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eternal, of which you too are persuaded. In every way I am a ransom for you and for my chains, which you have loved. Let not those who seem to be worthy of credit, but teach other doctrines, astonish you. Stand firm like an anvil that is being struck. It is the part of a great athlete to be beaten and to conquer. Especially for the sake of God ought we to endure all things, that he also may endure us. Become more zealous than you are. Understand the times. Await him who is above time, the timeless, the invisible, who for our sakes became visible, the untouchable, the impassible, who for our sakes became passible, who in every way endured for our sakes. Let not widows be neglected; after the Lord, you be their guardian. Let nothing be done without your approval, nor you do anything without God, which indeed you do not; be steadfast. Let assemblies be held more frequently; seek out all by name. Do not despise male or female slaves; but neither let them be puffed up, but let them serve more eagerly to the glory of God, that they may obtain from God a better freedom. Let them not desire to be set free at the common expense, lest they be found slaves of lust. Flee from evil arts, but rather deliver a discourse about them. Speak to my sisters, that they love the Lord and be content with their husbands in flesh and in spirit. Likewise exhort my brothers in the name of Jesus Christ to love their wives as "the Lord loves the church." If anyone is able to remain in chastity to the honor of the flesh of the Lord, let him remain without boasting. If he boasts, he is lost, and if it becomes known to any besides the bishop, he is corrupted. It is fitting also for men and women who marry to be united with the consent of the bishop, that the marriage may be according to the Lord and not according to lust. Let all things be done for the honor of God. Give heed to the bishop, that God also may give heed to you. I am a ransom for those who are subject to the bishop, presbyters, deacons; and may it be my lot to have a share with them in God. Labor together with one another, strive together, run together, suffer together, sleep together, rise together as God's stewards and assessors and ministers. Please him for whom you are soldiers, from whom also you receive your wages; let none of you be found a deserter. Let your baptism remain as your armor, your faith as a helmet, your love as a spear, your patience as a full suit of armor; your deposits your works, that you may receive your credits worthily. Be long-suffering therefore with one another in gentleness, as God is with you. May I have joy of you always. Since the church which is in Antioch of Syria is at peace, as it has been made known to me, through your prayer, I too have become more cheerful in freedom from care of God, if only through suffering I may attain to God, so as to be found a disciple of yours at the resurrection. It is fitting, O Polycarp, most blessed of God, to assemble a most God-pleasing council and to elect someone, whom you hold very dear and is tireless, who will be able to be called a God-runner; to appoint this one, that going to Syria he may glorify your tireless love to the glory of God. A Christian does not have authority over himself, but is devoted to God. This is God's work, and yours, when you have completed it.

For I trust in grace, that you are ready for a good work that pertains to God. Knowing your vehemence for the truth, I have exhorted you with a few letters. Since, therefore, I was not able to write to all the churches, because I am sailing suddenly from Troas to Neapolis, as the will commands, you will write to the churches ahead, as one possessing the mind of God, so that they also may do the same, those who are able sending messengers on foot, and others sending letters by those sent by you, that you may be glorified by an eternal work, as being worthy.I greet all by name, and the wife of Epitropus with her whole household and her children. I greet Attalus my beloved. I greet him who is about to be counted worthy to go to Syria. Grace will be with him always and with Polycarp who sends him. Farewell to you always in God

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αἰώνιος, περὶ ἧς καὶ σὺ πέπεισαι. Kατὰ πάντα σου ἀντίψυχον ἐγὼ καὶ δεσμά μου, ἃ ἠγάπησας. Oἱ δοκοῦντες ἀξιόπιστοι εἶναι καὶ ἐτεροδιδασκαλοῦντες μή σε καταπλησσέτωσαν. Στῆθι ἑδραῖος ὡς ἄκμων τυπτόμενος. Mεγάλου ἐστὶν ἀθλητοῦ τὸ δέρεσθαι καὶ νικᾶν. Mάλιστα δὲ ἕνεκεν θεοῦ πάντα ὑπομένειν ἡμᾶς δεῖ, ἵνα καὶ αὐτὸς ἡμᾶς ὑπομείνῃ. Πλέον σπουδαῖος γίνου οὗ εἶ. Tοὺς καιροὺς καταμάνθανε. Tὸν ὑπὲρ καιρὸν προσδόκα, τὸν ἄχρονον, τὸν ἀόρατον, τὸν δι' ἡμᾶς ὁρατόν, τὸν ἀψηλάφητον, τὸν ἀπαθῆ, τὸν δι' ἡμᾶς παθητόν, τὸν κατὰ πάντα τρόπον δι' ἡμᾶς ὑπομείναντα. Χῆραι μὴ ἀμελείσθωσαν· μετὰ τὸν κύριον σὺ αὐτῶν φροντιστὴς ἔσο. Mηδὲν ἄνευ γνώμης σου γινέσθω μηδὲ σὺ ἄνευ θεοῦ τι πρᾶσσε, ὅπερ οὐδὲ πράσσεις· εὐστάθει. Πυκνότερον συναγωγαὶ γινέσθωσαν· ἐξ ὀνόματος πάντας ζήτει.

∆ούλους καὶ δούλας μὴ ὑπερηφάνει· ἀλλὰ μηδὲ αὐτοὶ φυσιούσθωσαν, ἀλλ' εἰς δόξαν θεοῦ πλέον δουλευέτωσαν, ἵνα κρείττονος ἐλευθερίας ἀπὸ θεοῦ τύχωσιν. Mὴ ἐράτωσαν ἀπὸ τοῦ κοινοῦ ἐλευθεροῦσθαι, ἵνα μὴ δοῦλοι εὑρεθῶσιν ἐπιθυμίας. Tὰς κακοτεχνίας φεῦγε, μᾶλλον δὲ περὶ τούτων ὁμιλίαν ποιοῦ. Tαῖς ἀδελφαῖς μου προσλάλει, ἀγαπᾶν τὸν κύριον καὶ τοῖς συμβίοις ἀρκεῖσθαι σαρκὶ καὶ πνεύματι. Ὁμοίως καὶ τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς μου παράγγελλε ἐν ὀνόματι Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ἀγαπᾶν τὰς συμβίους ὡς «ὁ κύριος τὴν ἐκκλησίαν». Eἴ τις δύναται ἐν ἁγνείᾳ μένειν εἰς τιμὴν τῆς σαρκὸς τοῦ κυρίου, ἐν ἀκαυχησίᾳ μενέτω. Ἐὰν καυχήσηται, ἀπώλετο, καὶ ἐὰν γνωσθῇ πλὴν τοῦ ἐπισκόπου, ἔφθαρται. Πρέπει δὲ τοῖς γαμοῦσι καὶ ταῖς γαμουμέναις μετὰ γνώμης τοῦ ἐπισκόπου τὴν ἕνωσιν ποιεῖσθαι, ἵνα ὁ γάμος ᾖ κατὰ κύριον καὶ μὴ κατ' ἐπιθυμίαν. Πάντα εἰς τιμὴν θεοῦ γινέσθω. Tῷ ἐπισκόπῳ προσέχετε, ἵνα καὶ ὁ θεὸς ὑμῖν. Ἀντίψυχον ἐγὼ τῶν ὑποτασσομένων τῷ ἐπισκόπῳ, πρεσβυτέροις, διακόνοις· καὶ μετ' αὐτῶν μοι τὸ μέρος γένοιτο σχεῖν ἐν θεῷ. Συγκοπιᾶτε ἀλλήλοις, συναθλεῖτε, συντρέχετε, συμπάσχετε, συγκοιμᾶσθε, συνεγείρεσθε ὡς θεοῦ οἰκονόμοι καὶ πάρεδροι καὶ ὑπηρέται. Ἀρέσκετε ᾧ στρατεύεσθε, ἀφ' οὗ καὶ τὰ ὀψώνια κομίζεσθε· μή τις ὑμῶν δεσέρτωρ εὑρεθῇ. Tὸ βάπτισμα ὑμῶν μενέτω ὡς ὅπλα, ἡ πίστις ὡς περικεφαλαία, ἡ ἀγάπη ὡς δόρυ, ἡ ὑπομονὴ ὡς πανοπλία· τὰ δεπόσιτα ὑμῶν τὰ ἔργα ὑμῶν, ἵνα τὰ ἄκκεπτα ὑμῶν ἄξια κομίσησθε. Mακροθυμήσατε οὖν μετ' ἀλλήλων ἐν πραότητι, ὡς ὁ θεὸς μεθ' ὑμῶν. Ὀναίμην ὑμῶν διὰ παντός. Ἐπειδὴ ἡ ἐκκλησία ἡ ἐν Ἀντιοχείᾳ τῆς Συρίας εἰρηνεύει, ὡς ἑδηλώθη μοι, διὰ τὴν προσευχὴν ὑμῶν, κἀγὼ εὐθυμότερος ἐγενόμην ἐν ἀμεριμνίᾳ θεοῦ, ἐάνπερ διὰ τοῦ παθεῖν θεοῦ ἐπιτύχω, εἰς τὸ εὑρεθῆναί με ἐν τῇ ἀναστάσει ὑμῶν μαθητήν. Πρέπει, Πολύκαρπε θεομακαριστότατε, συμβούλιον ἀγαγεῖν θεοπρεπέστατον καὶ χειροτονῆσαί τινα, ὃν ἀγαπητὸν λίαν ἔχετε καὶ ἄοκνον, ὃς δυνήσεται θεοδρόμος καλεῖσθαι· τοῦτον καταξιῶσαι, ἵνα πορευθεὶς εἰς Συρίαν δοξάσῃ ὑμῶν τὴν ἄοκνον ἀγάπην εἰς δόξαν θεοῦ. Χριστιανὸς ἑαυτοῦ ἐξουσίαν οὐκ ἔχει, ἀλλὰ θεῷ σχολάζει. Tοῦτο τὸ ἔργον θεοῦ ἐστιν καὶ ὑμῶν, ὅταν αὐτὸ ἀπαρτίσητε.

Πιστεύω γὰρ τῇ χάριτι, ὅτι ἕτοιμοί ἐστε εἰς εὐποιΐαν θεῷ ἀνήκουσαν. Eἰδὼς ὑμῶν τὸ σύντονον τῆς ἀληθείας, δι' ὀλίγων ὑμᾶς γραμμάτων παρεκάλεσα. Ἐπεὶ οὖν πάσαις ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις οὐκ ἠδυνήθην γράψαι διὰ τὸ ἐξαίφνης πλεῖν με ἀπὸ Tρωάδος εἰς Nεάπολιν, ὡς τὸ θέλημα προστάσσει, γράψεις ταῖς ἔμπροσθεν ἐκκλησίαις, ὡς θεοῦ γνώμην κεκτημένος, εἰς τὸ καὶ αὐτοὺς τὸ αὐτὸ ποιῆσαι οἱ μὲν δυνάμενοι πεζοὺς πέμψαι, οἱ δὲ ἐπιστολὰς διὰ τῶν ὑπὸ σοῦ πεμπομένων, ἵνα δοξασθῆτε αἰωνίῳ ἔργῳ, ὡς ἄξιος ὤν.Ἀσπάζομαι πάντας ἐξ ὀνόματος καὶ τὴν τοῦ Ἐπιτρόπου σὺν ὅλῳ τῷ οἴκῳ αὐτῆς καὶ τῶν τέκνων. Ἀσπάζομαι Ἄτταλον τὸν ἀγαπητόν μου. Ἀσπάζομαι τὸν μέλλοντα καταξιοῦσθαι τοῦ εἰς Συρίαν πορεύεθαι. Ἔσται ἡ χάρις μετ' αὐτοῦ διὰ παντὸς καὶ τοῦ πέμποντος αὐτὸν Πολυκάρπου. Ἐρρῶσθαι ὑμᾶς διὰ παντὸς ἐν θεῷ