Analyzing Polycarp's Letter to the Philippians - Essay Example

Running head: Critique of Early Christian Text Critique of Early Christian Text: Polycarps Letter to the Philippians by The of the Class (Course) Professor (Tutor) The Name of the School (University) The City and State where it is located The Date Critique of Early Christian Text: Polycarps Letter to the Philippians St. Polycarp was Bishop of Smyrna, situated in the north of Ephesus. He was the leading figure in Roman Asia in the 2nd century due to his works at the stage of creation of fundamental theological Christian literature. Historically, from the writings of St. Irenaeus, we know he created “a link between the apostolic and patristic ages”, being taught and was given episcopate by the original Apostles (Commentary on Polycarp’s Letter to the Philippians). The Letter to the Philippians belongs to “the earliest examples of patristic literature, the writings of the so-called Apostolic Fathers” (Patristic literature). The date of the Letter is hardly satisfactorily determined; often scientists take as the reference point martyrdom of Polycarp (Palmer 3). The texts written in this period (late 1st and early 2nd centuries) have been influenced in more or less grade Jewish motifs that “pervaded Christian thinking and practice at this primitive stage” (Patristic literature). The Holy Spirit even in extremely bias translations saves all the major doctrines. In every way it leads the person to Jesus. There are several translations of the Epistle of Polycarp and each of them has something to convey and bring (Church History 39). The doubts against the authenticity of it, especially the last chapters, surviving only in the ancient Latin text, cannot be considered thoroughly, because critics did not want to accept the message of Polycarp in its full form as it contained the words about the letters of Ignatius Antioch. The Epistle to the Philippians was written shortly after the death of St. Ignatius. It was caused by a petition to the Christians of the city Philip of habeas letters of Ignatius to Polycarp and other Christians, what he had, to them. Fulfilling their request, the Bishop of Smyrna gives them a number of Christian teachings, warns against the heretics, tells the responsibilities of presbyters and deacons, men and virgins, spouses and widows, he convinces to avoid covetousness, to practice praying and fasting, and instills patience and love for enemies. For a long time the Greek text of the Polycarp`s Letter contained first only 9 chapters and the remaining 5 chapters were preserved in the ancient Latin translation. So from the point of view of contemporary scholars they could be placed to a category of Jewish-Christian literature. Polycarp`s letter is a sign of growing awareness of the traditions of Christianity. His letter is also supplemented with verses from the New Testament: “The strong root of your faith, spoken of in days long passed, have lasted until now and borne fruit to our Lord Jesus Christ” (Saint Polycarp). In his Letter to the Philippians, St. Polycarp “rejects sola fide, upholds the necessity of obedience for salvation/heaven, undermines the rationale behind sola Scriptura and affirms the divine authority of Church officials (deacons and presbyters)” Commentary on Polycarp’s Letter to the Philippians). The letter to the Philippians was the only document what “survived” though ages, upholding apostolic traditions, drawing upon Psalms, Isaiah and Proverbs, asking to avoid heresy of “falsehood and hypocrisy” and “exhorts perseverance in the faith in order to be saved” (Commentary on Polycarp’s Letter to the Philippians). St. Polycarp`s major writing had a goal to combat “heretical sects, including certain Gnostic groups that claimed religious salvation exclusively through their arcane spiritual knowledge” (Saint Polycarp). Gnostics and Orthodox Christians were flared with strong religious feelings on the base of the ideal difference (Shelley 51). Polycarp is refuting the Gnostics’ argument the God’s miracles all were moral or mythological imaginary phenomena. The document is represented a complex hortatory letter. It can be noticed that it combines elements of at least three common letter types. Advice, encouragement and admonition were found in it. Polycarp replied to Philippians on his own behalf and on behalf of the elders of the church in Smyrna. Dogmatic content of this work (more precisely, the two works) is very sparsely; it is primarily devoted to ethical issues. Certain features of the polemical issues are not alien for it, because St. Polycarp exhorts the Philippian Christians to serve the God "in fear and truth" and leave "empty talk and the errors of the multitude” (Ch.2 The Epistle of Polycarp to the Philippians). Apparently, this warning and the rest, similar occurring in the letter after, is directed against Christology of “pseudo-Gnostics” as he goes on to say: “Whoever perverts the oracles of the Lord to his own lusts and says that there is neither a resurrection or a judgment is the firstborn of Satan” (Ch. 7). Polycarp gives an explanation for the reason of the limitation of lettering for the Christian doctrine and why Protestants reject the God`s Word. Let us teach ourselves to walk in the commandments of the Lord. Next, teach the wives to walk in the faith that has been given to them. Teach them to truly be tender to their own husbands in love and purity, loving everyone else equally in chastity. Teach them to train up their children to know and fear God. (Ch.4) St. Polycarp is offering the idea of “the necessity of both belief and living worthily” if people want to get to the heaven after the death. He is focusing on the need of the sin avoidance and behaving according to the religious beliefs, “the deacons should be blameless before the face of his righteousness, since they are the servants of God and Christ and not of men. They must not be slanderers, double-tongued, nor lovers of money, but self-controlled in everything, compassionate, industrious, and walking according to the truth of the Lord, who was everyones servant” and “The virgins should also walk in a blameless and pure conscience” (Ch. 5). He is quoting the misnamed “apocrypha”. Furthermore, he chooses verses to make the Protestant to feel uncomfortable. Salvation can be contributed with a good work; however the false Protestant dichotomy is rejected in this letter, as “it is impossible to separate the two theologically when it comes to salvation” (Commentary on Polycarp’s Letter to the Philippians). “If a man does not keep himself from covetousness, he shall be defiled by idolatry and will be judged as one of the heathen. Who of us are ignorant of the judgment of the Lord? Dont we know that the saints shall judge the world as Paul teaches?” (ch.11) The way in which Polycarp`s Epistle to the Philippians refers to the apostle Paul is more important. The personal importance of Paul is in no doubt in the Christian church`s authority, we see that Polycarp quotes the Paul’s writings repeatedly. As it is possible to find this was the time when Paul had been proclaimed by the Gnostic heretics as a primary authority. The answer of Polycarp was that Paul was “treasured figure of the orthodox church” (Holmes 131). Toward the end of his life Polycarp was arrested and burned to death, however he did not renounce Christianity. This event has been eulogized in one of the earliest Christian documents - the Martyrdom of Polycarp. References Church History, A Survey, http://www.judeministries.org/downloads/churchHistory.pdf Commentary on Polycarp’s Letter to the Philippians, [Online] (updated 17 October 2010) Retrieved at: [Accessed 22 Jan 2015]. Michael W. Holmes. The Apostolic Fathers in English, 2006, Baker Academic. Palmer, David Robert, The Epistle of Polycarp to the Philippians, 2010 Retrieved at: www.bibletranslation.ws. Patristic literature. 2015. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Retrieved 22 Jan, 2015, from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/446723/patristic-literature/67677/The-Apostolic-Fathers. Pavao, Paul. “The Epistle of Polycarp to the Philippians”. Christian History for Everyman. Greatest Stories Ever Told. 2014. [Accessed 22 Jan 2015]. . Saint Polycarp by The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica [Online] (updated 13 June 2013) Retrieved at: [Accessed 22 Jan 2015]. Shelley, B. L., (1996), Church History in Plain Language, 2nd Edition, Nashville: Thomas Nelson. Read More