# To Polycarp 8.1

- 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 24:276; 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 5:728a (found by text match)
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-26
- Canonical URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ign-polycarp/8/1/

Summary: Ignatius, forced to sail on suddenly, asks Polycarp to write to the other churches on his behalf.

## Greek text

Ἐπεὶ πάσαις ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις οὐκ ἠδυνήθην γράψαι διὰ τὸ ἐξαίφνης πλεῖν με ἀπὸ Τρωάδος εἰς Νεάπολιν, ὡς τὸ θέλημα προστάσσει, γράψεις ταῖς ἔμπροσθεν ἐκκλησίαις, ὡς θεοῦ γνώμην κεκτημένος, εἰς τὸ καὶ αὐτοὺς τὸ αὐτὸ ποιῆσαι, ʽοἱ μὲν δυνάμενοι πεζοὺς πέμψαι, οἱ δὲ ἐπιστολὰς διὰ τῶν ὑπό σου πεμπομένων. ἵνα δοξασθῆτε αἰωνίῳ ἔργῳ.ʼ ὡς ἄξιος ὤν.

## English translation (Claude)

Since I have not been able to write to all the churches, because I am sailing suddenly from Troas to Neapolis, as the will commands, you will write to the churches that lie ahead, as one who has the mind of God, so that they too may do the same (those who are able to send messengers on foot, the others letters by those whom you send), so that you may be glorified by an everlasting work, as you are worthy.

## Translation notes

- “The will”: Ignatius regularly means God's will by this phrase. Some older translations (e.g. the Ante-Nicene Fathers, 1885) take it as the will of the authorities (“the will [of the emperor]”).
- “The churches that lie ahead” (ταῖς ἔμπροσθεν ἐκκλησίαις): probably the churches farther along the road toward Antioch.
- The mix of singular and plural (“you will write … so that you may be glorified”) is awkward in the Greek. The quotation marks around “those who are able … everlasting work” are Lake's, following Lightfoot's punctuation.

## Citation (SBL)

Ign. Pol. 8.1 (PG 5:728a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ign-polycarp/8/1/).