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BOOK 4  (from: _Apostolic Fathers,_ Lightfoot & Harmer, 1891 translation)

                         POLYCARP to the Philippians

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CHAPTER 0
 0:1  |Polycarp and the presbyters that are with him
unto the Church of God which sojourneth at Philippi;
mercy unto you and peace from God Almighty and Jesus
Christ our Saviour be multiplied.

CHAPTER 1
 1:1  |I rejoiced with you greatly in our Lord Jesus
Christ, for that ye received the followers of the true
Love and escorted them on their way, as befitted you
-- those men encircled in saintly bonds which are the
diadems of them that be truly chosen of God and our
Lord;
 1:2  and that the stedfast root of your faith which
was famed from primitive times abideth until now and
beareth fruit unto our Lord Jesus Christ, who endured
to face even death for our sins, _whom God raised,
having loosed the pangs of Hades;_
 1:3  _on whom, though ye saw Him not, ye believe with
joy unutterable and full of glory;_ unto which joy
many desire to enter in; forasmuch as ye know that it
is _by grace ye are saved, not of works,_ but by the
will of God through Jesus Christ.

CHAPTER 2
 2:1  |_Wherefore gird up your loins and serve God in
fear_ and truth, forsaking the vain and empty talking
and the error of the many, _for that ye have believed
on Him that raised our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead
and gave unto Him glory_ and a throne on His right
hand; unto whom all things were made subject that are
in heaven and that are on the earth; to whom every
creature that hath breath doeth service; who cometh as
_judge of quick and dead;_ whose blood God will
require of them that are disobedient unto Him.
 2:2  Now _He that raised Him_ from the dead _will
raise us also;_ if we do His will and walk in His
commandments and love the things which He loved,
abstaining from all unrighteousness, covetousness,
love of money, evil speaking, false witness; _not
rendering evil for evil or railing for railing_ or
blow for blow or cursing for cursing;
 2:3  but remembering the words which the Lord spake,
as He taught; _Judge not that ye be not judged.
Forgive, and it shall be forgiven to you. Have mercy
that ye may receive mercy. With what measure ye mete,
it shall be measured to you again;_ and again
_Blessed are the poor and they that are persecuted for
righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of
God._

CHAPTER 3
 3:1  |These things, brethren, I write unto you
concerning righteousness, not because I laid this
charge upon myself, but because ye invited me.
 3:2  For neither am I, nor is any other like unto me,
able to follow the wisdom of the blessed and glorious
Paul, who when he came among you taught face to face
with the men of that day the word which concerneth
truth carefully and surely; who also, when he was
absent, wrote a letter unto you, into the which if ye
look diligently, ye shall be able to be builded up
unto the faith given to you,
 3:3  _which is the mother of us all,_ while hope
followeth after and love goeth before -- love toward
God and Christ and toward our neighbour. For if any
man be occupied with these, he hath fulfilled the
commandment of righteousness; for he that hath love is
far from all sin.

CHAPTER 4
 4:1  |_But the love of money is the beginning of all
troubles._ Knowing therefore that _we brought nothing
into the world neither can we carry anything out,_ let
us arm ourselves with the armour of righteousness, and
let us teach ourselves first to walk in the
commandment of the Lord;
 4:2  and then our wives also, to walk in the faith
that hath been given unto them and in love and purity,
cherishing their own husbands in all truth and loving
all men equally in all chastity, and to train their
children in the training of the fear of God.
 4:3  Our widows must be sober-minded as touching the
faith of the Lord, making intercession without ceasing
for all men, abstaining from all calumny, evil
speaking, false witness, love of money, and every evil
thing, knowing that they are God's altar, and that all
sacrifices are carefully inspected, and nothing
escapeth Him either of their thoughts or intents or
any of the secret things of the heart.

CHAPTER 5
 5:1  |Knowing then that _God is not mocked,_ we ought
to walk worthily of His commandment and His glory.
 5:2  In like manner deacons should be blameless in
the presence of His righteousness, as deacons of God
and Christ and not of men; not calumniators, not
double-tongued, not lovers of money, temperate in all
things, compassionate, diligent, walking according to
the truth of the Lord who became _a minister (deacon)
of all._ For if we be well pleasing unto Him in this
present world, we shall receive the future world also,
according as He promised us to raise us from the dead,
and that if we conduct ourselves worthily of Him _we
shall also reign with Him,_ if indeed we have faith.
 5:3  In like manner also the younger men must be
blameless in all things, caring for purity before
everything and curbing themselves from every evil. For
it is a good thing to refrain from lusts in the world,
for every _lust warreth against the Spirit,_ and
_neither whoremongers nor effeminate persons nor
defilers of themselves with men shall inherit the
kingdom of God,_ neither they that do untoward things.
Wherefore it is right to abstain from all these
things, submitting yourselves to the presbyters and
deacons as to God and Christ. The virgins must walk in
a blameless and pure conscience.

CHAPTER 6
 6:1  |And the presbyters also must be compassionate,
merciful towards all men, _turning back the sheep that
are gone astray,_ visiting all the infirm, not
neglecting a widow or an orphan or a poor man: but
_providing always for that which is honorable in the
sight of God and of men,_ abstaining from all anger,
respect of persons, unrighteous judgment, being far
from all love of money, not quick to believe anything
against any man, not hasty in judgment, knowing that
we all are debtors of sin.
 6:2  If then we entreat the Lord that He would
forgive us, we also ought to forgive: for we are
before the eyes of our Lord and God, and we must _all
stand at the judgment-seat of Christ,_ and _each man
must give an account of himself._
 6:3  Let us therefore so serve Him with fear and all
reverence, as He himself gave commandment and the
Apostles who preached the Gospel to us and the
prophets who proclaimed beforehand the coming of our
Lord; being zealous as touching that which is good,
abstaining from offences and from the false brethren
and from them that bear the name of the Lord in
hypocrisy, who lead foolish men astray.

CHAPTER 7
 7:1  |For every one _who shall not confess that Jesus
Christ is come in the flesh, is antichrist:_ and
whosoever shall not confess the testimony of the
Cross, is of the devil; and whosoever shall pervert
the oracles of the Lord to his own lusts and say that
there is neither resurrection nor judgment, that man
is the first-born of Satan.
 7:2  Wherefore let us forsake the vain doing of the
many and their false teachings, and turn unto the word
which was delivered unto us from the beginning, _being
sober unto prayer_ and constant in fastings,
entreating the all-seeing God with supplications that
He _bring us not into temptation,_ according as the
Lord said, _The spirit indeed is willing, but the
flesh is weak._

CHAPTER 8
 8:1  |Let us therefore without ceasing hold fast by
our hope and by the earnest of our righteousness,
which is Jesus Christ who _took up our sins in His own
body upon the tree, who did no sin, neither was guile
found in His mouth,_ but for our sakes He endured all
things, that we might live in Him.
 8:2  Let us therefore become imitators of His
endurance; and if we should suffer for His name's
sake, let us glorify Him. For He gave this example to
us in His own person, and we believed this.

CHAPTER 9
 9:1  |I exhort you all therefore to be obedient unto
the word of righteousness and to practise all
endurance, which also ye saw with your own eyes in the
blessed Ignatius and Zosimus and Rufus, yea and in
others also who came from among yourselves, as well as
in Paul himself and the rest of the Apostles;
 9:2  being persuaded that all these _ran not in vain_
but in faith and righteousness, and that they are in
their due place in the presence of the Lord, with whom
also they suffered. For they _loved not the present
world,_ but Him that died for our sakes and was raised
by God for us.

CHAPTER 10
 10:1  |Stand fast therefore in these things and follow
the example of the Lord, _being firm in the faith_ and
_immovable, in love of the brotherhood kindly
affectioned one to another,_ partners with the truth,
_forestalling one another_ in the gentleness of the
Lord, despising no man.
 10:2  _When ye are able to do good,_ defer it not,
for _Pitifulness delivereth from death. Be ye all
subject one to another, having your conversation_
unblameable _among the Gentiles, that from your good
works_ both ye may receive praise and the Lord may not
be blasphemed in you.
 10:3  But _woe to him through whom the name of the
Lord is blasphemed._ Therefore teach all men
soberness, in which ye yourselves also walk.

CHAPTER 11
 11:1  |I was exceedingly grieved for Valens, who
aforetime was a presbyter among you, because he is so
ignorant of the office which was given unto him. I
warn you therefore that ye refrain from covetousness,
and that ye be pure and truthful. Refrain from all
evil.
 11:2  But he who cannot govern himself in these
things, how doth he enjoin this upon another? If a man
refrain not from covetousness, he shall be defiled by
idolatry, and shall be judged as one of the Gentiles
who _know not the judgment of the Lord. Nay, know we
not, that the saints shall judge the world,_ as Paul
teacheth?
 11:3  But I have not found any such thing in you,
neither have heard thereof, among whom the blessed
Paul laboured, who were his _letters_ in the
beginning. For _he boasteth of you in_ all those
_churches_ which alone at that time knew God; for we
knew Him not as yet.
 11:4  Therefore I am exceedingly grieved for him and
for his wife, unto whom may the Lord grant true
repentance. Be ye therefore yourselves also sober
herein, and _hold not such as enemies,_ but restore
them as frail and erring members, that ye may save the
whole body of you. For so doing, ye do edify one
another.

CHAPTER 12
 12:1  |For I am persuaded that ye are well trained in
the sacred writings, and nothing is hidden from you.
But to myself this is not granted. Only, as it is said
in these scriptures, _Be ye angry and sin not,_ and
_Let not the sun set on your wrath._ Blessed is he
that remembereth this; and I trust that this is in
you.
 12:2  Now may the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, and the eternal High-priest Himself, the [Son
of] God Jesus Christ, build you up in faith and truth,
and in all gentleness and in all avoidance of wrath
and in forbearance and long suffering and in patient
endurance and in purity; and may He grant unto you a
lot and portion among His saints, and to us with you,
and to all that are under heaven, who shall believe on
our Lord and God Jesus Christ and on His Father _that
raised Him from the dead._
 12:3  _Pray for all the saints._ Pray also _for
kings_ and powers and princes, and _for them that
persecute_ and hate _you,_ and for _the enemies of the
cross,_ that your fruit may be _manifest among all
men,_ that ye may be perfect in Him.

CHAPTER 13
 13:1  |Ye wrote to me, both ye yourselves and
Ignatius, asking that if any one should go to Syria he
might carry thither the letters from you. And this I
will do, if I get a fit opportunity, either I myself,
or he whom I shall send to be an ambassador on your
behalf also.
 13:2  The letters of Ignatius which were sent to us
by him, and others as many as we had by us, we send
unto you, according as ye gave charge; the which are
subjoined to this letter; from which ye will be able
to gain great advantage. For they comprise faith and
endurance and every kind of edification, which
pertaineth unto our Lord. Moreover concerning Ignatius
himself and those that were with him, if ye have any
sure tidings, certify us.

CHAPTER 14
 14:1  |I write these things to you by Crescens, whom I
commended to you recently and now commend unto you:
for he hath walked blamelessly with us; and I believe
also with you in like manner. But ye shall have his
sister commended, when she shall come to you. Fare ye
well in the Lord Jesus Christ in grace, ye and all
yours. Amen.