5

Be not deceived, my brothers; the corrupters of households will not inherit the kingdom of God. If those who corrupt human households are condemned to death, how much more will those who attempt to adulterate the teaching of Christ pay an eternal penalty, for which the Lord Jesus, the only-begotten Son of God, endured the cross and death, whose teaching he who rejects, having been made sleek and fat, will go to Gehenna? And likewise also every man who has received from God the ability to discern will be punished, having followed an inexperienced shepherd and having accepted a false opinion as true. What fellowship has light with darkness, or Christ with Beliar, or what part has a believer with an unbeliever, or the temple of God with idols? And I also say: what fellowship has truth with falsehood, or righteousness with unrighteousness, or true opinion with false opinion? For this reason the Lord received myrrh on His head, that the Church might breathe incorruption. For 'myrrh poured out,' it says, 'is your name;' therefore maidens have loved you, they have drawn you; we will run after you to the scent of your myrrh. Let not the holy Church of God be anointed with the stench of the teaching of this age; let it not be taken captive by his craftiness, as was the first woman. Why, being rational, do we not become wise? Why, having received from Christ the innate standard concerning God, do we fall into ignorance, through carelessness ignoring the gift which we have received, do we perish senselessly? The cross of Christ is a stumbling block to unbelievers, but to believers salvation and eternal life. Where is the wise? Where is the debater? Where is the boasting of those who are called powerful? For the Son of God, who was begotten before the ages and established all things by the will of the Father, He was carried in the womb by Mary according to the dispensation, of the seed of David, but of the Holy Spirit. For behold, it says, the virgin will conceive in her womb and will bear a son, and He will be called Emmanuel. He was born, was baptized by John, that he might confirm the ordinance committed to the prophet. And hidden from the prince of this age were the virginity of Mary and her giving birth, and likewise the death of the Lord: three mysteries of a cry, which were wrought in silence, but were manifested to us. A star in heaven shone above all those before it, and its light was indescribable, and its newness caused astonishment to those who saw it. And all the other stars, together with the sun and moon, became a chorus to the star, but it surpassed them in its brightness. And there was confusion, whence this newness that had appeared. From this, worldly wisdom was made foolish, sorcery was nonsense, and magic a joke; every ordinance of wickedness was vanishing, the darkness of ignorance was being scattered, and tyrannical rule was being destroyed, God appearing as man and man acting as God; but neither was the former an appearance nor the latter a mere man, but the one was truth, and the other a dispensation. And what had been perfected with God was receiving a beginning; from this all things were set in motion because the abolition of death was being planned.

Stand fast, brothers, firm in the faith of Jesus Christ and in His love, in His passion and resurrection. You are all gathered together in grace by name in common, in one faith of God the Father and of Jesus Christ, His only-begotten Son and the firstborn of all creation, but according to the flesh of the lineage of David, guided by the Comforter; obeying the bishop and the presbytery with an undistracted mind, breaking one bread, which is the medicine of immortality, an antidote so as not to die, but to live in God through Jesus Christ, a purifying remedy that drives out evil.

May I be a ransom for you and for those whom you sent for the honor of God to Smyrna, from where I also write to you, giving thanks to the Lord, loving Polycarp as I also love you. Remember me, as also Jesus the Christ, who is blessed forever, remembers you. Pray for the church of the Antiochians which is in Syria, from where, bound, I am being led away to Rome, being the least of the faithful there, just as I was counted worthy for the honor of God to bear these chains.

5

Mὴ πλανᾶσθε, ἀδελφοί μου· οἱ οἰκοφθόροι βασιλείαν θεοῦ οὐ κληρονομήσουσιν. εἰ δὲ οἱ τοὺς ἀνθρωπίνους οἴκους διαφθείροντες θανάτῳ καταδικάζονται, πόσῳ μᾶλλον οἱ τὴν Χριστοῦ διδασκαλίαν νοθεύειν ἐπιχειροῦντες αἰωνίαν τίσουσι δίκην, ὑπὲρ ἧς σταυρὸν καὶ θάνατον ὑπέμεινεν ὁ κύριος Ἰησοῦς ὁ τοῦ θεοῦ μονογενὴς υἱός, οὗ τὴν διδασκαλίαν ὁ ἀθετήσας λιπανθεὶς καὶ παχυνθεὶς εἰς γέενναν χωρήσει; ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ πᾶς ἄνθρωπος ὁ τὸ διακρίνειν παρὰ θεοῦ εἰληφὼς κολασθήσεται, ἀπείρῳ ποιμένι ἐξακολουθήσας καὶ ψευδῆ δόξαν ὡς ἀληθῆ δεξάμενος. τίς κοινωνία φωτὶ πρὸς σκότος ἢ Χριστῷ πρὸς Bελίαρ, ἢ τίς μερὶς πιστοῦ πρὸς ἄπιστον ἢ ναῷ θεοῦ μετὰ εἰδώλων; φημὶ δὲ κἀγώ· τίς κοινωνία ἀληθείας πρὸς ψεῦδος ἢ δικαιοσύνης πρὸς ἀδικίαν ἢ δόξης πρὸς ψευδοδοξίαν; ∆ιὰ τοῦτο μύρον ἔλαβεν ὁ κύριος ἐπὶ τῆς κεφαλῆς, ἵνα ἡ ἐκκλησία πνέῃ τὴν ἀφθαρσίαν. μύρον γάρ, φησίν, ἐκκενωθὲν ὄνομά σοι· διὰ τοῦτο νεάνιδες ἠγάπησάν σε, εἵλκυσάν σε· ὀπίσω εἰς ὀσμὴν μύρων σου δραμούμεθα. μὴ ἀλειφέσθω δυσωδίαν διδασκαλίας τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου ἡ ἁγία τοῦ θεοῦ ἐκκλησία· μὴ αἰχμαλωτισθῇ ὑπὸ τῆς πανουργίας αὐτοῦ, ὡς ἡ πρώτη γυνή. διὰ τί λογικοὶ ὄντες οὐ γινόμεθα φρόνιμοι; διὰ τί ἔμφυτον τὸ περὶ θεοῦ παρὰ Χριστοῦ λαβόντες κριτήριον εἰς ἄγνοιαν καταπίπτομεν, ἐξ ἀμελείας ἀγνοοῦντες τὸ χάρισμα, ὃ εἰλήφαμεν, ἀνοήτως ἀπολλύμεθα; Ὁ σταυρὸς τοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῖς μὲν ἀπίστοις σκάνδαλόν ἐστιν, τοῖς δὲ πιστοῖς σωτηρία καὶ ζωὴ αἰώνιος. ποῦ σοφός; ποῦ συζητητής; ποῦ καύχησις τῶν λεγομένων δυνατῶν; ὁ γὰρ τοῦ θεοῦ υἱός, ὁ πρὸ αἰώνων γεννηθεὶς καὶ τὰ πάντα γνώμῃ τοῦ πατρὸς συστησάμενος, οὗτος ἐκυοφορήθη ἐκ Mαρίας κατ' οἰκονομίαν, ἐκ σπέρματος μὲν ∆αυίδ, πνεύματος ὲ ἁγίου. ἰδοὺ γάρ, φησίν, ἡ παρθένος ἐν γαστρὶ λήψεται καὶ τέξεται υἱόν, καὶ κληθήσεται Ἐμμανουήλ. οὗτος ἐγεννήθη, ἐβαπτίσθη ὑπὸ Ἰωάννου, ἵνα πιστοποιήσηται τὴν διάταξιν τὴν ἐγχειρισθεῖσαν τῷ προφήτῃ. Kαὶ ἔλαθεν τὸν ἄρχοντα τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου ἡ παρθενία Mαρίας καὶ ὁ τοκετὸς αὐτῆς, ὁμοίως καὶ ὁ θάνατος τοῦ κυρίου· τρία μυστήρια κραυγῆς, ἅτινα ἐν ἡσυχίᾳ ἐπράχθη, ἡμῖν δὲ ἐφανερώθη. ἀστὴρ ἐν οὐρανῷ ἔλαμψεν ὑπὲρ πάντας τοὺς πρὸ αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὸ φῶς αὐτοῦ ἀνεκλάλητον ἦν καὶ ξενισμὸν παρεῖχεν ἡ καινότης αὐτοῦ τοῖς ὁρῶσιν αὐτόν. τὰ δὲ λοιπὰ πάντα ἄστρα ἅμα ἡλίῳ καὶ σελήνῃ χορὸς ἐγίνοντο τῷ ἀστέρι, αὐτὸς δὲ ἦν ὑπερβάλλων αὐτοὺς τῷ φανῷ· ταραχή τε ἦν, πόθεν ἡ καινότης ἡ φαινομένη. ἔνθεν ἐμωραίνετο σοφία κοσμική, γοητεία ὕθλος ἦν καὶ γέλως ἡ μαγεία· πᾶς θεσμὸς κακίας ἠφανίζετο, ἀγνοίας ζόφος διεσκεδάννυτο καὶ τυραννικὴ ἀρχὴ καθῃρεῖτο, θεοῦ ὡς ἀνθρώπου φαινομένου καὶ ἀνθρώπου ὡς θεοῦ ἐνεργοῦντος· ἀλλ' οὔτε τὸ πρότερον δόξα οὔτε τὸ δεύτερον ψιλότης, ἀλλὰ τὸ μὲν ἀλήθεια, τὸ δὲ οἰκονομία. ἀρχὴν δὲ ἐλάμβανεν τὸ παρὰ θεῷ ἀπηρτισμένον· ἔνθεν τὰ πάντα συνεκινεῖτο διὰ τὸ μελετᾶσθαι θανάτου κατάλυσιν.

Στήκετε, ἀδελφοί, ἑδραῖοι ἐν τῇ πίστει Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ ἐν τῇ αὐτοῦ ἀγάπῃ, ἐν πάθει αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀναστάσει. πάντες ἐν χάριτι ἐξ ὀνόματος συναθροίζεσθε κοινῇ, ἐν μιᾷ πίστει θεοῦ πατρὸς καὶ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, τοῦ μονογενοῦς αὐτοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ καὶ πρωτοτόκου πάσης κτίσεως, κατὰ σάρκα δὲ ἐκ γένους ∆αυίδ, ἐφοδηγούμενοι ὑπὸ τοῦ παρακλήτου· ὑπακούοντες τῷ ἐπισκόπῳ καὶ τῷ πρεσβυτερίῳ ἀπερισπάστῳ διανοίᾳ, ἕνα ἄρτον κλῶντες, ὅ ἐστιν φάρμακον ἀθανασίας, ἀντίδοτος τοῦ μὴ ἀποθανεῖν, ἀλλὰ ζῆν ἐν θεῷ διὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, καθαρτήριον ἀλεξίκακον. Eἴην ὑμῶν ἀντίψυχον καὶ ὧν ἐπέμψατε εἰς θεοῦ τιμὴν εἰς Σμύρναν, ὅθεν καὶ γράφω ὑμῖν, εὐχαριστῶν τῷ κυρίῳ, ἀγαπῶν Πολύκαρπον ὡς καὶ ὑμᾶς. μνημονεύετέ μου, ὡς καὶ ὑμῶν Ἰησοῦς ὁ Χριστός, ὁ εὐλογητὸς εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας. προσεύχεσθε ὑπὲρ τῆς ἐκκλησίας Ἀντιοχέων τῆς ἐν Συρίᾳ, ὅθεν δεδεμένος εἰς Ῥώμην ἀπάγομαι, ἔσχατος ὢν τῶν ἐκεῖ πιστῶν, ὥσπερ ἠξιώθην εἰς θεοῦ τιμὴν φορέσαι ταυτασὶ τὰς ἁλύσεις.