# To Polycarp 3.2

- Author: [Ignatius of Antioch](https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/authors/ignatius-of-antioch/)
- Work: [To Polycarp](https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ign-polycarp/) (*Ad Polycarpum*)
- Date: ca. 110 (range ca. 105–135) (disputed)
- Source: Lake, LCL 24:270; 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 5:721b (found by text match)
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-26
- Canonical URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ign-polycarp/3/2/

Summary: Ignatius points to Christ, eternal and invisible, who became visible and suffered for us.

## Greek text

πλέον σπουδαῖος γίνου οὗ εἶ. τοὺς καιροὺς καταμάνθανε. τὸν ὑπὲρ καιρὸν προσδόκα, τὸν ἄχρονον, τὸν ἀόρατον, τὸν διʼ ἡμᾶς ὁρατόν, τὸν ἀψηλάφητον, τὸν ἀπαθῆ, τὸν διʼ ἡμᾶς παθητόν, τὸν κατὰ πάντα τρόπον διʼ ἡμᾶς ὑπομείναντα.

## English translation (Claude)

Be more diligent than you are. Understand the times. Look for the one who is above time, the timeless, the invisible, who became visible for our sake; the one who cannot be touched, who cannot suffer, who became subject to suffering for our sake; who endured in every way for our sake.

## Scripture references

- Col 1:15: echo, low confidence
- 1 John 1:1: echo, low confidence

## Translation notes

- “Who cannot suffer” (ἀπαθῆ) … “subject to suffering” (παθητόν): the same paradox appears in Ign. Eph. 7.2; Ignatius insists against the docetists that the eternal one truly suffered.

## Citation (SBL)

Ign. Pol. 3.2 (PG 5:721b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ign-polycarp/3/2/).