Polycarp, and the presbyters with him, to the Church of God sojourning
at Philippi: Mercy to you, and peace from God
Almighty, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, our Saviour,
be multiplied.
Chapter I.-Praise of the Philippians.
I have greatly rejoiced with you in our Lord Jesus Christ,
because ye have followed the example of true love [as displayed
by God], and have accompanied, as became you, those who were bound
in chains, the fitting ornaments of saints, and which are indeed the diadems
of the true elect of God and our Lord; and because the strong root of your
faith, spoken of in days long gone by, endureth even until now, and bringeth
forth fruit to our Lord
Jesus Christ, who for our sins suffered
even unto death, [but] "whom God raised froth the dead, having loosed
the bands of the grave." "In whom, though now ye
see Him not, ye believe, and believing, rejoice with joy unspeakable
and full of glory; " into which joy many desire to enter, knowing that
"by grace ye are saved, not of works," but by the will of God through Jesus
Christ.
Chapter II.-An Exhortation to Virtue.
"Wherefore, girding up your loins," "serve the Lord in fear" and truth,
as those who have forsaken the vain, empty talk and
error of the multitude, and "believed in Him who raised up our Lord
Jesus Christ from the dead, and gave Him glory," and a throne at His right
hand. To Him all things in heaven and on earth are subject. Him every spirit
serves. He comes as the Judge of the living and the dead. His blood will
God require of those who do not believe in Him. But He who raised Him
up from the dead will raise up us also, if we do His will, and walk
in His commandments, and love what He loved, keeping
ourselves from all unrighteousness, covetousness, love of money,
evil speaking, false witness; "not rendering evil for evil, or railing
for railing," or blow for blow, or cursing for cursing, but being mindful
of what the Lord said in His teaching: "Judge not, that ye be not judged;
forgive, and it shall be forgiven unto you; be merciful, that ye may obtain
mercy; with what
measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again; and once more,
"Blessed are the poor, and those that are persecuted for
righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of God."
Chapter III.-Expressions or Personal Unworthiness.
These things, brethren, I write to you concerning righteousness, not
because I take anything upon myself, but because ye
have invited me to do so. For neither I, nor any other such one, can
come up to the wisdom of the blessed and glorified Paul. He, when among
you, accurately and stedfastly taught the word of truth in the presence
of those who were then alive. And when absent from you, he wrote you a
letter, which, if you carefully study, you will find to be the means of
building you
up in that faith which has been given you, and which, being followed
by hope, and preceded by love towards God, and
Christ,
and our neighbour, "is the mother of us all." For if any one be inwardly
possessed of these graces, he hath fulfilled the command of righteousness,
since he that hath love is far from all sin.
Chapter IV.-Various Exhortations.
"But the love of money is the root of all evils." Knowing, therefore,
that "as we brought nothing into the world, so we can
carry nothing out," let us arm ourselves with the armour of righteousness;
and let us teach, first of all, ourselves to walk in the commandments of
the Lord. Next, [teach] your wives [to walk] in the faith given to them,
and in love and purity tenderly loving their own husbands in all truth,
and loving all [others] equally in all chastity;
and to train up their children in the knowledge and fear of God. Teach
the widows to be discreet as respects the faith of the Lord, praying continually
for all, being far from all slandering, evil-speaking, false-witnessing,
love of money, and every kind of evil; knowing that they are the altar
of God, that He clearly perceives all things, and that nothing is hid from
Him, neither reasonings, nor reflections, nor any one of the secret things
of the heart.
Chapter V.-The Duties of Deacons, Youths, and Virgins.
Knowing, then, that "God is not mocked," we ought to walk worthy of
His commandment and glory. In like manner should
the deacons be blameless before the face of His righteousness, as being
the servants of God and Christ, and not of men. They must not be slanderers,
double-tongued, or lovers of money, but temperate in all things, compassionate,
industrious, walking according to the truth of the Lord, who was the servant
of all. If we please Him in this present world, we shall receive also the
future world, according as He has promised to us that He will raise us
again from the dead, and that if we live worthily of Him, "we shall also
reign together with Him," provided only we believe. In like manner, let
the young men also be blameless in all things, being especially careful
to preserve purity, and keeping themselves in, as with a bridle, from every
kind of evil. For it is well that they should be cut off from the lusts
that are in the world, since "every lust warreth against
the spirit; " and "neither fornicators, nor effeminate, nor abusers
of themselves with mankind, shall inherit the kingdom of
God," nor those who do things inconsistent and unbecoming. Wherefore,
it is needful to abstain from all these things, being subject to the presbyters
and deacons, as unto God and Christ. The virgins
also must walk in a blameless and pure conscience.
Chapter VI.-The Duties of Presbyters and Others.
And let the presbyters be compassionate and merciful to all, bringing
back those that wander, visiting all the sick, and not
neglecting the widow, the orphan, or the poor, but always "providing
for that which is becoming in the sight of God and man; " abstaining from
all wrath, respect of persons, and unjust judgment; keeping far off from
all covetousness, not quickly crediting [an evil report] against any one,
not severe in judgment, as knowing that we are all under a debt of sin.
If then we
entreat the Lord to forgive us, we ought also ourselves to forgive;
for we are before the eyes of our Lord and God, and "we
must all appear at the judgment-seat of Christ, and must every one
give an account of himself." Let us then serve Him in fear, and with all
reverence, even as He Himself has commanded us, and as the apostles who
preached the Gospel unto us, and the prophets who proclaimed beforehand
the coming of the Lord [have alike taught us]. Let us be zealous in the
pursuit of that which is good, keeping ourselves from causes of offence,
from false brethren, and from those who in hypocrisy bear the name of the
Lord,
and draw away vain men into error.
Chapter VII.-Avoid the Docetae, and Persevere in Fasting and Prayer.
"For whosoever does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh,
is antichrist; " and whosoever does not confess the
testimony of the
cross, is of the devil; and whosoever perverts the oracles of the Lord
to his own lusts, and says that there is neither a resurrection nor a judgment,
he is the first-born of Satan. Wherefore, forsaking the vanity of many,
and their false doctrines, let us return to the word which has been handed
down to us from the beginning; "watching unto prayer," and
persevering in fasting; beseeching in our supplications the all-seeing
God "not to lead us into temptation ," as the Lord has
said: "The spirit truly is willing, but the flesh
is weak."
Chapter VIII.-Persevere in Hope and Patience.
Let us then continually persevere in our hope, and the earnest of our
righteousness, which is Jesus Christ, "who bore our sins
in His own body on the tree,"
"who did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth," but endured all
things for us, that we might live in Him. Let us then be imitators of His
patience; and if we suffer for His name's sake, let us glorify Him. For
He has set us this example in Himself, and we have believed that such is
the case.
Chapter IX.-Patience Inculcated.
I exhort you all, therefore, to yield obedience to the word of righteousness,
and to exercise all patience, such as ye have seen
[set] before your eyes, not only in the case of the blessed Ignatius,
and Zosimus, and Rufus, but also in others among yourselves, and in Paul
himself, and the rest of the apostles. [This do] in the assurance that
all these have not run in vain, but in faith and righteousness, and that
they are [now] in their due place in the presence of the Lord, with whom
also they suffered. For they loved not this present world, but Him who
died for us, and for our sakes was raised again by God from the dead.
Chapter X.-Exhortation to the Practice of Virtue.
Stand fast, therefore, in these things, and follow the example of the
Lord, being firm and unchangeable in the faith, loving the
brotherhood, and being attached to one another, joined together in
the truth, exhibiting the meekness of the Lord in your intercourse with
one another, and despising no one. When you can do good, defer it not,
because "alms delivers from death." Be all of you subject one to another
having your conduct blameless among the Gentiles," that ye may both receive
praise for
your good works, and the Lord
may not be blasphemed through you. But woe to him by whom the name of the
Lord is
blasphemed! Teach, therefore, sobriety to all, and manifest it also
in your own conduct.
Chapter XI.-Expression of Grief on Account of Valens.
I am greatly grieved for Valens, who was once a presbyter among you,
because he so little understands the place that was
given him [in the Church]. I exhort you, therefore, that ye abstain
from covetousness, and that ye be chaste and truthful. "Abstain from every
form of evil." For if a man cannot govern himself in such matters, how
shall he enjoin them on others? If a man does not keep himself from covetousness,
he shall be defiled by idolatry, and shall be judged as one of the heathen.
But who of us are ignorant of the judgment of the Lord?
"Do we not know that the saints shall judge the world? " as Paul
teaches. But I have neither seen nor heard of any such thing among
you, in the midst of whom the blessed Paul laboured, and who are commended
in the beginning of his Epistle. For he boasts of you in all those Churches
which alone then knew the Lord; but we [of Smyrna] had not yet known Him.
I am deeply grieved, therefore, brethren, for him (Valens) and his wife;
to whom may the Lord grant true repentance! And be ye then moderate in
regard to this matter, and "do not count such as
enemies," but call them back as suffering and straying members, that
ye may save your whole body. For by so acting ye shall edify yourselves.
Chapter XII.-Exhortation to Various Graces.
For I trust that ye are well versed in the Sacred Scriptures, and that
nothing is hid from you; but to me this privilege is not yet
granted. It is declared then in these Scriptures, "Be ye angry, and
sin not," and, "Let not the sun go down upon your wrath." Happy is he who
remembers this, which I believe to be the case with you. But may the God
and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ Himself, who is the
Son of God, and our everlasting High Priest, build you up in faith and
truth, and in all meekness, gentleness, patience, long-suffering, forbearance,
and purity; and may He bestow on you a lot and
portion among His saints, and on us with you, and on all that are under
heaven, who shall believe in our Lord Jesus Christ,
and in His Father, who "raised Him from the dead. Pray for all the saints.
Pray also for kings, and potentates, and princes, and for those that persecute
and hate you, and for the enemies of the cross, that your fruit may be
manifest to all, and that
ye may be perfect in Him.
Chapter XIII.-Concerning the Transmission of Epistles.
Both you and Ignatius wrote to me, that if any one went [from this]
into Syria, he should carry your letter with him; which
request I will attend to if I find a fitting opportunity, either personally,
or through some other acting for me, that your desire may be fulfilled.
The Epistles of Ignatius written by him to us, and all the rest [of his
Epistles] which we have by us, we have sent to you, as you requested. They
are subjoined to this Epistle, and by them ye may be greatly profited;
for they treat
of faith and patience, and all things that tend to edification in our
Lord. Any more certain information you may have obtained
respecting both Ignatius himself, and those that were with him, have
the goodness to make known to us.
Chapter XIV.-Conclusion.
These things I have written to you by Crescens, whom up to the present
time I have recommended unto you, and do now
recommend. For he has acted blamelessly among us, and I believe also
among you. Moreover, ye will hold his sister in esteem when she comes to
you. Be ye safe in the Lord
Jesus Christ. Grace be with you all. Amen.