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"Thos who believe with love, bear the stamp of God the Father through Jesus Christ,
through Whom, unless we choose to die in His suffering, His life is not in use"
(Magnes.5:2).
"Be sober as God's athlete; the prize is immortality and eternal life" (Poly.2:3).
We wish to make it clear we are not dealing with these early Christian's characters,
but their doctrine and beliefs.
They were men of the utmost courage personally, but as teachers, weighed in the
balances of the Word of Truth, how often they failed to grasp its teaching, although living
so near apostolic times!
No.3.
The Epistles of Polycarp and Barnabas.
pp. 164 - 168
With Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna (69-155A.D.), we have a direct link with the
Apostolic age and we can regard him as the chief depository of the primitive gospel
tradition. Irenaeus tells us that in early life Polycarp "had been taught by Apostles and
lived in familiar intercourse with many that had seen Christ" (3:3,4). In words addressed
to Florinus, Irenaeus informs us of Polycarp's direct contact with the Apostle John:
". . . . . I can even now point out the place where the blessed Polycarp used to sit when
he discoursed, and describe . . . . . the discourses which he delivered to the people, how
he used to speak of his intercourse with John and the rest of those who had seen the
Lord, and how he would relate their words. And everything that he had heard from them
about the Lord, about His miracles and about His teaching, Polycarp used to tell us as one
who had received it from those who had seen the Word of Life with their own eyes, and
all this in perfect harmony with the Scriptures . . . . ."
Polycarp thus becomes a living link between the Apostles and the writers who
flourished at the end of the second century, and from the standpoint of our inquiry,
occupies a position of great importance. If the truth was passed down in all its purity, we
shall surely find it in his testimony. That he was a Christian who stood high in the favour
of his contemporaries, there is no doubt. Nor can one question his implicit trust in the
Lord Jesus Christ throughout his long life. In his old age he was martyred, and his words
to the Roman proconsul, who offered to set him free, if he would deny the Lord, are
well known: "Eighty and six years have I served Him, and He hath done me no wrong.
How can I then speak evil of my King Who has saved me?" And thus he went bravely to
his death.
There are four main sources of our knowledge of Polycarp: (1) The statements of
Irenaeus. (2) The epistle of Polycarp. (3) The epistle of Ignatius to Polycarp. (4) The
epistle of the church at Smyrna to the Philomelians, which gives the account of his
martyrdom. We are immediately concerned with Polycarp's epistle to the Philippians.
Dr. P. N. Harrison has shown it is possible, originally, that this document consisted of
two epistles, chapters 13 and 14 having been written at the time of the death of Ignatius,