CHAPTER IV. —THE APOSTOLIC FATHERS
Section 4.—Epistle
to Polycarp.
,
another of the apostolical fathers, is usually, in accordance with the style
of later writers, described as Bishop of Smyrna, though his pupil and admirer,
Irenaeus, in a letter to Florinus, preserved by Eusebius,[1]
speaks of him long after his death; as “that blessed and
apostolic presbyter.” His name is not mentioned in Scripture, though some have supposed
him to be the angel of the church at Smyrna, to whom. the apocalyptic epistle
was addressed by our Saviour. This is not probable; but there is no reason to
doubt that he had conversed with the apostle John, and that he presided over
the church at Smyrna for many years before his martyrdom, .which took place
about the year 160. He lived many years after all the rest of the fathers of
the apostolic age; and if he had written much, and if his writings had been
preserved to us, he might have given us much interesting and important
information concerning the condition of the church during the first half of
the second century. But the Head of the church has not been pleased to afford
us this privilege, or to communicate to us instruction or information through
this channel. The only thing of Polycarp’s that has come down to us, is a
very short epistle to the church at Philippi, consisting chiefly of plain,
practical exhortations, wholly in the spirit, and very much in the words, of
Scripture. It was written about the year 116, and thus belongs to exactly the
same period as the epistles ascribed to Ignatius; and though Mosheim declines
to give any decision upon the point, there is no sufficient reason, as Neander
admits, for doubting its genuineness or suspecting it of interpolations.
Almost all
the general observations we have made upon the character of Clement, and the
value of his epistle, apply equally to Polycarp. Polycarp occupies an
important place in bearing testimony, directly and indirectly, to the leading
facts of Christianity, and to the general reception of the books of
Scripture; but beyond this, there is not much of real value or importance that
can be directly, or by implication, derived from his epistle. We learn from it
nothing concerning. Christ or the apostles, their actions or their doctrines,
but what is at least as fully and plainly taught us in the canonical
Scripture; and it contains nothing fitted to throw any light upon any of the
more obscure and difficult portions of the word of God. It does give us some
indications of what was the government of the church in the age immediately
succeeding that of the apostles; and these are in perfect accordance with the
statements of Scripture and the information of Clement. We learn from the
inscription of this epistle, that other presbyters were associated with
Polycarp in the government of the church at Smyrna; while we have no
indication that he held a different office from theirs, or exercised any
jurisdiction over them. We learn from it, also, that at this time the church
of Philippi was governed by presbyters and deacons, just as we learn from Paul’s
epistle to the same church, written about sixty years before, that it was then
governed by bishops and deacons. This might be regarded as a confirmation,
if a thing so clear required to be confirmed, that in Scripture bishop and
presbyter are the same; while it also shows that this identity, which the
apostles established and the Scripture sanctions, continued for some time
after the inspired rulers of the church had been taken away. The only other
thing of any value or interest which we learn from Polycarp’s epistle is,
that instances occasionally occurred, even in that early period, in which
presbyters fell into gross and open immorality, and were in consequence
deposed from their office.
ENDNOTES:
[1]
Lib. 5, c. 20.
