To Polycarp 2.3 · Sophia Scriptura

Greek text · Lake, LCL 24:268–270

ὁ καιρὸς ἀπαιτεῖ σε, ὡς κυβερνῆται ἀνέμους καὶ ὡς χειμαζόμενος λιμένα, εἰς τὸ θεοῦ ἐπιτυχεῖν. νῆφε, ὡς θεοῦ ἀθλητής· τὸ θέμα ἀφθαρσία καὶ ζωὴ αἰώνιος, περὶ ἧς καὶ σὺ πέπεισαι. κατὰ πάντα σου ἀντίψυχον ἐγὼ καὶ τὰ δεσμά μου, ἃ ἠγάπησας.

English · Claude translation

The times require you, as pilots require winds and as one who is storm-tossed requires a harbor, so that you may attain to God. Be sober, as God's athlete; the prize is incorruptibility and eternal life, of which you too are convinced. In every way I am a ransom for you, I and my bonds, which you loved.

About this passage

Source

Lake, LCL 24:268–270 · Kirsopp Lake, ed. and trans., The Apostolic Fathers, vol. 1, LCL 24 (London: Heinemann; New York: Macmillan, 1912), 172–277 · Greek text: K. Lake, The Apostolic Fathers (LCL, 1912-1913), digitized by the First Thousand Years of Greek project (Open Greek and Latin), CC BY-SA 4.0

Also in

PG 5:721a (found by text match)

Translation

Claude translation (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-26 · Translated by Claude from the Greek text of Lake (LCL 24, 1912); made independently of existing English translations.

Topics

Martyrdom

Notes

Translation notes

“The times require you”: the sense may be that the circumstances call for a leader like Polycarp, or that they require his prayer.
“A ransom for you” (ἀντίψυχον): literally “a life in exchange for yours”; Ignatius offers his coming death on behalf of those he loves (again in 6.1).

Cite this passage

Ign. Pol. 2.3 (PG 5:721a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ign-polycarp/2/3/).

Plain text

Ign. Pol. 2.3 (PG 5:721a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ign-polycarp/2/3/).