Polycarp to the Philippians · §11 · Polycarp of Smyrna

Grief over Valens and a call to restore the fallen gently

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Polycarp, writing with his fellow elders, turns from general exhortation to the specific case of Valens, a former elder among the Philippians who fell into love of money.

I am deeply grieved for Valens, who was once made an elder among you, because he has so little understanding of the place that was given to him. I urge you, therefore, to keep yourselves from the love of money and to be pure and truthful. Keep yourselves from every evil.

If someone cannot govern himself in these matters, how can he proclaim them to another? If anyone does not keep himself from the love of money, he will be defiled by idolatry and will be judged as though among the gentiles, who do not know the judgment of the Lord. Or do we not know that the holy ones will judge the world (1 Corinthians 6:2)? As Paul teaches.

I have neither perceived nor heard of any such thing among you, among whom the blessed Paul labored and who are in the beginning of his letter. For he boasts about you in all the churches, which alone knew the Lord at that time; we had not yet known him.

So then, brothers and sisters, I am greatly grieved for him and for his wife, and may the Lord give them true repentance. Be sober-minded, then, in this matter yourselves as well. Do not regard such people as enemies, but call them back as suffering and straying members, so that you may save the body of all of you. For in doing this you build up yourselves.

Latin

Nimis contristatus sum pro Valente, qui presbyter factus est aliquando apud vos, quod sic ignoret is locum qui datus est ei. Moneo itaque ut abstineatis vos ab avaritia et sitis casti veraces. Abstinete vos ab omni malo.

Qui autem non potest se in his gubernare, quomodo alii pronuntiat hoc? Si quis non se abstinuerit ab avaritia, ab idololatria coinquinabitur et tamquam inter gentes iudicabitur, qui ignorant iudicium domini. Aut nescimus, quia sancti mundum iudicabunt? sicut Paulus docet.

Ego autem nihil tale sensi in vobis vel audivi, in quibus laboravit beatus Paulus, qui estis in principio epistulae eius. De vobis etenim gloriatur in omnibus ecclesiis, quae dominum solae tunc cognoverant; nos autem nondum cognoveramus.

Valde ergo, fratres, contristor pro illo et pro coniuge eius, quibus det dominus paenitentiam veram. Sobrii ergo estote et vos in hoc; et non sicut inimicos tales existimetis, sed sicut passibilia membra et errantia eos revocate, ut omnium vestrum corpus salvetis. Hoc enim agentes vos ipsos aedificatis.

About this text

Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna, writes to the church at Philippi on righteousness, on Ignatius and his companions, and on the fall of the elder Valens.

Polycarp of Smyrna (fl. c. 155), bishop of Smyrna, wrote this letter with his fellow elders to the church of God that sojourns at Philippi.

The letter opens by rejoicing that the Philippians welcomed Ignatius and his fellow prisoners and that their faith remains fruitful. Polycarp urges them to serve God in fear and truth, imitate Christ's endurance, and practice righteousness in every station of life: wives, widows, deacons, young men, virgins, and elders. He warns against love of money, false teachings, and those who deny Christ's coming in the flesh or the resurrection and judgment.

He calls the Philippians to follow the examples of Paul, Ignatius, and other martyrs, and to restore gently those who have fallen, especially Valens and his wife. The letter closes with a prayer, a promise to forward their letters to Syria, and a commendation of Crescens.

New English from the Greek base text; no published English used as wording.

Printed text used

Translated from Polycarp Kirsopp Lake The Apostolic Fathers William Heinemann Harvard University Press London Cambridge, MA 1912 1 (Greek)
Also checked Lake 1912, The Apostolic Fathers I ( scan apostolicfathers01lake, machine-read text djvu.txt excerpt: Polycarp to the Philippians 9-14) (Latin · control witness for the Latin of 10 14 (public domain))
Also checked Lake 1912/1919, The Apostolic Fathers I ( scan TheApostolicFathersV1, machine-read text djvu.txt excerpt: Polycarp to the Philippians 9-14) (Latin · control witness for the Latin of 10 14 (public domain))

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