My LORD’s BibleMartyrdom of Polycarp 22
1We wish you, brethren, all happiness, while you walk according to the doctrine of the gospel of Jesus Christ; with whom be glory to God the Father and the Holy Spirit, for the salvation of His holy elect, after whose example the blessed Polycarp suffered, following in whose steps may we too be found in the kingdom of Jesus Christ! These things Caius transcribed from the copy of Irenæus (who was a disciple of Polycarp), having himself been intimate with Irenæus. And I Socrates transcribed them at Corinth from the copy of Caius. Grace be with you all. And I again, Pionius, wrote them from the previously written copy, having carefully searched into them, and the blessed Polycarp having manifested them to me through a revelation, even as I shall show in what follows. I have collected these things, when they had almost faded away through the lapse of time, that the Lord Jesus Christ may also gather me along with His elect into His heavenly kingdom, to whom, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
ΓΕρρῶσθαι ὑμᾶς εὐχόμεθα, ἀδελφοί, στοιχοῦν- τας τῷ κατὰ τὸ εὐαγγέλεον λόγῳ ᾿Ιησοῦ Χριστοῦ: μεθ᾽ οὗ δόξα τῷ Θεῷ ἐπὶ σωτηρίᾳ τῇ τῶν ἁγίων ἐκλεκτῶν" καθὼς ἐμαρτύρησεν ὁ μακάριος Πολύκαρπος, οὗ γένοιτο ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ πρὸς τὰ ἴχνη εὑρεθῆναι ἡμᾶς. Taira μετεγράψατο μὲν Taios ἐκ τῶν Εἰρηναίου μαθητοῦ τοῦ Πολυκάρπου, ὃς καὶ συνεπολιτεύσατο τῷ Ei- ρηναίφ. "Eyod δὲ Σωκράτης ἐν KopivOye ἐκ τῶν Γαΐου ἀντι- γράφων ἔγραψα. ἡ χάρις μετὰ πάντων. Ἐγὼ δὲ πάλιν Πιόνιος ἐκ τοῦ προγεγραμμένου ἔγραψα ἀναζητήσας αὐτά, κατὰ ἀποκάλυψιν φανερώσαντός μοε τοῦ μακαρίον Πολυκάρπου, καθὼς δηλώσω ἐν τῷ καθεξῆς, συνα- γαγὼν αὐτὰ ἤδη σχεδὸν ἐκ τοῦ χρόνου κεκμηκότα, ἵνα κἀμὲ συναγάγῃ ὁ Κύριος Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς μετὰ τῶν ἐκλεκτῶν αὐτοῦ εἰς τὴν ἐπουράνιον βασιλείαν αὐτοῦ, ᾧ ἡ δόξα σὺν πατρὶ καὶ ἁγίῳ πνεύματι εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. ἀμήν. Ταῦτα μετεγράψατο μὲν Taios ἐκ τῶν Eipnvaiou συγγραμμάτων ὃς καὶ συνεπολιτεύσατο τῷ Eipnvaip, μαθητῇ γεγονότι τοῦ ἁγίον Πολυκάρπου. οὗτος γὰρ ὁ Εἰρηναῖος, κατὰ τὸν καιρὸν τοῦ μαρτυρίου τοῦ ἐπισκόπου Πολυκάρπου γενόμενος ἐν Ῥώμῃ, πολλοὺς ἐδίδαξεν" οὗ καὶ πολλὰ αὐτοῦ συγγράμματα κάλλιστα καὶ ὀρθότατα φέρεται" ἐν οἷς μέμνη- ται Πολυκάρπου, ὅτε παρ᾽ αὐτοῦ ἔμαθεν: ἱκανῶς τε πᾶσαν αἵρεσιν ἤλεγξεν, καὶ τὸν ἐκκλησιαστικὸν κανόνα καὶ καθο- λικόν, ὡς παρέλαβεν παρὰ τοῦ ἁγίου, καὶ παρέδωκεν. λέγει δὲ καὶ τοῦτο, ὅτι συναντήσαντός ποτε τῷ ἁγίῳ Πολυκάρπῳ Μαρκίωνος, ἀφ᾽ οὗ οἱ λεγόμενοι Μαρκιωνισταί, καὶ εἰπόντος, ᾿σπιγίνωσκε ἡμᾶς, Πολύκαρπε, εἶπεν αὐτὸς τῷ Μαρκίωνι, ᾿Ἐπιγινώσκω, ἐπυγινώσκω τὸν πρωτότοκον τοῦ Σατανᾶ. καὶ τοῦτο δὲ φέρεται ἐν τοῖς τοῦ Εἰρηναίον συγγράμμασιν, ὅτι ἡ ἡμέρᾳ καὶ ὥρᾳ ἐν Σμύρνῃ ἐμαρτύρησεν ὁ Πολύκαρπος, ἤκου- σεν φωνὴν ἐν τῇ Ῥωμαίων πόλει ὑπάρχων ὁ Εἰρηναῖος, ὡς σάλπυγγος λεγούσης, Πολύκαρπος ἐμαρτύρησεν. xxi] ON THE MARTYRDOM ΟΕ POLYCARP. 199 ‘Ex τούτων οὖν, ὡς προλέλεκται, τῶν τοῦ Εἰρηναίου συγγραμμάτων Γάϊος μετεγράψατο, ἐκ δὲ τῶν Γαΐου ἀντι- γράφων ᾿Ισοκράτης ἐν Κορίνθῳ. Ἐγὼ δὲ πάλιν Πιόνιος ἐκ τῶν ᾿Ισοκράτους ἀντυγρά- φων ἔγραψα, κατὰ ἀποκάλυψιν τοῦ ἁγίον Πολυκάρπου ζη- τήσας αὐτά, συναγαγὼν αὐτὰ ἤδη σχεδὸν ἐκ τοῦ χρόνου κεκμηκότα, ἵνα κἀμὲ συναγάγῃ ὁ Ἰζύριος ᾿Ιησοῦς Χριστὸς μετὰ τῶν ἐκλεκτῶν αὐτοῦ εἰς τὴν ἐπουράνιον αὐτοῦ βασι- λείαν: ᾧ ἡ δόξα σὺν τῷ πατρὶ καὶ τῷ vip καὶ τῷ ἁγίῳ πνεύ- ματι εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. any. 3 τούτων] τούτον τη. Ἑρηναίου] εἰρηναῖος m.