Overview of Polycarp’s Letter to the Philippians
For this blog, we’re going to do an overview of Polycarp’s letter to the Philippian church, written in the early 2nd century.
If you haven’t yet, I’d encourage you to first check out the introduction to Polycarp’s letter to help give some context. As mentioned in the introduction, the two main themes you’ll find in Polycarp’s letter is righteousness and the danger of greed.
Overview
Chapters 1-2: Opening
Polycarp opens in a style similar to Paul’s and praises the Philippians for their loving hospitality for imprisoned Christians passing by. Although Polycarp doesn’t get specific, there’s a chance he is referring to Ignatius being the one passing by.
Polycarp praises the church for staying fruitful and rooted in the Christian faith despite trials and heresies rising. He encourages the Philippians to stay fruitful by focusing on Christ, both through faith and in obeying His commandments, reminding them of the final judgment and resurrection to come.
Chapter 3-4.1: Reason for the Letter
Here we see Polycarp address the reason for his letter, “These things, brethren, I write to you concerning righteousness, not because I take anything upon myself, but because you have invited me to do so.” He then turns his attention to Paul and his letters, encouraging the congregation to study them so that they can be built up in the faith. It is after mentioning Paul that Polycarp then quotes 1st Timothy 6:10:
“But the love of money is the root of all evils. Knowing, therefore, that as we brought nothing into the world, so we can carry nothing out, let us arm ourselves with the armor of righteousness; and let us teach, first of all, ourselves to walk in the commandments of the Lord.”
In my opinion, chapter 3-4.1 gives us the big idea of Polycarp’s letter. He first addresses his reasoning for writing the letter, followed by discussing righteousness and warning about the love of money. As we’ll see in chapter 11, this is likely a response to the Philippians informing Polycarp of issues happening in their church.
Chapters 4.2-6: Instructions
Polycarp transitions into giving household instructions for husbands, wives, widows, deacons, young men, young women, and finally the presbyters. I’d like to give some focus on Polycarp’s instructions for the presbyters. What were his expectations for the leaders?
“And let the presbyters be compassionate and merciful to all, bringing back those that wander, visiting the sick, and not neglecting the widow, the orphan, the poor, but always providing for that which is becoming in the sight of God and man; abstaining from all wrath, respect of persons, and unjust judgment; keeper far off from all covetousness, not quickly crediting [an evil report] against anyone, not severe in judgment, as knowing that we are all under a debt of sin.
If then we entreat the Lord to forgive us, we ought also ourselves to forgive; for we are before the eyes of our Lord and God, and we must all appear at the judgment seat of Christ, and must every one give an account of himself.”
If you’ve been following my blogs on the other Apostolic Fathers, then none of this should sound new. But I want to highlight this just to nail down how important it was (and still is) that church leaders be humble, just, and took care of the vulnerable. Polycarp is about to shift into core doctrines that need to be kept, and we’ll get to that. But we cannot overstate how crucial it is that leaders of churches humbly take care of their congregation, help those in need, and not show favoritism.
Chapter 7: Holding to the Truth
After giving instructions on living fruitfully in the Body of Christ, Polycarp then shares the core doctrines of Christian faith that must be kept: the humanity of Jesus, His death, resurrection, calling believers to repentance, and coming judgment.
“For whosoever does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh, is antichrist; and whosoever does not confess the testimony of the cross, is of the devil; and whosoever perverts the oracles of the Lord to his own lusts, and says that there is neither a resurrection nor a judgment, he is the firstborn of Satan.”
This passage among other quotes from the Apostolic Fathers fits very consistently in the Apostles Creed, and it shows how consistently the early Church understood what doctrines absolutely mattered the most.
Chapter 8-10: Jesus is our Example
Polycarp encourages the Philippians to seek Jesus as their truest example in humble endurance. In recognizing the accomplishment Christ made on the cross and resurrection, he reminds the church to imitate Jesus’s sacrificial love and patience. He also brings saints who’ve also persevered through persecution, including Ignatius and Paul.
Similar to a point made in 2nd Clement, Polycarp also recognizes how living out Christ’s commandments brings good witness to nonbelievers. But if Christians fail to love like Christ loves, those who are lost stay lost, not believing the testimony of Christ.
Chapter 11: Church Conflict
Here we get to what is possibly the primary reason Polycarp addresses the danger of money so much in the letter. He addresses a former leader in the Philippian church, a man named Valens. It seems Valens abused his position and took advantage of their money. As a result, he and his wife either left the church or were kicked out because they did not repent.
It seems likely that the Philippians wanted Polycarp to write to them for both encouragement and guidance on the fallout they were experiencing. Anybody who has experienced a falling out like this in their church can understand a desire for encouragement and advice from a fellow Christian they look up to. What is humbling is Polycarp’s response to Valens leaving. After addressing how sorry he was to hear about what Valens did, and encourages the congregation to not love money and instead practice self-control, Polycarp writes:
“I am deeply grieved, therefore, brethren, from him and his wife; to whom may the Lord grant true repentance! And be then moderate in regard to this matter, and do not count such as enemies, but call them back as suffering and straying members, that you may save your whole body. For by so acting you shall edify yourselves.”
It’s important to note that as much as Polycarp emphasizes righteous living, he also emphasizes humility and grace, including those who’ve left the church. His response to Valens isn’t condemnation, but rather to pray for him and his wife as members who’ve fallen away but can be reconciled through genuine repentance.
Chapters 12-14: Conclusion
The last few chapters wrap up the letter, as Polycarp gives final instructions on righteous living and praying for enemies. Chapter 13 focuses on Ignatius, and Polycarp encourages the Philippians to read his letters which they are sending to them. As mentioned in the introduction blog, this chapter might actually be a separate letter Polycarp previously sent to the congregation.
Application Points
In overviewing Polycarp’s Letter to the Philippians, here are a few points we can take away and apply today in the Church:
· Whatever issues arise both inside and outside the Church, we must look to Jesus first and foremost
· Church leaders must hold to sound doctrine while also actively caring for the needs of those around them
· Our primary example of living our Christian faith is Jesus and His sacrificial love
· We must not take advantage of or abuse our resources, especially money, and church leaders should be held accountable for how money is being spent
· When experiencing a falling out with someone in our church, including someone in a leadership role, we shouldn’t be quick to condemn, but to pray for their genuine repentance and restoration
The next writing in the Apostolic Fathers collection we’ll be focusing on is The Martyrdom of Polycarp. But before diving into this writing, we will first look a little into the genre of martyrdom writings in the early Church.
Bibliography
Schaff, P. (2016). The Complete Ante-Nicene, Nicene and Post-Nicene Collection of Early Church Fathers. Toronto, Canada.
Holmes, M. (2006). The Apostolic Fathers in English (3rd ed.). Grand Rapids, MI. Baker Academic.
Thumbnail Image: Church Icon at St Polycarp’s Roman Catholic Church depicting Polycarp miraculously extinguishing fire of the city of Smyrna (Izmir, Turkey).
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Izmir_St_Polycarp_Church_Icon_Miraculously_Extinguishing_Smyrna_Fire.JPG