Polycarp to the Philippians · §2 · Polycarp of Smyrna

Serve God in fear and truth, remembering the Lord's teaching

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Polycarp is urging the Philippians to live out the faith he has just praised, turning from empty talk to obedience and the Lord's commands.

So gird up your loins and serve God in fear and truth. Abandon the empty foolish talk and the error of the many. Believe in the one who raised 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 were subjected. Every breath serves him. He comes as judge of the living and the dead, and God will require his blood from those who disobey him.

The one who raised him from the dead will also raise us, if we do his will and walk in his commandments and love what he loved, holding back from all wrongdoing, greed, love of money, evil speech, and false witness. Do not repay evil for evil, or insult for insult, or blow for blow, or curse for curse.

Remember what the Lord said when he taught: Do not judge, so that you may not be judged (Matthew 7:1). Forgive, and you will be forgiven (Luke 6:37). Show mercy, so that you may receive mercy (Luke 6:36). With what measure you measure, it will be measured back to you (Luke 6:38). And blessed are the poor and those persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of God (Matthew 5:3, 5:10).

Greek

Διὸ ἀναζωσάμενοι τὰς ὀσφύας ὑμῶν δουλεύσατε τῷ θεῷ ἐν φόβῳ καὶ ἀληθείᾳ, ἀπολιπόντες τὴν κενὴν ματαιολογίαν καὶ τὴν τῶν πολλῶν πλάνην, πιστεύσαντες εἰς τὸν ἐγείραντα τὸν κύριον ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν ἐκ νεκρῶν καὶ δόντα αὐτῷ δόξαν καὶ θρόνον ἐκ δεξιῶν αὐτοῦ: ᾧ ὑπετάγη τὰ πάντα ἐπουράνια καὶ ἐπίγεια, ᾧ πᾶσα πνοὴ λατρεύει, ὃς ἔρχεται κριτὴς ζώντων καὶ νεκρῶν, οὖ τὸ αἷμα ἐκζητήσει ὁ θεὸς ἀπὸ τῶν ἀπειθούντων αὐτῷ.

ὁ δὲ ἐγείρας αὐτὸν ἐκ νεκρῶν καὶ ἡμᾶς ἐγερεῖ, ἐὰν ποιῶμεν αὐτοῦ τὸ θέλημα καὶ πορευώμεθα ἐν ταῖς ἐντολαῖς αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀγαπῶμεν ἃ ἠγάπησεν, ἀπεχόμενοι πάσης ἀδικίας, πλεονεξίας, φιλαργυρίας, καταλαλιᾶς,ψευδομαρτυρίας: μὴ ἀποδιδόντες κακὸν ἀντὶ κακοῦ ἢ λοιδορίαν ἀντὶ λοιδορίας ἢ γρόνθον ἀντὶ γρόνθον ἢ κατάραν ἀντὶ κατάρας:

μνημονεύοντες δὲ ὧν εἶπεν ὁ κύριος διδάσκων: Μὴ κρίνετε, ἵνα μὴ κριθῆτε: ἀφίετε, καὶ ἀφεθήσεται ὑμῖν: ἐλεᾶτε, ἵνα ἐλεηθῆτε: ᾧ μέτρῳ μετρεῖτε, ἀντιμετρηθήσεται ὑμῖν: καὶ ὅτι μακάριοι οἱ πτωχοὶ καὶ οἱ διωκόμενοι ἕνεκεν δικαιοσύνης, ὅτι αὑτῶν ἐστὶν ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ.

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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