who died a martyr on 23rd February, Α.Ρ. 155 at the age of 86 years,} has left, as Eusebius noted, a valuable witness to the earlier history of the New Testament Canon.
So far as the Canonicity of 1 Peter is concerned the evidence of the Epistle is overwhelming. It is true that Polycarp does not give the name of the authority, which he uses so often. It would be un- reasonable to expect that he should. ‘‘ Paul” and ‘‘the Lord” are the only authors named. The words of the Lord have naturally a higher authority than those of His Apostles—at any rate at this stage in the development of the Canon. And St. Paul as the founder of the Church at Philippi had a special claim upon their obedience: ‘Neither I (Polycarp says) nor anyone like me can attain to the wisdom of the blessed and glorious Paul, who, when he came among you, before the face of the men of that time taught accurately and surely the word of truth, who also when he was absent wrote letters to you into which if you look you will be able to be built up in the faith given unto γοι. 2. Other Scriptures, even the first Epistle of St. John, Polycarp’s teacher, are used just as 1 Peter is used— anonymously and not always with a clear formula to stamp the quotations as quotations.
The following passages contain clear cases of Polycarp’s use of 1 Peter :—
(1. 1-3) συνεχάρην . . . ὅτι ἡ βεβαία τὴς πίστεως ὑμῶν pita . . . μεχρὶ νῦν διαμένει καὶ καρποφορεῖ εἰς τὸν κύριον ἡμῶν ᾿Ιησοῦν Χριστὸν . . eis ὃν οὐκ ἰδόντες πιστεύετε χαρᾷ ἀνεκλαλήτω καὶ δεδοξασμένηὸ εἰς ἦν πολλοὶ ἐπιθυμοῦσιν εἰσελθεῖν.ά
I]. 816 ἀναζωσάμενοι τὰς ὀσφύας ὑμῶνῦὸ δουλεύσατε τῷ θεῷ . . . πιστεύσαντες εἰς τὸν ἐγείραντα τὸν κύριον ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν ἐκ νεκρῶν καὶ δόντα αὐτῷ δόξανῦ καὶ θρόνον ἐκ δεξιῶν αὐτοῦ .. . μὴ ἀποδιδόντες κακὸν ἀντ κακοῦ ἢ λοιδορίαν ἀντὶ λοιδορίας] ᾖἢ γρόνθον ἀντὶ γρόνθου ἢ κατάραν ἀντὶ κατάρας.ὃ
V. καλὸν γὰρ τὸ ἀνακόπτεσθαι ἀπὸ τῶν ἐπιθυμιῶν τῶν ἐν τῷ κόσµω, ὅτι πᾶσα ἐπιθυμία κατὰ τοῦ πνεύματος στρατεύεται." VII. ἐπὶ τὸν ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἡμῖν παραδοθέντα λόγον ἐπιστρέψωμεν νήφοντες
πρὸς τὰς ἐυχὰς᾽Ό καὶ προσκαρτεροῦντες νηστείαις.
190 Bardenhewer, Geschichte der Altkirchlichen Litteratur, i. p. 149.
ain. 2. Στ Peter 1.8. 4 Compare 1 Peter i. 12. ὅτ Peter i. 3. ο eter 1.20. 71 Peter iii. 9. 8 Compare 1 Peter iii. 9. 51 Peter ii. 11 conflated with Galatians v. 17. 10 Peter iv. 7s