Martyrdom of Polycarp 1.2 · Sophia Scriptura

Greek text · Lake, LCL 25:312–314

περιέμενεν γάρ, ἵνα παραδοθῇ, ὡς καὶ ὁ κύριος, ἵνα μιμηταὶ καὶ ἡμεῖς αὐτοῦ γενώμεθα, μὴ μόνον σκοποῦντες τὸ καθʼ ἑαυτούς, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ κατὰ τοὺς πέλας. ἀγάπης γὰρ ἀληθοῦς καὶ βεβαίας ἐστίν, μὴ μόνον ἑαυτὸν θέλειν σώζεσθαι, ἀλλὰ καὶ πάντας τοὺς ἀδελφούς.

English · Claude translation

For he waited to be handed over, just as the Lord did, so that we too might become imitators of him, “looking not only to what concerns ourselves, but also to what concerns our neighbors.” For it belongs to true and steadfast love to want not only oneself to be saved, but all the brothers as well.

About this passage

Source

Lake, LCL 25:312–314 · Kirsopp Lake, ed. and trans., The Apostolic Fathers, vol. 2, LCL 25 (London: Heinemann; New York: Macmillan, 1913), 312–345 · 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 5:1029b (found by text match)

Translation

Claude translation (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-26 · Translated by Claude from the Greek text of Lake (LCL 25, 1913); made independently of existing English translations.

Scripture

Phil 2:4 · allusion, high confidence
1 Cor 11:1 · echo, low confidence

Topics

Martyrdom

Notes

Translation notes

“Handed over” (παραδοθῇ): the verb the Gospels use of Jesus being betrayed and delivered up; the letter draws many such parallels with the Passion.

Cite this passage

Mart. Pol. 1.2 (PG 5:1029b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/mart-pol/1/2/).

Plain text

Mart. Pol. 1.2 (PG 5:1029b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/mart-pol/1/2/).