apostolicfathers0201clem - Carmel Apologetics

GENUINENESS OF THE EPISTLE. 583
at the time of his martyrdom, designate the whole duration of his
life— and this is the explanation least favourable to our present purpose—
he was born about a.d. 69 (see above, p. 437 sq). Of the martyrdom
to be
of Ignatius, with which the writing of Polycarp's letter professes
nearly coincident, we can only say that it was probably during Trajan's
reign, and therefore not later than a.d. 118 (see 11. p. 435 sq). Polycarp
might thus have been close upon fifty years old when he wrote. If
we suppose the persecution at Antioch, in which Ignatius suffered, to
be coincident with the persecution in Bithynia, which Pliny records
(a.d. 112)— a hypothesis which in the absence of all direct evidence is
not unfair— he would even in this case be close upon forty-five.
He
had been a disciple, apparently a favourite disciple, of the aged
Apostle S. John. Thus he was the chief depositary of the primitive
tradition. He was especially commended by Ignatius, who would
naturally speak of him to the Philippians. History does not point to
any person after the death of Ignatius, whose reputation stood nearly
so high among his contemporaries. So far as any inference can be
drawn from silence, he was now the one prominent man in the Church.
We are expressly told that, even before his hairs were gray (koI irpo rrjs
TToAias), he was treated with every honour by those about him {Mart.
Folyc. 13). Is it
any surprise that the Philippians should have asked
him to write to them The arrangements for the conveyance of their
letter to Antioch in obedience to the directions of Ignatius (§ 13) had
obliged them to communicate with Polycarp. What wonder then that
they should, while writing, have invited such a man to address to them
words of exhortation, teUing him at the same time of the scandal which
the avarice of Valens and his wife had created On his own part
Polycarp writes with singular modesty. He associates the presbyters
with himself in the opening address. He says that he should not have
ventured to write as he does, if he had not received a request from the
Philippians (§ 3).
He even deprecates any assumption of superiority.
(2)
The manner in which the writer refers to S. Paul is
thought to
betray the hand of a forger. In more than one passage he alludes to
the connexion of the Apostle with the Philippian Church. At an early
stage (§ 3) he excuses himself for addressing them, saying that he
'
cannot venture to compare himself with the blessed and glorious Paul ',
who taught them the truths of the Gospel in person, and when ' absent
wrote letters '
'
to them (aTrwv v\ilv eypaij/iv i-ma-ToXas:),
from which, if they
studied them, they would find edification ' (eis a eav iyKVTTTrjre, Swrj-
OT](Te(T0e olKoSo[j.eLa-6aL k.tX). In a second passage (§ 9) he refers them
to S. Paul among others, as an example of patience which they them-