Sophia Scriptura

To Polycarp 6.1

Ignatius of Antioch · To Polycarp · ca. 110 (range ca. 105–135) · Troas · Read in context

Summary: Ignatius tells the whole church to obey its bishop, presbyters, and deacons and to work together as God's servants.

Greek text · Lake, LCL 24:272–274

Τῷ ἐπισκόπῳ προσέχετε, ἵνα καὶ ὁ θεὸς ὑμῖν. ἀντίψυχον ἐγὼ τῶν ὑποτασσομένων τῷ ἐπισκόπῳ, πρεσβυτέροις, διακόνοις· καὶ μετʼ αὐτῶν μοι τὸ μέρος γένοιτο σχεῖν ἐν θεῷ. συγκοπιᾶτε ἀλλήλοις, συναθλεῖτε, συντρέχετε, συμπάσχετε, συγκοιμᾶσθε. συνεγείρεσθε ὡς θεοῦ οἰκονόμοι καὶ πάρεδροι καὶ ὑπηρέται.

English · Claude translation

Pay attention to the bishop, so that God may also pay attention to you. I am a ransom for those who are subject to the bishop, the presbyters, and the deacons; and with them may it be granted me to have my portion in God. Toil together with one another, contend together, run together, suffer together, rest together, rise together, as God's stewards, assistants, and servants.

About this passage

Source
Lake, LCL 24:272–274 · 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
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.
Scripture
Topics
Church office

Notes

Translation notes

  • From here on Ignatius addresses the church at Smyrna as a whole (“you” is plural).
  • “Rest together, rise together” (συγκοιμᾶσθε, συνεγείρεσθε): literally “lie down together, get up together”; perhaps with a hint of death and resurrection.

Cite this passage

Ign. Pol. 6.1 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ign-polycarp/6/1/).

Plain text
Ign. Pol. 6.1 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ign-polycarp/6/1/).

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