presbyter among you, that he is so ignorant of the office that was given him. Thus I urge you to abstain from the love of money and to be pure and truthful. Abstain from all evil.
2. For if someone cannot control himself in such things, how can he preach self-control to another? Anyone who cannot avoid the love of money will be defiled by idolatry and will be judged as if among the Gentiles who do not know the judgment of the Lord. Or do we “not know that the saints will judge the world”, as Paul teaches?
3. But I have neither perceived nor heard any such thing among you, in whose midst the blessed Paul labored and who are praised in the beginning of his epistle. Indeed, he boasts about you in all those 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. Be you therefore also sober in this matter. Do not regard them as enemies, but call them back as frail and straying members, so as to save your entire body. When you do this, you build yourselves up.
1. 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 said in these Scriptures, “Be angry but do not sin", and "do not let the sun go down on your anger.” Blessed is the one who remembers this, and I believe that this is in you.
2. So may the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the eternal high 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, patient endurance, and purity; and may he give you the share and place among his saints — and to us with you, and to every one under heaven who is about to believe in our Lord Jesus Christ, and in his Father, who raised him from the dead.
3. Pray for all the saints. Pray also for kings and magistrates and rulers, as well as for those who persecute and hate you and for the enemies of the cross, that your fruit may be manifest to all and you may be perfect in him.
1. 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 as well as ours.
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 told us to do. These accompany this letter; you will be able to profit greatly from them, for they deal with faith, patience, and all edification pertaining to our Lord. And let us know what you have learned more definitely about Ignatius himself and those who are with him.
1. I am writing these things to you through Crescens, whom I commended to you recently and now commend again. For he has conducted himself blamelessly among us; and I believe that he will do the same among you. And his sister will be commended to you when she comes to you. Farewell in the Lord Jesus Christ in grace, you and all those with you. Amen.
Polycarp’s letter does not begin as solemnly as the seven Ignatian ones. Right from the start he advances by downplaying his authority, for a reason that becomes evident in 3.1 and 11.1 (see below). He does not characterize himself as the bishop of Smyrna anywhere in his letter, but that is what he was. He is portrayed as such in MIgn. Magn. 15; MIgn. Pol. inscr. and MIgn. Smyrn. 12.2, in which also the presbyters and the deacons are mentioned. As bishop, Polycarp seems to be primus inter pares among the presbyters. When we study his greeting, we learn another characteristic about him: Polycarp loves to quote and recycle earlier Christian literature, Gospels and letters. This may relate to his modesty, but it is a strategic choice. He does not use his own authority to make his case, but relies on the words of Christ, his apostles and other respected teachers. So here it begins: Polycarp has modelled even his greeting to the Philippians by following the inscription of 1. Clem.: Ἡ ἐκκλησία τοῦ θεοῦ ἡ παροικοῦσα Ῥώμην τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ τοῦ θεοῦ τῇ παροικούσῃ Κόρινθον, κλητοῖς ἡγιασμένοις ἐν θελήματι θεοῦ διὰ τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ. Χάρις ὑμῖν καὶ εἰρήνη ἀπὸ παντοκράτορος θεοῦ διὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ πληθυνθείη. Throughout his letter, Polycarp has used 1. Clem. as his source (for parallels, see Bauer 1995, 28-30). The salutation he uses is customary; cf. especially Jude 2: ἔλεος ὑμῖν καὶ εἰρήνη καὶ ἀγάπη πληθυνθείη, and also Mart. Pol. Inscr.: ἔλεος καὶ εἰρήνη καὶ ἀγάπη θεοῦ πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ πληθυνθείη. Polycarp also witnesses the growth and enrichment of spiritual language. He is the first Christan author to characterize God as παντοκράτωρ and Christ as σωτήρ in the same sentence. The earliest reference to Christ as σωτήρ we find in Phil. 3:20: ἡμῶν γὰρ τὸ πολίτευμα ἐν οὐρανοῖς ὑπάρχει, ἐξ οὗ καὶ σωτῆρα ἀπεκδεχόμεθα κύριον Ἰησοῦν Χριστόν. In his greeting, Polycarp contrasts the alien status of the believers in the world with the heavenly rule of God and Jesus Christ. Here he reminds them about their place in this age, and soon he tells them how they must live in it.
1. Since the blessed Paul is the special favourite of Polycarp, it is not a coincidence that his letter includes several reminiscences of Paul's letters, particularly from the one to the Philippians, starting with the salutation: συνεχάρην ὑμῖν μεγάλως ἐν κυρίῳ ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστῷ echoes Phil. 4:10 (ἐχάρην δὲ ἐν κυρίῳ μεγάλως). However, immediately after this, an interpolator has added along sentence (δεξαμένοις τὰ μιμήματα ... ἡμῶν ἐκλελεγμένων), which leans on the names of martryrs mentioned in 9.1, where these men are introduced as local, Philippian martyrs. Therefore they cannot identical with men who, according to the interpolation, have been received (δεξαμένοις) and sent forth (προπέμψασιν) by the Philippians. With this sentence, the interpolator has sought to create a connection between Ignatius, Polycarp's letter and the Christian community in Philippi (see introduction). In the original beginning of his letter, Polycaprp wants to express his joy (Συνεχάρην ὑμῖν μεγάλως ἐν κυρίῳ ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστῷ) because of the strong faith of the Philippian Christians (1.2: ὅτι ἡ βεβαία τῆς πίστεως ὑμῶν ῥίζα). This captatio benevolentiae is, as we will see, is directly related to the delicate main topic of the letter: how to handle the case of Valens, the presbyter who had misused his position.
The interpolation is deceivingly close to Polycarp's use of earlier Christian writings and Christian language; therefore many scholars find the interpolation theory not convincing and consider its discrepancy with 9.1 as much less problematic. The expression τῆς ἀληθοῦς ἀγάπης connects love and truth and has parallels in other contemporary Christian epistles, particularly in the rather late letters of John (3 John 1: ὃν ἐγὼ ἀγαπῶ ἐν ἀληθείᾳ; 2 John 3: ἐν ἀληθείᾳ καὶ ἀγάπῃ), but also in Eph. 4:15 (ἀληθεύοντες δὲ ἐν ἀγάπῃ). The idea that chains of imprisonment and martyrdom are fitting for holy men and women (τοὺς ἐνειλημένους τοῖς ἁγιοπρεπέσιν δεσμοῖς) was common among contemporary authors. Already Paul said that he was ἐν τοῖς δεσμοῖς τοῦ εὐαγγελίου (Philem. 13), and the same expression is used by Clement the bishop of Rome (1. Clem. 13.3: ὑπηκόους ὄντας τοῖς ἁγιοπρεπέσι λόγοις αὐτοῦ) and Ignatius the bishop of Antioch (MIgn. Smyrn 11.1: δεδεμένος θεοπρεπεστάτοις δεσμοῖς). The chains are the crown jewels of the Christians (ἅτινά ἐστιν διαδήματα), and a very similar expression appears in Ignatius' long letter to the Ephesian Christians (MIgn. Eph. 11.2: τὰ δεσμὰ περιφέρω, τοὺς πνευματικοὺς μαργαρίτας).
2. For Polycarp, the unshakable faith of the Christians is a key issue because there are those who deny what they regard as the essentials of the Christian faith: the incarnation of Jesus Christ, his true suffering and death, his glorious resurrection and his coming as the judge of all humankind. Polycarp gets back to this in detail (6.3-7.2), but he begins his letter by praising the faith of his readers, using familiar ideas and imagery. The expression ἡ βεβαία τῆς πίστεως ὑμῶν ῥίζα has a parallel in Vita Barlaam et Joasaph 8.25 (τῆς ἁγίας ταύτης καὶ ἀμωμήτου τῶν Χριστιανῶν πίστεως ῥίζα). Some hundred years after the death of Christ, Polycarp can talk about the proclamation of the Gospel since "ancient times" (καταγγελλομένη χρόνων), and he is not alone. Clement reminds the Corinthian community about their well-established and ancient character (1. Clem. 47.6). Luke even puts the expression even in the mouth of Peter (Acts 15:7; in the Apostolic council, less than 20 years after the death of Jesus!). One of the disputed questions about Pol. Phil. is whether Polycarp knew and used Luke-Acts. Many scholars think that in ὃν ἤγειρεν ὁ θεός, λύσας τὰς ὠδῖνας τοῦ ᾅδου Polycarp quotes Acts 2:24 (ὃν ὁ θεὸς ἀνέστησεν λύσας τὰς ὠδῖνας τοῦ θανάτου), but it is also possible that he relies on oral tradition. Besides a possible allusion to Acts 10:42 in 2.1, there are no other signs that Polycarp knew Acts.
3. Polycarp knows that strong faith alone does not attract outsiders as much as strong faith filled with the joy of the wonderful eschatological promise. Also here, in writing εἰς ὃν οὐκ ἰδόντες πιστεύετε χαρᾷ ἀνεκλαλήτῳ καὶ δεδοξασμένῃ εἰς ἣν πολλοὶ ἐπιθυμοῦσιν εἰσελθεῖν, Polycarp relies on received expressions. He combines two or three verses. The quotation of 1 Peter 1:8 (ὃν οὐκ ἰδόντες ἀγαπᾶτε, εἰς ὃν ἄρτι μὴ ὁρῶντες πιστεύοντες δὲ ἀγαλλιᾶσθε χαρᾷ ἀνεκλαλήτῳ καὶ δεδοξασμένῃ) is interesting because the Greek text of Polycarp does not include the words ἀγαπᾶτε, εἰς ὃν ἄρτι μὴ ὁρῶντες, while the Latin translation has added them (nunc diligitis, in quem nunc non aspicientes). The other phrase stems 1 Peter 1:12 (εἰς ἃ ἐπιθυμοῦσιν ἄγγελοι παρακύψαι); perhaps Polycarp has also used Matt 13:17 (πολλοὶ προφῆται καὶ δίκαιοι ἐπεθύμησαν ἰδεῖν ἃ βλέπετε). Furthermore, in his Pauline sentence εἰδότες, ὅτι χάριτί ἐστε σεσωσμένοι, οὐκ ἐξ ἔργων, ἀλλὰ θελήματι θεοῦ διὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ. Polycarp abbreviates Eph. 2:8-9: τῇ γὰρ χάριτί ἐστε σεσῳσμένοι διὰ πίστεως· καὶ τοῦτο οὐκ ἐξ ὑμῶν, θεοῦ τὸ δῶρον· οὐκ ἐξ ἔργων, ἵνα μή τις καυχήσηται. As in 5.1 and 6.1, the quote is preceded by εἰδότες, which is a typically Pauline expression. As for θελήματι θεοῦ in the context of salvation, cf. Clem. 1. Cor. 49.6: τὸ αἷμα αὐτοῦ ἔδωκεν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς ὁ κύριος ἡμῶν ἐν θελήματι θεοῦ. It is clear that Polycarp talks about grace in a different theological context than Paul. At least here, Polycarp's emphasis is on faith filled with "unspeakable joy" and on salvation in Christ, which is based on the "will of God". He mentions "works" as part of the quotation; he does not explain what they would mean in this particular context.
1. Polycarp continues by stressing the seriousness of keeping and strengthening the faith the Philippians have received. Διὸ ἀναζωσάμενοι τὰς ὀσφύας, says Polycarp: you must be prepared! Here he quotes 1 Peter 1:13 (διὸ ἀναζωσάμενοι τὰς ὀσφύας τῆς διανοίας ὑμῶν) + Ps. 2:11 (δουλεύσατε τῷ Κυρίῳ ἐν φόβῳ). His readers must be prepared to face the heresy that moves around. They must leave all the empty talk and deception that these people produce (ἀπολιπόντες τὴν κενὴν ματαιολογίαν καὶ τὴν τῶν πολλῶν πλάνην). Polycarp returns to the topic again in ch. 7, where he still stresses the vanity of false teachings (7.2: ἀπολιπόντες τὴν ματαιότητα τῶν πολλῶν καὶ τὰς ψευδοδιδασκαλίας). The word ματαιολογία is an expression typical for proto-orthodox description of heresy; see also 1 Tim. 1:6: τινες ... ἐξετράπησαν εἰς ματαιολογίαν, θέλοντες εἶναι νομοδιδάσκαλοι (this last word is hapax legomenon in the NT). For the idea of vanity, cf. also 1 Clem. 9.1: ἀπολιπόντες τὴν ματαιοπονίαν τήν τε ἔριν καὶ τὸ εἰς θάνατον ἄγον ζῆλος. it is also customary to stress that deceivers are many (Tit. 1:10; 1 John 4:1; MIgn. Philad. 2.2). For his confessional formulation πιστεύσαντες εἰς τὸν ἐγείραντα τὸν κύριον ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν ἐκ νεκρῶν καὶ δόντα αὐτῷ δόξαν καὶ θρόνον ἐκ δεξιῶν αὐτοῦ, Polycarp first quotes 1 Peter 1:21: τοὺς δι’ αὐτοῦ πιστοὺς εἰς θεὸν τὸν ἐγείραντα αὐτὸν ἐκ νεκρῶν καὶ δόξαν αὐτῷ δόντα (as for θρόνον, cf. Hebr. 1:3; 2:7-8 and 1 Clem 65.2). Then he widens his perspective with the Pauline idea that salvation in Christ is a cosmic event. The phrase ᾧ ὑπετάγη τὰ πάντα has close parallels in Paul (Rom. 8:32; 1. Cor. 15:27-28; Phil. 3:21), and the three-layered worldview in the phrase ᾧ ὑπετάγη τὰ πάντα ἐπουράνια καὶ ἐπίγεια echoes Phil. 2:10: ἵνα ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι Ἰησοῦ πᾶν γόνυ κάμψῃ ἐπουρανίων καὶ ἐπιγείων καὶ καταχθονίων. The three-layered worldview comes up also in the letters of Ignatius (MIgn. Eph. 13.2; MIgn. Trall. 9.1). And so, the whole cosmos is waiting for the judge of the living and the dead. The expression ὃς ἔρχεται κριτὴς ζώντων καὶ νεκρῶν is also used by Luke in Acts 10:42: οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ ὡρισμένος ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ κριτὴς ζώντων καὶ νεκρῶν. Polycarp also shares with Luke the delayed eschatological perspective, but for both authors the certainty of the coming judgement is clear, and it will be severe for unbelievers and believers alike. The expression τὸ αἷμα ἐκζητήσει has its roots in the LXX (Gen. 42:22; 2 Sam. 4:11; Ez. 3:18, 20; 33: 6, 8). The phrase ἀπὸ τῶν ἀπειθούντων αὐτῷ hints at the disobedient ones among the believers. On the punishment of the disobedient ones, see also 1 Clem. 59.1.
2. In the confessions sentence ὁ δὲ ἐγείρας αὐτὸν ἐκ νεκρῶν καὶ ἡμᾶς ἐγερεῖ Polycarp quotes loosely 2 Cor. 4:14: ὁ ἐγείρας τὸν κύριον Ἰησοῦν καὶ ἡμᾶς σὺν Ἰησοῦ ἐγερεῖ; cf. also 1 Cor. 6:14; Rom. 8:11. As for the phrase ἐὰν ποιῶμεν αὐτοῦ τὸ θέλημα καὶ πορευώμεθα ἐν ταῖς ἐντολαῖς αὐτοῦ (cf. 4.1; 5.2), Polycarp certainly does not see that this kind of condition for salvation would be in contradiction with idea that the salvation is by faith and not by works (1.3). The latter part of the phrase also appears in Luke 1:6 (hapax legomenon in the NT) and Herm. Sim. passim. For interiorizing the ethos of Christ that the wording καὶ ἀγαπῶμεν, ἃ ἠγάπησεν proclaims, cf. MIgn. Eph. 15.2: πάντα οὖν ποιῶμεν ὡς αὐτοῦ ἐν ἡμῖν κατοικοῦντος. The key verb ἀπεχόμενοι opens a long ethical sentence, and the verb ἀπέχειν appears traditionally in ethical contexts: Job 1:8; 2:3; 1 Thess. 4:3; 5:22; 1 Peter 2:11; 1 Clem. 17.3 (quoting Job). The sentence beginning with μὴ ἀποδιδόντες is an extended quotation of 1 Peter 3:9: μὴ ἀποδιδόντες κακὸν ἀντὶ κακοῦ ἢ λοιδορίαν ἀντὶ λοιδορίας. Most importantly, in 2.2b-3 Polycarp prepares his Philippian readers for the main topic of his letter. He turns against hatred and vengeance, which had filled these good Christians because of Valens, the presbyter who had misused his position.
3. For the phrase μνημονεύοντες δὲ ὧν εἶπεν ὁ κύριος διδάσκων cf. Acts 20:35 (μνημονεύειν τε τῶν λόγων τοῦ κυρίου Ἰησοῦ) and 1 Clem. 13.1 (μάλιστα μεμνημένοι τῶν λόγων τοῦ κυρίου Ἰησοῦ). Polycarp quotes the saying μὴ κρίνετε, ἵνα μὴ κριθῆτε directly from Matt. 7:1. The combined sayings ἀφίετε, καὶ ἀφεθήσεται ὑμῖν· ἐλεᾶτε, ἵνα ἐλεηθῆτε he draws from 1 Clem. 13.2 (ἐλεᾶτε, ἵνα ἐλεηθῆτε· ἀφίετε, ἵνα ἀφεθῇ ὑμῖν), while he seems to quote the measure saying ᾧ μέτρῳ μετρεῖτε, ἀντιμετρηθήσεται ὑμῖν from Luke 6:38 (ᾧ γὰρ μέτρῳ μετρεῖτε ἀντιμετρηθήσεται ὑμῖν) or from oral tradition. The benediction of the poor μακάριοι οἱ πτωχοὶ may stem from Luke 6:26a (μακάριοι οἱ πτωχοί) and of the persecuted οἱ διωκόμενοι ἕνεκεν δικαιοσύνης, ὅτι αὐτῶν ἐστὶν ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ from Matt 5:10 (μακάριοι οἱ δεδιωγμένοι ἕνεκεν δικαιοσύνης, ὅτι αὐτῶν ἐστιν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν). All these sayings are related to the Philippians’ anger against Valens. While being morally righteous, they must absolutely act according to the ethical principles proclaimed by the Son of God himself. After having said this, Polycarp can take up the letter he had received from the Philippians.
1. Here Polycarp already takes up the main topic of the letter, which goes back to the initiative of the Philippians. The topic is righteousness, and Polycarp emphasizes that he does not write περὶ τῆς δικαιοσύνης on his own initiative (οὐκ ἐμαυτῷ ἐπιτρέψας). Against all previous editions, this edition accepts the testimony of the best Greek manuscripts and reads ὑμεῖς προεπηλακίσατέ με ("you have provoked me"), which is also lectio difficilior (Myllykoski 2023). Following the edition of Halloix (1638), all editors until now have corrected the text by changing the verb: ὑμεῖς προεπεκαλέσασθέ με ("you have invited me"). Against this reading, it is essential for the interpretation of the whole letter (chs. 1-9) to see that Polycarp was not only invited to write about righteousness. He was provoked by the Philippians who had written him a letter (full of righteous indignation) about the case of Valens (ch. 11) and urgently asked how to handle this matter. To begin with, Polycarp quotes the supreme teachings of Christ, which oblige all Christians to the same way of righteousness (2.3). Throughout his treatment of the issue in chs. 3-12, he keeps calm and writes at length "about righteousness", which should cover all members of the community and everything they do. After his long discourse, we will see that Polycarp finally calls them to patience and temperance, reminding them of Paul's words about anger (Eph 4:26) and of their final goal among saints (12.1-2).
2. Polycarp stresses that he does not imagine having the wisdom (and authority) of Paul. He says quite clearly about himself and all other bishops: οὔτε γὰρ ἐγὼ οὔτε ἄλλος ὅμοιος ἐμοὶ δύναται κατακολουθῆσαι. I find it likely that the letter of Philippians has included a reference to the authority of Paul, and Polycarp has taken it into consideration. With his modesty, Polycarp intends to calm down the Philippians; see also how he flatters them in 12.1: Confido enim vos bene exercitatos esse in sacris literis, et nihil vos latet. The expression τῇ σοφίᾳ τοῦ μακαρίου καὶ ἐνδόξου Παύλου bears witness to the high esteem in which many Christians of the early 2nd century held the great apostle; see also cf. 2. Peter 3:15: καθὼς καὶ ὁ ἀγαπητὸς ἡμῶν ἀδελφὸς Παῦλος κατὰ τὴν δοθεῖσαν αὐτῷ σοφίαν ἔγραψεν ὑμῖν and 1. Clem. 47.1: Ἀναλάβετε τὴν ἐπιστολὴν τοῦ μακαρίου Παύλου τοῦ ἀποστόλου. The expression τὸν περὶ ἀληθείας λόγον originates in the letters of Paul; see 2. Cor. 6:7; Col. 1:5; Eph. 1:13; 2. Tim. 2:15; cf. also Jas 1:18. As for the expression ἀπὼν ὑμῖν ἔγραψεν ἐπιστολάς, Bauer (1925, 67) suggests that the letters in plural refer to two Pauline letters which were united in one (Phil. 1-2 + Phil. 3-4).
3. Polycarp has taken the sentence ἥτις ἐστὶν μήτηρ πάντων ἡμῶν from Gal. 4:26: ἡ δὲ ἄνω Ἰερουσαλὴμ ἐλευθέρα ἐστίν, ἥτις ἐστὶν μήτηρ ἡμῶν. The idea of faith as the mother of Christians appears also Acta Justini 4.8: Ὁ ἀληθινὸς ἡμῶν πατήρ ἐστιν ὁ Χριστὸς καὶ μήτηρ ἡ εἰς αὐτὸν πίστις. Clement of Alexandria (Strom. 2.5.24) presents it as the mother of all virtues: μεγίστη δὲ ἀρετῶν μήτηρ ἡ πίστις. In the sentence ἐπακολουθούσης τῆς ἐλπίδος κτλ. Polycarp has the order of love, faith and hope. Paul (1. Cor. 13:13) has them in the well-known order of faith, hope and love, but elsewhere also has the order faith, love and hope (1. Thess. 1:3 and Col. 1:4-5). The expression πεπλήρωκεν ἐντολὴν δικαιοσύνης, in turn, is very likely influenced by Rom. 8:8: ὁ γὰρ ἀγαπῶν τὸν ἕτερον νόμον πεπλήρωκεν. Like Paul, Polycarp elevates love from the trias and presents it as the fulfilment of righteousness and the farthest thing from all sin. Here again, he has the righteous indignation of the Philippians in mind.
1. The opening sentence Ἀρχὴ δὲ πάντων χαλεπῶν φιλαργυρία stems from 1. Tim. 6:10: ῥίζα γὰρ πάντων τῶν κακῶν ἐστιν ἡ φιλαργυρία. The topic is, of course, quite common in Greek and Jewish literature; for parallels, see Bauer (1995, 48-49). The reason for opening the discourse with such a key sentence is again related to the case of Valens (11.1). The sentence οὐδὲν εἰσηνέγκαμεν εἰς τὸν κόσμον, ἀλλ᾿ οὐδὲ ἐξενεγκεῖν τι ἔχομεν stems from the same Deutero-Pauline passage (v. 7): οὐδὲν γὰρ εἰσηνέγκαμεν εἰς τὸν κόσμον, ὅτι οὐδὲ ἐξενεγκεῖν τι δυνάμεθα. For Jewish parallels, cf. Job 1:21 and Philo, Spec. leg. I.294-5. The exhortation ὁπλισώμεθα τοῖς ὅπλοις τῆς δικαιοσύνης appears originally in eschatological contexts as in Rom. 13:12; 1. Thess 5:8 and Eph. 6:11, but Polycarp uses it in a clearly ethically (cf. also 2.1). With his exhortation διδάξωμεν ἑαυτοὺς πρῶτον πορεύεσθαι ἐν τῇ ἐντολῇ τοῦ κυρίου Polycarp involves the whole community and points at the commandment of righteousness he mentions in 3.2; thus, righteousness is basically about more than right deeds; it is about the spirit, in which everything is said and done: faith, hope and charity. After these words directed to everyone, Polycarp is ready to start his teachings for separate groups of the community in 4.2-6,2. – As for early Christian parallels of ἡ ἐντολὴ τοῦ κυρίου, see 1. Cor. 14:37; 2. Peter 2:3; Herm. Past. 28.3; 55.4; as for the LXX, see Josh. 22:3; 1. Kings 13:21; 2. Chron. 29:25; Ps. 18:9.
2. Some scholars (Patrick Junius followed by Bart Ehrman) would like to correct the text of all manuscripts and change τὰς γυναῖκας ὑμῶν into τὰς γυναῖκας ἡμῶν, because Polycarp otherwise uses the we-form in this context. Most scholars take ὑμῶν as the original reading, and most of them assume that Polycarp was not married himself. The content of the teaching sequences concerning women and children is inspired by similar teachings in 1. Clem. As for women and children, see 1. Clem. 1.2: γυναιξίν τε ἐν ἀμώμῳ καὶ σεμνῇ καὶ ἁγνῇ συνειδήσει πάντα ἐπιτελεῖν παρηγγέλλετε, στεργούσας καθηκόντως τοὺς ἄνδρας ἑαυτῶν and 21.7-8: τὴν ἀγάπην αὐτῶν μὴ κατὰ προσκλίσεις, ἀλλὰ πᾶσιν τοῖς φοβουμένοις τὸν θεὸν ὁσίως ἴσην παρεχέτωσαν. Τὰ τέκνα ἡμῶν τῆς ἐν Χριστῷ παιδείας μεταλαμβανέτωσαν. With the expression ἐν τῇ δοθείσῃ αὐταῖς πίστει, Polycarp repeats the idea of faith as a gift (3.2). The expression στεργούσας τοὺς ἑαυτῶν ἄνδρας points at internalized love, which is in line with Polycarp's deeper understanding of righteousness (3.3). Instead of the expression ἐν πάσῃ ἀληθείᾳ, the Latin translation has in omni veritate et caritate, which echoes 2. John 3 (ἐν ἀληθείᾳ καὶ ἀγάπῃ). Polycarp has τὰ τέκνα παιδεύειν τὴν παιδείαν τοῦ φόβου τοῦ θεοῦ, but in 21.6, Clement uses the same expression about the education of the youth: τοὺς νέους παιδεύσωμεν τὴν παιδείαν τοῦ φόβου τοῦ θεοῦ. Polycarp sees the ethical education of children as a women's business (cf. 1. Tim. 5:10). We do not know whether he shared the Deutero-Pauline views of the Pastoral Epistles that a pious woman "will be saved through childbearing" (1. Tim. 2:15).
3. As for widows, cf. 1. Tim. 5:3-16. Polycarp talks about them as a group within the community and not as an institution. The expressions he uses have several parallels in the Christian literature of his time. He begins with words τὰς χήρας σωφρονούσας περὶ τὴν τοῦ κυρίου πίστιν which point at the two directions: the self-control of sexual desires and moderate behavior. The former is a common topic for Christian authors; see, e.g., Clement Al., Strom. 7.12.72: καθάπερ καὶ ἡ χήρα διὰ σωφροσύνης αὖθις παρθένος. In the latter meaning, Polycarp may have extreme religious behavior among older women in mind (Bauer 1995, 52). The expression “faith in the Lord” appears in Jas 1:2 and several times in the Shepherd of Hermas (22.8; 43.4; 61.2; 63.6). The temptations and serious offenses of widows and older women implied in the exhortations μακρὰν οὔσας πάσης διαβολῆς κτλ. have parallels in the Pastoral Epistles (1. Tim. 3:11; Tit. 2:3) and indicate that slander, calumny and false accusations circulated among widows were a special problem in Christian communities. It is a serious matter, because widows economically supported by the Church are God’s altar (ὅτι εἰσὶ θυσιαστήριον θεοῦ). The idea that widows and orphans supported by the Church are the altar of God was widespread also in later texts. In the Apostolic Constitutions, the instructions concerning widows are developed into a concrete form (Const. ap. 3.6): Since the widow is “the altar of God” she should “sit in her house” and not go into the houses of other Christians: “for the altar of God never runs around, but stays in one place.” The symbolical idea of the inspection of the sacrifices (πάντα μωμοσκοπεῖται) also appears in 1. Clem. 41.2: κἀκεῖ δὲ οὐκ ἐν παντὶ τόπῳ προσφέρεται, ἀλλ’ ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ ναοῦ πρὸς τὸ θυσιαστήριον, μωμοσκοπηθὲν τὸ προσφερόμενον διὰ τοῦ ἀρχιερέως καὶ τῶν προειρημένων λειτουργῶν. For the inspection of the offerings on the altar (πάντα μωμοσκοπεῖται), cf. 1. Clem. 41.2; Clement Al., Strom. 4.18.117. Polycarp emphasizes that absolutely nothing is hidden from God, again in line with his interiorized view of righteousness (cf. 2.2): λέληθεν αὐτὸν οὐδὲν οὔτε λογισμῶν οὔτε ἐννοιῶν οὔτε τι τῶν κρυπτῶν τῆς καρδίας. The idea that nothing escapes God’s notice also comes up in 1. Clem. 21.3: Ἴδωμεν, πῶς ἐγγύς ἐστιν, καὶ ὅτι οὐδὲν λέληθεν αὐτὸν τῶν ἐννοιῶν ἡμῶν οὐδὲ τῶν διαλογισμῶν ὧν ποιούμεθα. For early Christian authors, the heart, hidden from all other humans, is the core of all human emotions, thoughts and actions; for this, cf. also the famous saying in Hebr. 4:12: Ζῶν γὰρ ὁ λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ ... κριτικὸς ἐνθυμήσεων καὶ ἐννοιῶν καρδίας. It is interesting to see, how Polycarp stresses that the widows should be on guard even about what they think. Polycarp may have assumed or learned that Valens and his wife were slandered especially among widows.
1. It is not in the least astonishing that under these circumstances, Polycarp was worried about the reputation of the Christian community in Philippi. God is mocked if outsiders hear about quarrels and malevolent gossip in the Christian communities, which gives them a good excuse to despise them and laugh at them. Here again, Polycarp leans on the authority of Paul, from whom he takes up the expression θεὸς οὐ μυκτηρίζεται. Paul writes in Gal. 6:7: Μὴ πλανᾶσθε, θεὸς οὐ μυκτηρίζεται. ὃ γὰρ ἐὰν σπείρῃ ἄνθρωπος, τοῦτο καὶ θερίσει. The use of the verb μυκτηρίζω (”to turn up the nose”, ”to sneer at”; hence ”to mock”) is also known from the Septuagint; see 2. Chr. 36:16; Prov. 11:12; 12:8; 15:5, 20; 23:9; Jer. 20:7; Ez. 8:17. Polycarp often repeats his exhortation to walk in God’s commandments (see also 2.2; 4.1 and 5.2; 5.3).
2. In his instructions for the deacons, Polycarp relies on 1. Tim. 3.1-13. The expression ὡς θεοῦ καὶ Χριστοῦ διάκονοι καὶ οὐκ ἀνθρώπων may have been influenced by Paul who characterizes himself as God's servant, 2. Cor. 6:4: ἀλλ’ ἐν παντὶ συνιστάνοντες ἑαυτοὺς ὡς θεοῦ διάκονοι. Ignatius uses the expression ὡς διακόνους Χριστοῦ θεοῦ in MIgn. Smyrn. 10.1. For the idea that the Lord became διάκονος πάντων, see Mark 10:45: ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου οὐκ ἦλθεν διακονηθῆναι ἀλλὰ διακονῆσαι, and Jesus' saying on his followers of Jesus in Mark 9:35: εἴ τις θέλει πρῶτος εἶναι, ἔσται πάντων ἔσχατος καὶ πάντων διάκονος. For the expression ἐὰν πολιτευσώμεθα ἀξίως αὐτοῦ, cf. 1. Clem. 21.1: ἐὰν μὴ ἀξίως αὐτοῦ πολιτευόμενοι τὰ καλὰ καὶ εὐάρεστα ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ ποιῶμεν μεθ’ ὁμονοίας. The expectation of ruling with Christ in glory (συμβασιλεύσομεν) stems from a hymn section in 2. Tim. 2.11-13: εἰ ὑπομένομεν, καὶ συμβασιλεύσομεν· εἰ ἀρνησόμεθα, κἀκεῖνος ἀρνήσεται ἡμᾶς (v. 12). Antiochus of Palestine has copied virtually the whole passage in his Pandectes 123 (ἄμεμπτοι κατενώπιον ... συμβασιλεύσομεν αὐτῷ) and offers interesting variant readings. One of these seems to be original: while all Greek witnesses read ἐγκρατεῖς περὶ πάντα, εὔσπλαγχνοι (temperate in every way, compassionate), Antiochus has ἐγκρατεῖς, περὶ πάντας εὔσπλαγχνοι (temperate, compassionate in everything). Curiously enough, the Latin translation includes both readings: sed omnia tolerantes, in omnibus misericordes. I find it likelier that Antiochus has the original reading and that Polycarp wanted to emphasize that the Philippians should be "compassionate in everything". In the case of Valens, they certainly were not compassionate enough.
3. Polycarp again richly uses the instructions of earlier Christian authors. For the instruction to the young men (νεώτεροι), he already had a model in Titus 2:6 and 1. Peter 5:5. It becomes clear that Polycarp is particularly concerned about their sexual purity; this concern was common among Christian teachers, as the exhortation in 2. Tim. 2:22 confirms: Τὰς δὲ νεωτερικὰς ἐπιθυμίας φεῦγε. The verb χαλιναγωγοῦντες has one parallel in the NT, namely Jas 1:27: Εἴ τις δοκεῖ θρησκὸς εἶναι μὴ χαλιναγωγῶν γλῶσσαν αὐτοῦ ἀλλ’ ἀπατῶν καρδίαν αὐτοῦ, τούτου μάταιος ἡ θρησκεία. On the war between the passions and the spirit (πᾶσα ἐπιθυμία κατὰ τοῦ πνεύματος στρατεύεται), Polycarp seems to have used 1. Peter 2:11: ἀπέχεσθαι τῶν σαρκικῶν ἐπιθυμιῶν αἵτινες στρατεύονται κατὰ τῆς ψυχῆς and Gal. 5:17: ἡ γὰρ σὰρξ ἐπιθυμεῖ κατὰ τοῦ πνεύματος, τὸ δὲ πνεῦμα κατὰ τῆς σαρκός (cf. also Rom. 7:14-25). The list of those who do not inherit the kingdom of God (οὔτε πόρνοι οὔτε μαλακοὶ οὔτε ἀρσενοκοῖται βασιλείαν θεοῦ κληρονομήσουσιν) is influenced by Paul’s list in 1. Cor. 6:9-10: οὔτε πόρνοι οὔτε εἰδωλολάτραι οὔτε μοιχοὶ οὔτε μαλακοὶ οὔτε ἀρσενοκοῖται οὔτε κλέπται οὔτε πλεονέκται, οὐ μέθυσοι, οὐ λοίδοροι, οὐχ ἅρπαγες βασιλείαν θεοῦ κληρονομήσουσιν. The expression οἱ ποιοῦντες τὰ ἄτοπα refers to those who commit perverse sexual acts. The obedience ”to the presbyters and deacons as to God and Christ” (ὑποτασσομένους τοῖς πρεσβυτέροις καὶ διακόνοις ὡς θεῷ καὶ Χριστῷ) appears in Pol. Phil. only here, while Ignatius often emphasizes this kind of obedience, particularly to the bishop (Eph. 20.2; Magn. 6.1 et passim). Because of the delicate situation in Philippi after the deposal of the presbyter Valens, Polycarp does not emphasize obedience to the ecclesiastical authorities. Steinmetz (1972, 71) has suggested that the last sentence about virgins (τὰς παρθένους ἐν ἀμώμῳ καὶ ἁγνῇ συνειδήσει περιπατεῖν) may be a later addition.
1. Polycarp wants to describe extensively how good presbyters behave themselves; of course, he has the case of Valens in mind. He does not say it here, but quite naturally thinks like the author of the Pastoral Epistles, that the presbyters should be honoured; see 1. Tim. 5:17: Οἱ καλῶς προεστῶτες πρεσβύτεροι διπλῆς τιμῆς ἀξιούσθωσαν, μάλιστα οἱ κοπιῶντες ἐν λόγῳ καὶ διδασκαλίᾳ. The expression ἐπιστρέφοντες τὰ ἀποπεπλανημένα refers to "strayed sheep" as the hymnic sentence in 1. Peter 2:25 indicates: ἦτε γὰρ ὡς πρόβατα πλανώμενοι, ἀλλ’ ἐπεστράφητε νῦν ἐπὶ τὸν ποιμένα καὶ ἐπίσκοπον τῶν ψυχῶν ὑμῶν; cf. also Ecclus. 18:13: παιδεύων καὶ διδάσκων καὶ ἐπιστρέφων ὡς ποιμὴν τὸ ποίμνιον αὐτοῦ. In Adv. haer. 1.8.4, Irenaeus refers to the use of this imagery in the Gnostic systems: μηνύειν αὐτὸν λέγουσιν ἐν τῷ εἰπεῖν, αὐτὸν ἐληλυθέναι ἐπὶ τὸ πεπλανημένον. See also Adv. haer. 1.16.1 and Hippolytus, Haer. 6.19; 7.52. In the tasks of the presbyters (ἐπισκεπτόμενοι πάντας ἀσθενεῖς κτλ.), the verb form ἐπισκεπτόμενοι also belongs to the same imagery; cf. Ez. 34:11: Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἐκζητήσω τὰ πρόβατά μου καὶ ἐπισκέψομαι αὐτά and Zech. 10:3: ἐπὶ τοὺς ποιμένας παρωξύνθη ὁ θυμός μου, καὶ ἐπὶ τοὺς ἀμνοὺς ἐπισκέψομαι. In his final clause on the elders, Polycarp again has the case of Valens in mind: μὴ ταχέως πιστεύοντες κατά τινος, μὴ ἀπότομοι ἐν κρίσει. The believers, particularly the presbyters, should avoid rash judgements of each other. Antiochus of Palestine who has copied Pol. Phil. 6.1-2a (ἐπιστρέφοντες τὰ ἀποπεπλανημένα ... ἐσμὲν ὀφθαλμῶν) in Pandectes 123, most likely has an original Greek reading with the Latin witnesses (ὀφειλέται ἐσμὲν ἁμαρτίας; debitores sumus peccati) against the Greek manuscripts, which have πάντες ὀφειλέται ἐσμὲν ἁμαρτίας. The shorter reading is lectio difficilior.
2. The saying εἰ οὖν δεόμεθα κτλ. is a quotation combined from Matt. 6:12, 14-15. Polycarp reminds the Christians of Philippi that forgiveness of God belongs to all believers, including Valens and his wife. And we all should also be able to forgive, he says, because we all are judged according to all our actions. To strengthen his case, Polycarp again quotes apostle Paul. The rest of the verse ἀπέναντι γὰρ κτλ. is also a combined quotation, which Polycarp has formulated based on Rom. 14:10, 12 and 2. Cor. 5:10. The shorter reading τοῦ κυρίου ἐσμὲν ὀφθαλμῶν attested by the Latin manuscripts is lectio difficilior in comparison to the Greek witnesses and the text of Antiochus, which have τοῦ κυρίου καὶ θεοῦ. Antiochus also quotes the last sentence of Pol. Phil. 6.2 (καὶ πάντας δεῖ παραστῆναι κτλ.) more freely in Pandectes 49: Πάντες γὰρ παραστησόμεθα τῷ βήματι τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Ἆρα οὖν ἕκαστος περὶ ἑαυτοῦ λόγον δώσει τῷ Θεῷ. Since Polycarp quotes here 2. Cor. 5:10, the δεῖ + inf. structure of the Greek manuscripts is original against Antiochus. Here we can again see how Polycarp turns the apocalyptic statement towards an ethical interpretation.
3. The phrase δουλεύσωμεν αὐτῷ μετὰ φόβου καὶ πάσης εὐλαβείας refers back to the last sentence of 6.2: the believers should serve Christ with fear and reverence because they will all once stand before his judgment seat. Commentators often assume that the phrase is about serving God "with fear and all reverence" (Bauer 1995, 56), because this has parallels in Jewish and early Christian texts (Ps. 2:11; Hebr. 12:28). However, the text of 6.2 as a whole rather points at Christ as the Lord, particularly if the shorter text in the phrase ἀπέναντι ... τοῦ κυρίου ἐσμὲν ὀφθαλμῶν is original. Polycarp attributes the fear of God to Lord Jesus Christ. While it is not clear, where Christ has commanded his followers to serve him (αὐτὸς ἐνετείλατο), the Apostles (καὶ οἱ εὐαγγελισάμενοι ἡμᾶς ἀπόστολοι) surely have done so (Rom. 12:11; Eph. 6:7; Col. 3:24). In 1. Apol. 40, Justin quotes Ps. 2, interpreting it in Christological terms. In his reading Ps. 2:11 (δουλεύσατε τῷ κυρίῳ ἐν φόβῳ καὶ ἀγαλλιᾶσθε αὐτῷ ἐν τρόμῳ) points at the service of Christ the Lord (cf. Herm. 24.5 et passim). The expression of Polycarp is rather complicated here since the passage καθὼς αὐτὸς ... τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν is a parenthesis that interrupts the main sentence. This has confused the translator of the Latin text who has tried to rearrange the text and left the words αὐτὸς ἐνετείλατο untranslated. Furthermore, the beginning of the verse (sic ergo serviamus ... Jesu Christi) is missing from all later manuscripts of family α (cα p f u mα oα v1 v2). The expression ἀπόστολοι καὶ οἱ προφῆται points at the Christian apostles and the Old Testament prophets; they appear in this order also in Eph. 2:20 and Rev. 18:20. Ignatius (Philad. 5.9) and Clement of Alexandria (Strom. 10.60.1-2; Ecl. proph. 52.1), use the expression in reverse order: οἱ προφῆται καὶ οἱ ἀπόστολοι. The idea of the combination is the same: the Apostles proclaimed as fulfilled what the Prophets had predicted (προκηρύξαντες τὴν ἔλευσιν τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν). Therefore, they also proclaimed that believers shall serve Jesus Christ. Furthermore, Polycarp refers to the proclamation of the apostles and prophets in order to prepare his reader for the Christological statements in ch. 7. The expression ζηλωταὶ περὶ τὸ καλόν (cf. 1. Pet. 3:13; Tit. 2:14 and further MIgn. Eph. 7.1; Herm. 96.2) does not only refer to good Christian life but also to "avoiding stumbling blocks and false brothers" (ἀπεχόμενοι τῶν σκανδάλων καὶ τῶν ψευδαδέλφων). Since there are no indications of internal doctrinal conflicts in the community, Polycarp most likely refers to outsiders who want to promote their own ideas among them. His characterization of them – τῶν ἐν ὑποκρίσει φερόντων τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ κυρίου – is in line with the early 2nd century proto-orthodox polemics against the heretics (1. Tim. 4:1-2; MIgn. Eph. 7.1; Herm. 14.1; 96.2). It is also typical to state that they are successful in leading astray unstable and foolish people (2. Tim. 3:6-7; Hippolytus, Ref. 4.13.2). For κενοὺς ἀνθρώπους, cf. Jas 2:20.
1. In this passage (Πᾶς γάρ ὃς ἂν μὴ ὁμολογῇ κτλ.), Polycarp warns the Philippians with strong words about those who 1) do not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh; 2) do not confess the witness of the cross; and 3) say that there is neither resurrection nor judgment. These people are in the service of the Devil himself. It is customary to conclude that these utterly bad heretics were "docetists", namely those who regarded the earthly Jesus as a spiritual being without a human body (Bauer 1995, 58). There is another option, however: these heretics were like Cerinthus (Irenaeus, Adv. haer. 1.26) who proclaimed that Jesus was an ordinary man who at his baptism received a supernatural power from the heavens and that this power left him when he died at the cross. According to another tradition (Presbyter Caius, quoted by Eusebius, Hist. eccl. 3.28.1-2), Cerinthus imagined that the kingdom of God is an earthly one, and there "the flesh dwelling in Jerusalem will again be subject to desires and pleasures". For Polycarp, who relies here on 1. John 4:2-3 and 2. John 7, these heretics are from the devil because they deny the physical reality of human salvation in Jesus Christ (thus also MIgn. Trall. 9.1-2) and the final judgement (2. Clem. 9.1). The sentence ὃς ἂν μεθοδεύῃ τὰ λόγια τοῦ κυρίου πρὸς τὰς ἰδίας ἐπιθυμίας has good parallels in the Christian writings of the 2nd and 3rd century (Irenaeus, Adv. haer. 1.3.6; Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 3.4.39.2). Polycarp has most likely taken the expression τὸ μαρτύριον τοῦ σταυροῦ from 1. John 5:7-8: ὅτι τρεῖς εἰσιν οἱ μαρτυροῦντες, τὸ πνεῦμα καὶ τὸ ὕδωρ καὶ τὸ αἷμα, καὶ οἱ τρεῖς εἰς τὸ ἕν εἰσιν. The characterisation πρωτότοκός τοῦ σατανᾶ appears in Irenaeus' description of an encounter, in which Polycarp says to Marcion that he is the firstborn of the Devil (Adv. haer. 3.5.27). However, most scholars rightly think that Polycarp does not have Marcion in mind here, because the heretic features portrayed in 7.1 do not fit his theology.
2. The expression ἀπολιπόντες τὴν ματαιότητα τῶν πολλῶν καὶ τὰς ψευδοδιδασκαλίας includes common vocabulary. It is typical for proto-orthodox authors to refer to the vanity of false ideas and lifestyles (Barn. 2.5; 4.10; 16.2; 20.2; 1. Clem. 7.2; 2. Clem 19.2; MIgn.Trall 8.2; MIgn. Rom. 4.3; MIgn. Philad. 1.1; Herm. 39.4 et passim; for false teachings, see 2. Pet. 2:1; Justin, Dial. 82.1). The idea that those representing all this are many is a polemical feature, and it does not necessarily indicate that the heretics were a majority among Christians in Greece or Asia Minor. When Polycarp exhorts his readers to ”turn to the word delivered to us from the beginning” (ἐπὶ τὸν ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἡμῖν παραδοθέντα λόγον ἐπιστρέψωμεν), he emphasizes that the right teaching was there in the beginning (see also 1. Clem. 19.2; 31.1). Polycarp indicates that false teachings are temptations, which must be pushed back with help of prayer and fasting. The exhortation to more intense fasting, prayer and staying away from temptations (νήφοντες πρὸς τὰς εὐχὰς κτλ.) relates both to the danger of false teachings (6.3-7.1) and to the final judgement (6.2). Fasting and prayer belong together in early Christian writings. One who prays and fasts is serious in his or her spiritual life and certainly has no time for idle talk with false teachers. Praying and fasting also strengthen the community and its basic values. Fasting is more than prayer, and almsgiving is more than both, says Pseudo-Clement (2. Clem. 16.4). According to the Didache, the believer should both pray and fast for the enemy (Did. 1.3). Clement of Alexandria recommends fasting with prayer (Strom. 6.12.102.3). Polycarp underlines the seriousness of his cause by pleading the Philippians to earnestly ask the all-seeing God (δεήσεσιν αἰτούμενοι τὸν παντεπόπτην θεὸν; for παντεπόπτην, see also 1. Clem. 55.6; 58.1; Ps.-Clem. Hom. 4.14.23; 5.27; 7.19) not to lead them into temptation (μὴ εἰσενεγκεῖν ἡμᾶς εἰς πειρασμόν; Matt. 6:13; Luke 11:4). It seems that the Lord’s prayer was not yet used as a ritual prayer. The quotation from the passion narrative ends the passage (τὸ μὲν πνεῦμα πρόθυμον, ἡ δὲ σὰρξ ἀσθενής; Matt. 26:41).
1. Polycarp continues his plead for steadfastness in faith by all possible means (Ἀδιαλείπτως οὖν προσκαρτερῶμεν τῇ ἐλπίδι ἡμῶν) and repeats the basic article of faith, which all believers must hold against the false teachers: the bodily suffering of Jesus Christ for our sins. Without this, there is no hope for Christians (cf. also MIgn. Eph. 21.2). Polycarp presents Jesus Christ also as the guarantee of our righteousness (καὶ τῷ ἀρραβῶνι τῆς δικαιοσύνης ἡμῶν). In 2. Cor. 1:21-22 and Eph. 1:13-14, it is the Holy Spirit that is mentioned as the guarantee of salvation. Polycarp quotes again one of his favorite letters: ὃς ἀνήνεγκεν ἡμῶν τὰς ἁμαρτίας τῷ ἰδίῳ σώματι ἐπὶ τὸ ξύλον stems from 1. Pet. 2:24 and ὃς ἁμαρτίαν οὐκ ἐποίησεν, οὐδὲ εὑρέθη δόλος ἐν τῷ στόματι αὐτοῦ from 2:22 (Is. 53:9). The heretics do not lean on this common article of faith that is rooted in the proclamation of the apostles.
2. When Polycarp encourages the Philippians to become imitators of the patience of Christ (μιμηταὶ οὖν γενώμεθα τῆς ὑπομονῆς αὐτοῦ), he also has the case of Valens in his mind. In the middle recension of the Ignatian letters, the imitation of Christ is strongly related to martyrdom (MIgn. Rom. 6.3; MIgn. Eph. 10.3), and Polycarp agrees with him. The sentence καὶ ἐὰν πάσχωμεν διὰ τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ, δοξάζωμεν αὐτόν includes again an idea common to Christian authors of this era (1. Pet. 4:15-16; Herm. 105.3). The very own suffering of Christ is the example that he has given to his followers (τοῦτον γὰρ ἡμῖν τὸν ὑπογραμμὸν ἔθηκε δι᾿ ἑαυτοῦ). Here again Polycarp draws upon the expressions of the first letter of Peter (2:21): Χριστὸς ἔπαθεν ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν ὑμῖν ὑπολιμπάνων ὑπογραμμόν. The expression καὶ ἡμεῖς τοῦτο ἐπιστεύσαμεν indicates more than simple faith in his example; the believers have put all their trust in this. Without participation in the suffering of Christ – one way or another – there is no way of being his imitator. Polycarp asks the Philippians to follow the suffering Christ. Next he admonishes them to look up to the spiritual quality of the martyrs and apply their example to themselves.
1.Polycarp employs here again the keyword ”righteousness” (παρακαλῶ οὖν πάντας ὑμᾶς πειθαρχεῖν τῷ λόγῳ τῆς δικαιοσύνης) that the Philippians have eagerly used in their letter to Polycarp (3.1; all other instances are 2.2, 3; 3.3; 4.1; 5.2; 8.1; 9.1, 2). The combination of πειθαρχεῖν and δικαιοσύνη does not come up in other Christian texts; Polycarp has coined them for the special purpose he has in mind. It is easy to understand, what Polycarp means by being obedient to the word of righteousness. He indicates that in the situation at hand, being patient (ἀσκεῖν πᾶσαν ὑπομονήν) is the way to partake in the sufferings of Christ. Thus the opening sentence as a whole refers to the case of Valens. In previous chapters, Polycarp has demonstrated to Philippians that if they provoke him to talk about righteousness (3.1), they must understand that righteousness includes everything that belongs to following Christ. As examples of patience, which the Philippians have seen with their own eyes (ἣν καὶ εἴδατε κατ᾿ ὀφθαλμοὺς) and which they now need to imitate, Polycarp takes up a great line of martyrs. Here we have the names of Ignatius, Zosima and Rufus (οὐ μόνον ἐν τοῖς μακαρίοις Ἰγνατίῳ καὶ Ζωσίμῳ καὶ Ῥούφῳ) and all others from amongst the Philippians (ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν ἄλλοις τοῖς ἐξ ὑμῶν).
The interpolator of the long sentence in 1.1 has connected these originally Philippian martyrs to those who have just left Philippi, gone to Rome, and died there as true followers of Christ. While he means Ignatius in particular, he has to present Rufus and Zosimus as his fellow-prisoners who, in turn, are not mentioned in the seven Ignatian letters. It is therefore likely that the interpolator of 1.1 has also added the name of Ignatius to this list.
Following his own intentions, Polycarp took up here the Philippian martyrs; he did not have Ignatius in mind. He may have meant those Philippians who have suffered for Christ and to whom Paul refers in Phil. 1:28-29. In their present crisis concerning Valens, the Philippians should also think of the patience of Paul and all apostles (ἐν αὐτῷ Παύλῳ καὶ τοῖς λοιποῖς ἀποστόλοις) who suffered and died as followers and martyrs of Christ. Without underlining his case, Polycarp makes the righteous indignation of the Philippian believers look petty and not so righteous as they think.
2. The appeal of Polycarp is not only about the exemplary suffering and death of these martyrs; it is about the goal of walking on the path of righteousness, about the common hope of all Christians. Since we as Christians are convinced (πεπεισμένους) that all these martyrs (οὗτοι πάντες) did not live and work, suffer and die in vain (οὐκ εἰς κενὸν ἔδραμον, which is a favourite expression of Paul: Gal. 2:2; Phil. 2:16) but in faith and righteousness (ἀλλ᾿ ἐν πίστει καὶ δικαιοσύνῃ; cf. Ps. Sol. 17:40), we can be sure that they have reached their ultimate goal (ὅτι εἰς τὸν ὀφειλόμενον αὐτοῖς τόπον εἰσὶ παρὰ τῷ κυρίῳ). Polycarp who just has reminded the Philippians of the coming judgement (6.2), now refers to a different form of resurrection hope: having a deserved place with the Lord after the individual death (1. Clem. 5.4, 7; MIgn. Magn. 5.1; as contrast, cf. Acts 1:25). This was also the individual hope of Paul (Phil. 1:21-24). Polycarp emphasizes again that the martyrs suffered in Christ; instead of this age (cf. 2. Tim. 4:10), they loved him, the one who had suffered and was raised for them (ᾧ καὶ συνέπαθον. οὐ γὰρ τὸν νῦν ἠγάπησαν αἰῶνα, ἀλλὰ τὸν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἀποθανόντα καὶ δι᾿ ἡμᾶς ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ ἀναστάντα). The idea that the followers of Jesus love him – and not just God, the neighbor and one another – is rooted in John (8.42; ch. 14 passim; 21:15-16), but appears also in Eph. 6:24; 1. Pet. 1:8.
For Pol. Phil. 10-12, we are dependent on the Latin translation. Zahn and Lightfoot have translated it back into Greek and their translations may give an idea of how the original text looked like.
1. Polycarp continues admonishing his readers to stay in their faith and remain active in a righteous life, but now he exhorts the Philippians to be and become a good Christian community, which is unified in Christ. Just like before, Polycarp strengthens his case by mostly using expressions that Philippians know from the apostolic and later writings. For domini exemplar / ὑπογραμμὸν, ὑπόδειγμα and παράδειγμα τοῦ κυρίου / Χριστοῦ, there are only later patristic parallels, while the expression firmi in fide et immutabiles has a close parallel in 1. Cor. 15:58 (ἑδραῖοι γίνεσθε, ἀμετακίνητοι); cf. also MIgn. Eph. 10. The expression fraternitatis amatores diligentes invicem has close parallels in 1. Pet. 2:17 (τὴν ἀδελφότητα ἀγαπᾶτε) and Rom. 12:10 (τῇ φιλαδελφίᾳ εἰς ἀλλήλους φιλόστοργοι); cf. also Tertullian, Adv. Marc. 5.14 (amore fraternitatis inuicem adfectuosi). The expression in veritate sociati, in turn, has later parallels; see LIgn. Eph. 16.3 (κοινωνία ἀληθείας) and Irenaeus, Adv. haer. 3.5 (μηδὲ μέχρι λόγου κοινωνεῖν τινι τῶν παραχαρασσόντων τὴν ἀλήθειαν). Polycarp uses the common image of mansuetudine Domini / ἐπιείκεια τοῦ κυρίου (1. Clem. 13.1; cf. 1. Clem. 30.8; 56.1; 58.2; 62.2; MIgn. Eph. 10.3; MIgn. Philad. 1.1-2) to an exhortation that fits the situation at hand: following the gentleness of the Lord, the Philippian believers should give way for one another (alterutri praestolantes) and despise no one (nullum despicientes) – not even Valens and his wife, he seems to imply.
2. Polycarp continues with parenesis with which he wants to strengthen the community of Philippians. The exhortation cum potestis benefacere, nolite differre seems to reflect upon Prov. 3:28: μὴ εἴπῃς Ἐπανελθὼν ἐπάνηκε καὶ αὔριον δώσω, δυνατοῦ σου ὄντος εὖ ποιεῖν· οὐ γὰρ οἶδας τί τέξεται ἡ ἐπιοῦσα. In writing that alms liberate from death (eleemosyna de morte liberat), Polycarp quotes another verse from the writings of the Old Covenant, namely Tob. 4:10; 12:9: ἐλεημοσύνη ἐκ θανάτου ῥύεται. The Philippians have already often heard that they should be subject to one another (omnes vobis invicem subiecti estote), as they most likely have learned from Eph. 5:21 and 1. Pet. 5:5; cf. also MIgn. Magn. 13.2 which also refers to the bishop (ὑποτάγητε τῷ ἐπισκόπῳ καὶ ἀλλήλοις). The next idea conversationem vestram irreprensibilem habentes in gentibus, ut ex bonis operibus vestris et vos laudem accipiatis stems from 1. Pet. 2:12, variating the expression of Pseudo-Peter (τὴν ἀναστροφὴν ὑμῶν ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ἔχοντες καλήν, ἵνα ἐν ᾧ καταλαλοῦσιν ὑμῶν ὡς κακοποιῶν ἐκ τῶν καλῶν ἔργων ἐποπτεύοντες δοξάσωσιν τὸν θεὸν ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ἐπισκοπῆς). The judgement of the outsiders is indeed important, particularly if the community must live through an inner crisis. With their good conduct, they avoid situations in which God would be blasphemed because of those who are known as Christians (dominus in vobis non blasphemetur). This concern is also known from the Pastoral Epistles, as verses 1. Tim. 6:1 (ἵνα μὴ τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ ἡ διδασκαλία βλασφημῆται) and Tit. 2:5 (ἵνα μὴ ὁ λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ βλασφημῆται) reveal; see also 2. Clem. 12.1.
3. Polycarp emphasizes his blasphemy saying by wooing the one through whom God is blasphemed (vae autem, per quem nomen domini blasphematur), similarly also MIgn. Trall. 8.2: Οὐαὶ γάρ, δι’ οὗ ἐπὶ ματαιότητι «τὸ ὄνομά μου» ἐπί τινων βλασφημεῖται. The Philippians should teach soberness to each other (sobrietatem ergo docete omnes). Soberness is indeed something that should be taught, as, for example, Philo says (Jos. 86; Mos. 2.216; Spec. 2.62; Legat. 312). Origen praises Jesus' teaching on soberness (Matt. 5:28) and its influence among Christians against Celsus' mockery that Christian preachers can make converts only among unlearned men and women and children (C. Cels. 3.44). Soberness is important, not only for the inner life of a Christian community, but it is also something that makes them blameless in front of the malevolent outsiders.
1. Polycarp has finished his parenetical appeal to the Philippian community and turns now to the case of Valens (nimis contristatus sum pro Valente). He has prepared his readers for this by showing them the whole framework of righteousness they have provoked him to write about (3.1) by widening the perspective to the Christian life in the community as a whole. Here we have the basic information about the case: Valens was a presbyter but is now deposed because of having not acted as a presbyter should (qui presbyter factus est aliquando apud vos, quod sic ignoret is locum, qui datus est ei). The word locum (τόπος) refers here to his position as a presbyter. As the immediately following words of Polycarp – moneo itaque, ut abstineatis vos ab avaritia – and the other central indication in the beginning of Polycarp's discourse (4.1) reveals, it is quite clear that his sin was avarice (not heresy, and not adultery). The immediately following exhortation et sitis casti veraces does not refer to sexual purity but to purity in worship (Lightfoot 1889, ad. loc.). Translation back to Greek would be ἀγνοί ἐστε καὶ ἀληθεῖς; cf. Phil. 1:17. The word veraces points to honesty rather than chastity. Lightfoot suggests that the two adjectives casti veraces are two alternative renderings of εἰλικρινεῖς. This would explain the lack of the word καὶ / et between them in all manuscripts – except o. In any case, casti veraces is lectio difficilior. The broadening exhortation abstinete vos ab omni malo has a close parallel in 1. Thess. 5:22: ἀπὸ παντὸς εἴδους πονηροῦ ἀπέχεσθε.
2. Polycarp confirms the judgement of the Philippian community. Indeed, Valens had to be exposed; if he cannot guide himself, how can he guide others (qui autem non potest se in his gubernare, quomodo alii pronuntiat hoc)? The use of the verb gubernare / κυβερνᾶν relates here to the guiding role that Valens was supposed to have in his office as a presbyter. The next sentence (si quis non se abstinuerit ab avaritia, ab idolatria coinquinabitur) points to the fatal connection between greed and idolatry, which we also find attested in other early Christian letters (Col. 3:5; Eph. 5:5). If someone falls in idolatry, he or she becomes a Gentile – just like a person who, according to Matthew, does not listen to the discipline in the community (Matt. 18:17). That the Gentiles do not know the judgement God (qui ignorant iudicium domini) is a Jewish expression known from Jer. 5:4. Polycarp emphasizes his words by quoting Paul (1. Cor. 6:2): aut nescimus, quia sancti mundum iudicabunt? = ἢ οὐκ οἴδατε ὅτι οἱ ἅγιοι τὸν κόσμον κρινοῦσιν;
3. Just like after having stated that the Philippians have provoked him (3.1), Polycarp refers to Paul. There he stressed that he cannot compare himself to the great apostle (3.2) and here he praises the Philippians because of their great esteem as Paul's beloved community. This praise he develops out of a somewhat complicated strain of thought. First Polycarp says to the Philippians that he has neither noticed nor heard anything as bad as he just described (11.2) happening among them (ego autem nihil tale sensi in vobis vel audivi) – employing an expression that is also used in the Ignatian letters (cf. MIgn. Trall. 8.1; MIgn. Magn. 11). Does he mean that even the behaviour of Valens is not that bad? Does he mean that Valens should not be regarded as an outsider, as a Gentile? He seems to mean that with his avarice, Valens has exposed himself to great danger, but the greatest damage has not happened yet. And precisely in this context, after such words, Polycarp wants to praise the privileged position and the fine reputation of the Philippians. Paul has indeed worked among them (in quibus laboravit beatus Paulus), and they are in principio epistulae eius, which most likely refers to the good things that Paul says about them at the beginning of the letter that all Christians read now (Phil 1:3–11). The cordial features are indeed not present in his letters to other communities; I think we do not have to assume that a word has fallen out here and the original Latin translation was something like qui laudati estis. The enthusiasm of Polycarp, however, has no rhetorical limits. And so, it is true, he says, take my word for it: de vobis etenim gloriatur in omnibus ecclesiis, quae deum solae tunc cognoverant. Nos autem nondum cognoveramus, and he continues: we Smyrnean believers and many others came long way after you, dear Philippians! But why all this overwhelming praise, and why precisely here, when Polycarp finally takes up the difficult case of Valens? The next sentences will make it clear.
4. The address valde ergo, fratres refers back to both the painful dismissal of Valens and the good reputation of the Philippians. From the following words contristor pro illo et pro coniuge eius we know that not only Valens, but also his wife was implicated in the treacherous use of money. We do not know whether Polycarp knew the case of Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1–11). Anyway, he is "saddened" and he wants to give them a chance for true repentance, which can be given by God alone (quibus det dominus paenitentiam veram). It is precisely here that Polycarp finally comes to his own contribution to the difficult case. He admonishes the Philippians to be sober in their punishment of the offender (sobrii ergo estote et vos in hoc), and uses words that (Deutero-)Paul has used in another disciplinary case (2. Thess. 3:15: καὶ μὴ ὡς ἐχθρὸν ἡγεῖσθε, ἀλλὰ νουθετεῖτε ὡς ἀδελφόν) to admonish them to the right solution: et non sicut inimicos tales existimetis, sed sicut passibilia membra et errantia eos revocate. Polycarp still regards Valens and his wife as members of the body of Christ (1. Cor, 12:26) and asks the Philippians to turn them back to the community. Philippians may have excluded them from all social interaction, or they themselves, out of shame, have turned away from the other community members. Be as it may, it is not only about these two frail members of the community, says Polycarp: it is about the community, the body of Christ as a whole. You should call these two back, ut omnium vestrum corpus salvetis. This is the only way to build up the community (hoc enim agentes vos ipsos aedificatis). Here finally a plausible explanation for Polycarp’s reference to Paul and his praise of the Philippians: it is reasonable to assume that in their letter to Polycarp they or at least some of them had suggested a more negative verdict on Valens and his wife – most likely some of them wanted to exclude these two for good from the community. I find it likely that they referred to the harsh words of Paul in the case of the incestuous man in Corinth (1. Cor. 5:13): ἐξάρατε τὸν πονηρὸν ἐξ ὑμῶν αὐτῶν. This – and only this, I would like to claim – can explain Polycarp's overtly anxious references to Paul in 3.2; 11.2–3; cf. 9.1.
1. Polycarp clearly indicates that some of the Philippians have treated the case of Valens in the light of the holy scriptures and that he does not want to compete with them: Confido enim vos bene exercitatos esse in sacris literis, et nihil vos latet; mihi autem non est concessum. With the same modesty that we know from the beginning of his letter (3.2), he underlines the simplicity of his biblical interpretation: modo, ut his scripturis dictum est, irascimini et nolite peccare, et sol non occidat super iracundiam vestram. Just (modo) this only verse of Paul he can set against those who are eager to judge Valens and his wife (Eph. 4:26): ὀργίζεσθε καὶ μὴ ἁμαρτάνετε· ὁ ἥλιος μὴ ἐπιδυέτω ἐπὶ τῷ παροργισμῷ ὑμῶν. Polycarp thinks of the spiritual well-being of the Philippians. In their righteous indignation, they have provoked him to write about righteousness (3.1) and this is what they get: words of true repentance, inclusion, reconciliation and end of all anger. This one Bible verse is especially worth remembering. With his words beatus, qui meminerit, Polycarp also hints to his readers about the beatitudes he has quoted in the beginning of his discourse (2.3). He trusts that the Philippians calm down and find the right spiritual stance that certainly is in them: quod ego credo esse in vobis (for the expression, cf. 2. Tim. 1:5).
2. Polycarp finishes his argumentation with solemn sentiments (deus autem et pater domini etc.). He does not want to impose his ideas on the Philippians, but by making his appeal in a very solemn way, he wishes that they allow God to do his work in them. For the idea of Jesus Christ as the eternal high priest (et ipse sempiternus pontifex), see Hebr. 6:20; 7:3; 1. Clem. 36.1 and Polycarp's prayer in Mart. Pol. 14.3 (σὲ δοξάζω διὰ τοῦ αἰωνίου καὶ ἐπουρανίου ἀρχιερέως Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ἀγαπητοῦ σου παιδός). Polycarp wishes that God the Father and his Son Jesus Christ would build the Philippians up (aedificet vos) in precisely those things that are required for the right attitude towards the frail and erring couple, Valens and his wife – in fide et veritate et in omni mansuetudine et sine iracundia et in patientia et in longanimitate et tolerantia et castitate. Polycarp employs here a series of familiar expressions. The reference to faith and truth may remind the Philippian believers of Paul, who is διδάσκαλος ἐθνῶν ἐν πίστει καὶ ἀληθείᾳ (1. Tim. 2:7). The expression "in all gentleness" is also used in MIgn. Philad. 1.2 (ἐν πάσῃ ἐπιεικείᾳ θεοῦ ζῶντος). Deutero-Paul wants that men would pray without hatred and doubt (1. Tim. 2:8: χωρὶς ὀργῆς καὶ διαλογισμοῦ), and Paul, in turn, attacks those who despise God's forbearance and patience (Rom. 2:4; τῆς ἀνοχῆς καὶ τῆς μακροθυμίας καταφρονεῖς). In all, we have a similar list of ethical and spiritual qualities in 1. Clem. 64.1: πίστιν, φόβον, εἰρήνην, ὑπομονὴν καὶ μακροθυμίαν, ἐγκράτειαν, ἁγνείαν καὶ σωφροσύνην.
After admonishing his readers, Polycarp reminds them of the ultimate Christian hope and the unity it creates among all believers: et det vobis sortem et partem inter sanctos suos et nobis vobiscum et omnibus. His vocabulary is again familiar with the apostolic letters. We find the expression εἰς τὴν μερίδα τοῦ κλήρου τῶν ἁγίων ἐν τῷ φωτί in Col. 1:12, and the phrase ἐν τοῖς ἁγίοις αὐτοῦ is familiar from 2. Thess. 1:10. The cosmic reference qui sunt sub caelo appears in Col. 1:23 (ἐν πάσῃ κτίσει τῇ ὑπὸ τὸν οὐρανόν). The references to those who will become believers (qui credituri sunt) are rare in pre-Constantine Christian writings, but we have one in Acta Philippi 36 (ἵνα γένωνται εἰς σημεῖον πᾶσιν τοῖς μέλλουσιν πιστεύειν). The resurrection of Jesus is the key confession of the Christian faith, and Polycarp closes his sentence here with a reference to God, who raised Jesus from the dead (qui resuscitavit eum a mortuis; thus also in 1.2; 2.1; 2.2; 9.2).
3. Polycarp’s call to prayer unites all the previous topics and aspects of his letter. As in the apostolic letters, Polycarp asks his readers to pray for saints (Eph. 6:18) and rulers (1. Tim. 2.1) and taking up a saying from the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5:44), he asks his readers also to pray for their enemies and the enemies of the cross (Phil. 3:18) – very likely referring to the so-called docetists (ch. 7). When Polycarp asks them to pray that their fruit (fructus vester) may be seen, he takes up a Johannine expression (John 15:16: ἵνα ὑμεῖς ὑπάγητε καὶ καρπὸν φέρητε καὶ ὁ καρπὸς ὑμῶν μένῃ). The last expression we know from this second letter, ut sitis in illo perfecti, may have been inspired by the wordings of Jas 4:2 (ἵνα ἦτε τέλειοι καὶ ὁλόκληροι) and Col. 2:10 (καὶ ἐστὲ ἐν αὐτῷ πεπληρωμένοι).
1. Chapter 13 is a later, independent addition to the original letter (see introduction). Unlike the other interpolations in 1.1 and 9.1 indicate, Ignatius is here still alive and staying among the Philippian believers. In the light of the intensive letter of Polycarp focusing on the case of Valens, the whole chapter reads like a later interpolation designed to connect Pol. Phil. to the journey of Ignatius and the seven Ignatian letters. The Philippians do not consult the great bishop Ignatius about the case of Valens, and in the light of ch. 13 their letter to Polycarp seems to be completely unrelated to the urgent matter at hand.
The interpolated chapter underlines the exchange of writings between Christian communities. Through the quotation of Eusebius we have a fragment of the original Greek text. The interpolator makes Polycarp explain that the Philippians and Ignatius have written him (Ἐγράψατέ μοι καὶ ὑμεῖς καὶ Ἰγνάτιος) and asked him to send someone and carry this other letter to Syria (ἵν᾿ ἐάν τις ἀπέρχηται εἰς Συρίαν, καὶ τὰ παρ᾿ ὑμῶν ἀποκομίσῃ γράμματα). Polycarp plays with the idea that he may even do it himself (ὅπερ ποιήσω, ἐὰν λάβω καιρὸν εὔθετον, εἴτε ἐγώ) or he may send someone to do it for them (εἴτε ὃν πέμπω πρεσβεύσοντα καὶ περὶ ὑμῶν). The instructions indicate that this fictitious letter is a combined one, from both the Philippians and Ignatius himself to the community in Antioch.
2. The interpolation includes also another request: Polycarp should send them the (copies of the) letters that Ignatius has written to Smyrna, as well as other letters by Ignatius, which they have in their possession (τὰς ἐπιστολὰς Ἰγνατίου τὰς πεμφθείσας ἡμῖν ὑπ᾿ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἄλλας, ὅσας εἴχομεν παρ᾿ ἡμῖν, ἐπέμψαμεν ὑμῖν, καθὼς ἐνετείλασθε). The interpolator makes Polycarp make their wish come true: in return mail, they get all these letters in their hands (αἵτινες ὑποτεταγμέναι εἰσὶν τῇ ἐπιστολῇ ταύτῃ). These useful letters written by Ignatius "deal with faith, patience, and all edification pertaining to our Lord" (περιέχουσι γὰρ πίστιν καὶ ὑπομονὴν καὶ πᾶσαν οἰκοδομὴν τὴν εἰς τὸν κύριον ἡμῶν ἀνήκουσαν). The interpolation indeed draws upon the letters of Ignatius who writes twice about faith and patience in the same context. In his letter to the Ephesians (3.1), he reminds them how they have prepared him for his trial (Ἐμὲ γὰρ ἔδει ὑφ’ ὑμῶν ὑπαλειφθῆναι πίστει, νουθεσίᾳ, ὑπομονῇ, μακροθυμίᾳ). The second passage, which is in Ignatius' letter to Polycarp (6.2), is so impressive that Polycarp may have precisely this passage in mind here: ἡ πίστις ὡς περικεφαλαία, ἡ ἀγάπη ὡς δόρυ, ἡ ὑπομονὴ ὡς πανοπλία. For the last sentence of this paragraph, we have to return to the Latin translation. There the interpolator makes Polycarp ask the Philippians for more and more precise news about Ignatius and his travel companions: et de ipso Ignatio et de his, qui cum eo sunt, quod certius agnoveritis, significate.
Crescens – whose name is rather common – seems to have been the bearer of the letter (haec vobis scripsi per Crescentem), maybe also the scribe or assistant of Polycarp. He is a man of good reputation, reliable in his words and deeds. It is not quite clear what Polycarp means with his expression quem in praesenti commendavi vobis et nunc commendo. The phrase in praesenti is normally translated as "now" or "at the moment", but since it here stands in contrast to nunc, it most likely means "recently". (This means that in praesenti is a mistranslation of ἄρτι.) If this reasoning is correct, Polycarp has recently visited the community in Philippi and agreed on how they will work together in the future. The Philippians have then heard good things about Crescens, but have not learned to know him personally, as the wordings of Polycarp indicate (conversatus est enim nobiscum inculpabiliter; credo quia et vobiscum similiter). Now they will learn to know his sister as well (sororem autem eius habebitis commendatam, cum venerit ad vos). The exhortation incolumnes estote in domino Iesu Christo is translated from ἔρρωσθε ἐν κυρίῳ Ἰησοῦ Χριστῷ. The short form of this phrase ἔρρωσθε ἐν κυρίῳ appears once in the genuine letters of Ignatius, at the end of his letter to Polycarp (MIgn. Pol. 8.2; thus also in LIgn.), and the longer forms are familiar from the long recension (LTrall. 13.2; LPhilad. 11.2). Polycarp connects to this sentence his final words in gratia cum omnibus vestris (ἡ χάρις μετὰ πάντων τῶν ὑμετέρων), which is a known farewell from early Christian writings: ἡ χάρις μετὰ πάντων ὑμῶν (Tit. 3:15; Hebr. 13:25; Ps.-Justin, Epistula ad Zenam et Serenum 515C); ἡ χάρις μετὰ πάντων τῶν ἀγαπώντων τὸν κύριον ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν ἐν ἀφθαρσίᾳ (Eph. 6:24); καὶ ἔσται ἡ χάρις μετὰ πάντων τῶν φοβουμένων τὸν Κύριον (Prot. Jas 49). A different basic form, which is used by Paul is ἡ χάρις τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ (Χριστοῦ) μεθ’ ὑμῶν (Rom. 16:20; 1. Cor. 16:23; 1. Thess. 5.28) and also ἡ χάρις τοῦ κυρίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ μετὰ τοῦ πνεύματος ὑμῶν (Gal. 6:18; Phil. 4:23; Philem. 25). The final amen stands in r (Regensis) and in the manuscripts of family β, but it may stem only from later Greek manuscripts or from the translator himself. Ἀμὴν as the final word is not well attested, neither in the Pauline and Deutero-Pauline letters nor in the other New Testament letters, except Jude 25 and the dubious verse Rom. 16:27. Ignatius does not end his letters with an amen. The earliest final amen we know for sure is in 1. Clem. 65.2. For the sake of Clement's letter so richly used by Polycarp, the final amen is still retained in this edition.