St. Polycarp's Epistle to the Philippians and The Martyrdom of Polycarp: Edited with Notes and Commentary by Rev. Aaron Simms

By St. Polycarp Publishing House

St. Polycarp was the Christian bishop of Smyrna in the second century AD.  He was taught by the Apostle John himself, therefore representing the next generation of Christians after the Apostles.  He in turn taught St. Irenaeus who would become bishop of Lugdunum in Gaul (modern-day Lyon in France).

In 155 AD, Polycarp was martyre

• Language: English
• Publisher: St. Polycarp Publishing House
• Release date: Sep 28, 2018
• ISBN: 9781947707610

Book preview

Dedication

To my wife Amy and my children Molly and William, blessings from God.

Contents

Dedication

Contents

Introduction

List of Roman Emperors

List of Notable Early Christian Writers and Works

St. Polycarp

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

The Martyrdom of Polycarp

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Index

References

About the Editor

Introduction

St. Polycarp was the bishop of Smyrna (modern-day İzmir in Turkey) in the second century AD. He was taught by the Apostle St. John himself, therefore representing the next generation of Christians after the Apostles. He in turn taught St. Irenaeus who would become bishop of Lugdunum in Gaul, which is modern-day Lyons in France. In 155 AD, Polycarp was martyred in the arena at Smyrna by the Roman authorities.

This present book contains both Polycarp’s Epistle to the Philippians as well as the account of his martyrdom written by the church in Smyrna (the Martyrdom of Polycarp). Polycarp’s letter was likely written sometime around 110 AD. The account of his martyrdom was written sometime after 155 AD; the context seems to indicate that it was written shortly after Polycarp’s death. The English translation used here is the one provided by J. B. Lightfoot as part of The Apostolic Fathers in the 19th century and is in the public domain. In some places I have selected more modern words than used in the original translation, as well as updated the verb tenses and noun cases from their older English forms (e.g. soujourneth becomes sojourns, ye becomes you). In addition, following each chapter of the original text, I have included notes and a brief commentary or summary in order to provide greater context and additional information where needed.

I have also included some tables as reference. These include a list of Roman emperors up to the fifth century, as well as a list of notable early Christian Church writers. One important note about the Roman emperors is that many times, particularly in the third and fourth centuries, there were co-emperors ruling somewhat concurrently, as well as usurpers to the throne. In addition, many times emperors ruled for less than a year before being murdered by a faction who wished to install their own emperor (particularly in 68/69 AD and 238 AD). Thus, there will be overlaps of the dates in the table.

My purpose in providing this edition of Polycarp’s letter and the account of his martyrdom is to allow modern readers to gain a better appreciation for life in the early New Testament Church. Polycarp, as part of the generation which directly succeeded the Apostles, provides important insights into the Church of the time as well as the state of the New Testament canon, given that he quotes or references many passages in his letter. The account of his martyrdom also demonstrates the lengths to which the faithful went to maintain their Christian witness and the esteem in which they were held by the Church. I hope the reader enjoys these writings.

List of Roman Emperors