apostolicfathers0201clem - Carmel Apologetics

GENUINENESS OF THE EPISTLE. 595
2. If from ecclesiastical organization we turn to doctrinal statement,
the contrast still holds. In Polycarp we meet with no emphatic declarations
of the incarnation, of the true
humanity, of the twofold nature of
Christ, such as contront us again and again in Ignatius {Ephes. 7,
18, ig,
Magn. 7, 8, n, Trail. 9, Rom. 7, S/nyrn. i, 4, 5, Folyc. 3).
He never
speaks of 'the blood of God' {Ephes. i) or 'the passion of my God'
{Rom. 6), nor do we find in him any approach to those other strong
modes of speaking, which in Ignatius seem to favour Monophysitism,
such as 'Our God was conceived by Mary' [Ephes. 18). This last
designation, ' '
our God ', my God ', applied to Jesus Christ, occurs
several times in Ignatius (see 11. p. 26). It is not found once in
Polycarp, though in one passage (§ 12), as quoted by Timotheus and
Severus, he speaks of 'the Eternal High-priest, God Jesus Christ', where
the Greek text is
wanting and the Latin reads 'Dei filius', not 'Deus'.
Even in the commonest ways of designating our Lord a difference is
perceptible. Thus the favourite mode of expression in Ignatius is
'Jesus
Christ' or 'Christ Jesus' simply, which occurs nearly a hundred
times; whereas in Polycarp it is found twice only (§§ i, 7), one passage
being a quotation. On the other hand a frequent designation in Polycarp
is 'The Lord Jesus Christ' or 'Our Lord Jesus Christ' occurring
in six places, while in the Ignatian letters it is only found about the
same number of times, and in nearly every instance {Philad. inscr.,
I, 9, 11) with a various reading which has some claims to acceptance;
though these Ignatian letters are between four and five times the length
of Polycarp's Epistle. Again
'
The Lord ' or ' Our Lord ' without the
addition of Jesus Christ appears some sixteen times in Polycarp,
whereas it does not occur as often in the whole body of the Ignatian
letters.
Again the combination 'God and Christ', occurring three times
in Polycarp (§§ 3, 5 bis), is not found at all in Ignatius.
This contrast between the two writers extends to other domains of
theology. Thus Ignatius dwells frequently and with great emphasis on
the blood '
'
'
of Christ, the passion
'
of Christ, the cross '
of Christ, as
'
an object of belief, a centre of unity, and a source of hfe (see 11.
pp. 25
sq, 29 sq, 75, 152, 177, 249, 250, 258, 291 sq, 297, 308), whereas in
Polycarp the blood of Christ is only once mentioned (§ 2),
where it is
regarded as a crime demanding vengeance, and the cross of Christ only
twice (§§ 7, 12),
where it is a protest against doctrinal or practical
opponents. Again there is in Polycarp an entire absence of that sacramental
language which confronts us again and again in the most startling
forms in Ignatius (11. pp. 45, 66, 87, 123, 171, 225 sq, 257 sq, 260,
306, 309). Moreover he has not a single word to say about the unity
38—2