Polycarp to the Philippians is an early Christian epistle likely written in the early to mid-second century. Authored by Polycarp, the bishop of Smyrna who was a direct disciple of John the Apostle, this letter offers valuable insight into the beliefs and practices of the early church.
The letter was written because the church in Philippi requested the letters of Ignatius. Consequently, Polycarp’s work is something of a “covering letter” for the writings of the Antiochian bishop. Yet, it still contains many powerful insights for the Christian life. According to Jerome, it was customary for churches to read this letter during services, even though it was not considered scripture. The bishop’s pastoral care, love for God’s word, and devotion are evident in every section. His tutelage under one of the “sons of thunder” can be seen particularly clearly in the sections about sin and the antichrist.
Polycarp to The Philippians
Polycarp, and the Elders 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 Savior, be multiplied.
1 – Praise For The Philippians
I have greatly rejoiced with you in our Lord Jesus Christ, because you 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, endures even until now, and brings forth fruit to our Lord Jesus Christ, who for our sins suffered even unto death, [but] “whom God raised from the dead, having loosed the bands of the grave” (Acts 2:24). “In whom, though now you see Him not, you believe, and believing, rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory” (1 Peter 1:8); into which joy many desire to enter, knowing that “by grace you are saved, not of works, but by the will of God through Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 2:8).
2 – An Exhortation to Virtue
“Therefore, girding up your loins” (Job 38:3), “serve the Lord in fear” (Psalm 2:11) 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” (1 Peter 1:21), 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” (1 Peter 3:9), or blow for blow, or cursing for cursing, but being mindful of what the Lord said in His teaching: “Judge not, that you be not judged; forgive, and it shall be forgiven unto you; be merciful, that you may obtain mercy; with what measure you measure, it shall be measured to you again” (Luke 6:36-38); and once more, “Blessed are the poor, and those that are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of God” (Matthew 5:3,10).
3 – Expression of Personal Unworthiness
These things, brethren, I write to you concerning righteousness, not because I take anything upon myself, but because you 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 steadfastly 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 to you, and which, being followed by hope, and preceded by love towards God, and Christ, and our neighbor, “is the mother of us all” (Galatians 4:26). For if anyone is inwardly possessed of these graces, he has fulfilled the command of righteousness, since he who has love is far from all sin (Romans 13:10).
4 – Various Exhortations
“But the love of money is the root of all evils” (1 Timothy 6:10). Knowing, therefore, that “as we brought nothing into the world, so we can carry nothing out” (1 Timothy 6:7), let us arm ourselves with the armor 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 slander, evil-speaking, false witnessing, love of money, and every kind of evil; knowing that they are the altars of God, that He clearly perceives all things, and that nothing is hidden from Him—neither reasonings, nor reflections, nor any of the secret things of the heart (Hebrews 4:13).
5 – Deacons, Youths, and Virgins
Knowing, then, that “God is not mocked” (Galatians 6:7), we ought to walk worthy of His commandment and glory. In like manner, the deacons should 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 also receive 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” (2 Timothy 2:12), provided only we believe.
In like manner, let the young men also be blameless in all things, especially being careful to preserve purity and keeping themselves, 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 wars against the spirit” (1 Peter 2:11); and “neither fornicators, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, shall inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians 6:9-10), nor those who do things inconsistent and unbecoming. Therefore, 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.
6 – Elders
And let the Elders be compassionate and merciful to all, bringing back those who 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” (Romans 12:17); abstaining from all wrath, respect of persons, and unjust judgment; keeping far off from all covetousness, not quickly crediting an evil report against anyone, not severe in judgment, knowing that we are all under a debt of sin. If then we entreat the Lord to forgive us, we ought also 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 each one give an account of himself” (Romans 14:10-12; 2 Corinthians 5:10).
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 to us, and the prophets who proclaimed beforehand the coming of the Lord, have likewise taught us. Let us be zealous in the pursuit of that which is good, keeping ourselves from causes of offense, from false brethren, and from those who in hypocrisy bear the name of the Lord and draw away vain men into error.
7- Avoid the Docetae, and Persevere in Fasting and Prayer
“For whoever does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is antichrist” (1 John 4:2-3); and whoever does not confess the testimony of the cross is of the devil; and whoever perverts the oracles of the Lord to his own lusts, and says that there is neither a resurrection nor a judgment, he is the firstborn of Satan. Therefore, 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” (1 Peter 4:7) and persevering in fasting; beseeching in our supplications the all-seeing God “not to lead us into temptation” (Matthew 6:13), as the Lord has said: “The spirit truly is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Mark 14:38).
8 – 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” (1 Peter 2:24), “who did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth” (1 Peter 2:22), 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.
9 – Patience Inculcated
I exhort you all, therefore, to yield obedience to the word of righteousness, and to exercise all patience, such as you 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. Do this 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 (2 Timothy 4:10), but Him who died for us and for our sakes was raised again by God from the dead (Romans 4:24-25).
10 – 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 (1 Peter 2:17), and being attached to one another, joined together in the truth, exhibiting the meekness of the Lord in your interactions with one another, and despising no one. When you can do good, do not defer it, because “alms delivers from death” (Tobit 4:10).
Be all of you subject to one another, having your conduct blameless among the Gentiles, “that by your good works, which they observe, they may glorify God” (1 Peter 2:12). But woe to him by whom the name of the Lord is blasphemed! Teach, therefore, sobriety to all, and demonstrate it also in your own conduct.
11 – Expression of Grief on Account of Valens
I am greatly grieved for Valens, who was once a presbyter among you, because he has so poorly understood the place that was given to him in the church. I exhort you, therefore, to abstain from covetousness and to be chaste and truthful. “Abstain from every form of evil” (1 Thessalonians 5:22). For if a man cannot govern himself in such matters, how shall he teach them to others? If a man does not keep himself from covetousness, he is defiled by idolatry and will be judged as one of the heathen. But who among us is ignorant of the judgment of the Lord? “Do you not know that the saints will judge the world?” (1 Corinthians 6:2), as Paul teaches. But I have neither seen nor heard of any such thing among you, in whose midst the blessed Paul labored, and whom he commended at the beginning of his epistle. For he boasts of you in all the churches that then alone knew the Lord, but we of Smyrna had not yet known Him.
I am deeply grieved, therefore, brothers, for Valens and his wife; may the Lord grant them true repentance! And be moderate regarding this matter, and “do not regard them as enemies, but warn them as brothers” (2 Thessalonians 3:15), so that you may save your whole body. By doing so, you will build yourselves up.
12 – Exhortation to Various Graces
For I trust that you are well-versed in the Holy Scriptures and that nothing is hidden from you, but this privilege has not yet been fully granted to me. It is written in the Scriptures: “Be angry and do not sin” (Ephesians 4:26), and, “Do not let the sun go down on your anger” (Ephesians 4:26). Blessed is the one who remembers this, which I believe is true of you. May the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ Himself, the Son of God and our everlasting High Priest, strengthen you in faith and truth, and in all meekness, gentleness, patience, long-suffering, forbearance, and purity. May He grant you a place among His saints, and to us along with you, and to all who are under heaven who believe in our Lord Jesus Christ and in His Father, who “raised Him from the dead” (Romans 10:9).
Pray for all the saints. Pray also for kings, rulers, and authorities, and for those who persecute and hate you, and for the enemies of the cross, so that your fruit may be evident to all, and that you may be made complete in Him.
13 – Concerning the Transmission of Epistles
Both you and Ignatius wrote to me, requesting that if anyone were to travel to Syria, they should carry your letter with them. I will fulfill this request if I find a suitable opportunity, whether personally or through another acting on my behalf, so that your wish may be accomplished. The Epistles of Ignatius, written by him to us, and all the other letters of his that we have, we have sent to you, as you asked. They are included with this letter, and by them, you may be greatly edified, for they deal with faith, patience, and all things that contribute to building you up in our Lord. If you have obtained any further information regarding Ignatius himself or those who were with him, please be so kind as to share it with us.
14 – Conclusion of Polycarp to the Philippians
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, you will hold his sister in esteem when she comes to you. Be safe in the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with you all. Amen.
Sources
- This translation of “The Epistle of Polycarp to the Philippians” is from Vol. 1 of the Ante-Nicene Fathers, edited and translated by Alexander Roberts, D.D., and James Donaldson. (Language updates by Into Christianity.)
- Paul Hartog, Polycarp’s Epistle to the Philippians and the Martyrdom of Polycarp
- The Epistle of Polycarp to the Philippians The Greek & Latin Text of the Epistle, verse by verse, with an English translation in between, verse by verse. Compiled by David Robert Palmer
- Jerome, Illustrious Men 17.
