Remembrance of Polycarp

Although the date of Polycarp's martyrdom is disputed, at least one source names today (2 Nisan) as the day of his death. In any case, he's worthy of remembrance as a leader of the ecclesia in the mid-second century and as a martyr for the faith in Messiah (against Roman paganism). I also honour him for his firm stance on Quartodecimanism [1] (Passover on 14 Nisan, according to the biblical calendar) and for transmitting premillennialism [2] (the future kingdom of God on earth).

Just one of Polycarp's works remains, a letter he wrote the the congregation in Philippi. Here is chapter 2 of that letter from Rick Brannan's accessible new translation [3]:

2.1 Therefore prepare yourselves. Serve God in reverence and truth, leaving behind empty, fruitless talk  and the deception of the crowd, believing in the one who raised our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead and gave him glory and a throne at his right hand, to whom all things in heaven and earth are subject, whom every breathing thing worships, who is coming as judge of the living and dead, whose blood God will require from those who disobey him. 2 But the one who raised him from the dead also will raise us if we do his will and follow in his commandments and love the things he loved, refraining from all unrighteousness, greediness, love of money, evil speech, and false witness, not paying back evil for evil or abuse for abuse or blow for blow or curse for curse, 3 but remembering what the Lord said when he taught: Do not judge so that you may not be judged; forgive and then you will be forgiven; show mercy so that you will be shown mercy; with what measure you measure out it will be measured again to you; and blessed are the poor and those being persecuted for the sake of righteousness; for theirs is the kingdom of God.

I pray and trust, in accord with Revelation 6:9–11, for the vindication and proper vengeance of the blood of all the martyrs—including Polycarp.

[1]  This includes both the remembrance of the original Passover of the Hebrews and the execution of Jesus/Yeshua.

[2] Disputed, but I believe a firm case can be made.

[3] Brannan, Rick, trans. The Apostolic Fathers in English. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012.