Of all of the early church fathers, Polycarp is by far one of my favorites when I am studying and researching the Word. When I find something that is backed up by Polycarp, I know it is rock solid. I think of Polycarp as The Bishop of the Mic Drop Moment.
This is not because he teaches Scripture in some new way that adds greater depth to what has already been written. Nor is it because he uses clever words or eloquent speech to convey a message. In fact, his writing is pretty plain.
What he does do is quietly refutes the mountains of heresy and scoffers that have tried to erode the message and nature of Christ over the millennia. For those that are studied, the mere mention of Polycarp becomes the mic drop rebuttal to all sorts of odd theories, anti-Christian writings, and attempts to undermine Scripture.
Take for example the following comments. These are not weak straw-men statements, but are accurate paraphrases that can be found in theological writing and recorded debates.
“The early church did not believe in the Trinity. It didn’t become doctrine until the Emperor Constantine forced the issue hundreds of years later. Even today, many major Christian groups do not believe in the Trinity or that Jesus was eternal.”
The easiest rebuttal to this and similar statements is, “But, Polycarp.”
“Paul’s epistles were not considered inspired, nor were they part of the accepted canon by the early Apostolic Church. Paul hijacked Christianity and changed it.”
“But, Polycarp.”
“The teachings and practices of the Apostles have been added to and altered over the years. We cannot know what they really said or did without original copies.”
“But, Polycarp.”
The list goes on.
By now you are wondering how Polycarp can possibly defend the Bible against so many criticisms and anti-Christian arguments hundreds of years later. He does so simply by existing and writing a letter to the Phillipians- the same church that Paul wrote to in an epistle found in the Bible. To better understand all of this, it is helpful to learn who Polycarp was and what he wrote.
The first thing to know about Polycarp is that he was a disciple of John the Apostle. Yes, THAT John.
Not only did he spend years learning from John, but he was also in contact with other Christians that had seen and heard Jesus directly. This fact is corroborated by many of the earliest church fathers that knew Polycarp, including Irenaeus, Ignatius of Antioch, and others. That makes Polycarp one of the first verified links in the chain of the Gospel- from Jesus and the Apostles to the Church of today. Because of that, what he says carries the weight of authenticity since he would have received teachings from firsthand eyewitnesses. And he himself becomes an authenticated witness by reporting what he learned or read in such an early period of Church history. For example, if Polycarp quotes the Book of Matthew as scripture, then it can be determined that:
- the Book of Matthew had already existed for some time instead of being written near the time of Polycarp’s quote.
- that Polycarp had access to a copy of Matthew’s writings, proving that it had an early circulation.
- that the Book of Matthew was already considered part of the cannon of Scripture and could likely be attributed to Matthew as the author (contrary to modern day claims that it was written by someone else decades after Matthew’s death. Papias, a friend and companion of Polycarp’s states the book was authored by Matthew and gives details).
It is interesting to note here that even though skeptics have often revised their assumed date for the writing of the Gospel of Matthew, they do agree that it must have taken place after 70 AD (most saying 80-90 AD). Their logic at arriving at that date is since the text predicts the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem (which occurred in 70 AD) it must have been written after it had happened. These skeptics ignore the passage that Paul quotes from Matthew ( 1 Cor. 1:26-29) up to 17 years before the Temple’s destruction took place. Putting Paul’s quote aside, Polycarp quotes the Book of Mathew in his letter to the Philippians which is estimated to have been written around 107 AD. That is less than 30 years after skeptics claim the book could have been written, yet Polycarp deems it worthy to include in his letter.
Polycarp’s Background
In addition to the fact that he was a disciple of John the Apostle and had directly learned from others that had been eyewitnesses to Jesus’s ministry, there are some other things to know about Polycarp that help us better understand him as an Apostolic Father (a term used for key members of the early Church).
Polycarp was born in 69 AD and dies as a martyr in 155 AD. At the time of his martyrdom, Polycarp was the Bishop of Smyrna and had been appointed to that position by “the eyewitnesses and ministers of the Lord” (quote from Euseubius of Caesarea). In other words, he was ordained as the Bishop by the direct followers of Jesus, including John the Apostle (according to Jerome in On Illustrious Men). He presided as the Bishop of Smyrna for at least 70 years which means that he was appointed this position when he was still in his teens. If you do the math, those dates make him about 16. This testifies to the level of his faith and scriptural knowledge at an early age. Smyrna was on the western end of what is in present day Turkey. It was about 52 miles from Ephesus where John spent the last years of his life. It is assumed that Ephesus was where Polycarp grew up.
One of the challenges facing Christianity at this time was the continual emergence of heretical groups. Individuals that first converted to Christianity would later invent their own theological ideas that did not adhere to the doctrine of the Apostles. When these individuals came into conflict with church leaders they would splinter from the main group and begin proselytizing their own doctrine until they eventually collected their own followers. This is no different from what we see in the present day when people that have never heard the full Gospel are taught things contrary to the Bible. They have no idea that they were being led astray by leaders that are teaching them their own theology. The same thing was happening in Polycarp’s day when people were taken in by the good news of the central message, but did not understand that the anti-Christian teachings mixed in were leading them down a different path. Along with the other early church fathers, Polycarp was often in conflict with the leaders of these heretical groups and was known to speak out against them and their new, invented religions. Several of the more prevalent ideas among Gnostic and other heretical groups were that Jesus never existed as a human but only appeared to be human, there was no Trinity, Jesus was not the son of Yahweh (God the Father), and that Jesus was not an eternal being. Interestingly enough, many of these same heresies are believed by large religious sects today. In his letter to the Philippians, Polycarp is careful to affirm doctrine that disproves these erroneous ideas and to name some of the worst leaders that true Christians should avoid.
There are independent documents that report on Polycarp’s efforts to protect believers from heresies. In On Illustrious Men, Jerome writes that Polycarp had been asked to visit Rome by Anicetus the Bishop of Rome to discuss the proper date for the celebration of Easter (the question was whether the celebration should be held during the Jewish Passover, regardless of the day of the week, or on the following Sunday, since that was the day of the week Jesus was resurrected). According to Jerome, while in Rome “There he (Polycarp) led back to the faith many of the believers who had been deceived through the persuasion of Marcion and Valentius”. Jerome goes on to tell a story of a chance meeting during the same trip, when Marcion was angered that Polycarp did not seem to recognize him. Marcion said, “Do you know us?”. To which Polycarp replied, “I know the first-born of the devil.” This story is also backed up in the writings of Irenaeus, who was a disciple of Polycarp.
The exact dates when Polycarp did certain things can be difficult to determine due to a large amount writing that relies on conjecture about dates of other occurrences. For example, there is a debate on whether Polycarp wrote his letter to the Philippians in 107 AD or 140 AD. The confusion comes not from any skepticism about Polycarp, but because scholars have been in a long battle over when Ignatius of Antioch was martyred. How Polycarp gets tied into this is because his letter refers to Ignatius, who was being transported from Antioch to Rome for execution at about the time the letter was written. Some say that Ignatius died in 108 AD, others 135-140 AD, and a third group says it was sometime after 140-150 AD. Each camp of scholars vehemently defend their preferred death dates for Ignatius and so they drag Polycarp into the fight because they know the writing of his letter will have been within a year of Ignatius’s death.
From there it only gets more complicated. Other writings say that Ignatius was martyred during the Emperor Trajan’s reign, which was from 98 AD to 117 AD. Of all the dates contested for Ignatius’s death, only the 108 AD is within that time period. There is also a letter written to Polycarp from Ignatius, that is believed to have been written just before his death in 108 AD. Yet other scholars have claimed a second letter called the Epistle of Ignatius to the Smyrnaens was written about 110 AD, which is after Ignatius’s supposed death. This has caused another group of scholars to declare that all of the known letters from Ignatius’s (7 total) are complete forgeries and written around 250 AD.
Another important part of Polycarp’s story is his execution for being a Christian. The nature of Polycarp’s death is written about in the 155 AD or 156 AD manuscript known as the Martyrdom of Polycarp. This was a letter written from the church at Smyrna to another church at Philomelium. Some have supposed that the circumstances around his death makes Polycarp the “angel of the church in Smyrna” mentioned in the Book of Revelation. Keep in mind that the word “angel” simply means “messenger”.
Revelation 2: 8-11
8 And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive;
9 I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.
10 Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.
11 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.
At the age of 86, Polycarp prophesied that he would be burned alive. Soon after, he was taken by the Romans. The Martyrdom of Polycarp gives the account of his death, including his conversations with his captors, the Proconsul, and his behavior during his execution. This is a quote from an eyewitness:
And when he had pronounced in a loud voice his Amen, having finished his prayer, they whose office it was kindled the fire, and a great flame flashed forth; and we, to whom the sight was vouchsafed, beheld truly a mighty marvel, who have been to this end preserved, that we might declare to the rest the things which were done. For the fire taking the shape of a dome, like the sail of a ship when filled with wind, compassed all round the body of the martyr; and he appeared in the middle, not like burning flesh, but like gold and silver tried in the furnace. Yea, we perceived too such a sweet odour as from the breath of frankincense, or some other precious perfume.
Seeing that Polycarp was not being consumed by the flames, it was commanded that a man stab him with a sword. When he did, Polycarp’s blood gushed forth and extinguished the fire.
While Polycarp’s martyrdom is interesting on many levels, it is not the main reason he is so important to the authenticity of Scripture. What makes Polycarp’s words carry so much authority comes down to three attributes. As mentioned earlier, the first is that he was an actual disciple of John the Apostle and was taught directly by him and others that knew Jesus. The value of his knowledge gained from such teachers is confirmed by the number times other early Church ministers consulted with him on matters of theology. The second fact that makes Polycarp important is when he lived. Just being alive in the first generation of Christians after the crucifixion means that any theology or scripture he mentions in his writing verifies its authenticity among the early Christians. And finally, the many respected Christian leaders from the same period that testify to his character and integrity in additional writings, make him a valued source. By the testimonies of so many others we know Polycarp writes with authenticity.
What is in Polycarp’s letter to the Philippians and why is it important?
Polycarp’s letter to the Philippians is interesting in a number of ways. This was not a letter that he decided to write in order to correct the group about some problem or to give them direction. Instead, it was a letter the Church requested from him on how they should behave as Christians. In the opening of the second chapter Polycarp writes, “I took not the liberty of myself to write unto you concerning righteousness, but you yourselves before encouraged me to it.” In other words, since Polycarp was viewed as a source close to the apostolic teachings, they wanted to hear directly from him. Polycarp does not hesitate to give them the details.
Several times in the letter Polycarp mentions Paul and his teachings. He knew Paul had actually visited the church there about 50-60 years before Polycarp’s letter. Polycarp also confirms that Paul had sent them the epistle we now find in the Bible. Polycarp reminds them to look to what Paul said since, while he was there he “did with all exactness and soundness teach the word of truth”. That seems contrary to what some scholars would have us believe in regard to an ongoing conflict between the teachings of Paul and the Hebrew members of the Church. Here we have a disciple of John the Apostle giving a strong endorsement for Paul.
“But, Polycarp.”
In his letter to the Philippians, at a period in early Church history that was less than 40 years since the destruction of the Temple, Polycarp says Jesus was resurrected, we are saved by grace and not by works, that all things are made subject to Jesus Christ, that Christians will be resurrected, that the prophets foretold of His coming, that Christ came in the flesh, that He bore our sins, and a host of other points of doctrine that many claim are up for debate, have been misinterpreted, or were later added to Christian teachings as the Bible was modified over the years. Yet, here is the disciple of John clearly refuting all those attempts to erode the Gospel. And he is doing it within one generation of Jesus being on the Earth.
“But, Polycarp.”
And then there is the affirmation of Scripture. In his letter, Polycarp quotes or refers to:
Psalms 2:11, 4:5, Ezekiel 34:4, Matthew 5:3, 5:10, 6:13, 7:14, 26:41, Luke 6:20, 6:37, Acts 11:24, Romans 2:24, 12:17, 14:10, 1 Corinthians 5:10, 6:2, 6:9&10, 2 Corinthians 5:10, Galatians 1, Ephesians 2:8, 4:19, 4:26, 5:5, Philippians 1, 2:10, Colossians 2:5, 3:5, 1 Thessalonians 5:22, 1 Timothy 2:1&2, 6:7, Titus 2:5, 1 Peter 1:8, 1:13, 1:21, 2:11, 2:12, 2:22-24, 3:9, 3:14, 6:7, 1 John 4:3, and Tobit 2:5
“But, Polycarp.”
The quotes from 1 Timothy and Titus are especially ironic in that list since some scholars claim those books (along with 2 Timothy) were written by Polycarp himself, instead of Paul. Thus, according to their theory, Polycarp is quoting himself as Scripture.
Trying to Dismiss Polycarp
There is no doubt Polycarp existed nor that he wrote what he wrote. While many may claim Jesus never existed or much of scripture was simply made up to fool the masses, the historical Polycarp is irrefutable.
The only controversy around Polycarp’s letter (other than the date it was written) is if it may have originally existed as two letters that were combined into one. Amusingly, the two letter theory is just another attempt to resolve the debate over the date of Ignatius’s death by providing two dates for the different parts of Polycarp’s letter.
Regardless, copies or partial copies of his letter keep being discovered over the centuries- these are unaltered and consistent. While it is often claimed that the Bible has been rewritten, reinterpreted, and edited, it would be impossible to find and rewrite all the copies or portions of copies of Polycarp’s letter to the Philippians (in order to make them align with the supposed Scriptural modifications). That makes Polycarp’s references and quotes additional proof of authenticity of the Scripture we have today. Adding to this how early in Church history Polycarp wrote the letter puts an end to much skepticism and more than a little heresy.
“But, Polycarp.”