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| Polycrates the bishop.
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Chapter XLV.
Polycrates2454
bishop of the
Ephesians with other bishops of Asia who in accordance with some
ancient custom celebrated the passover with the Jews on the fourteenth
of the month, wrote a synodical letter against Victor bishop of Rome in
which he says that he follows the authority of the apostle John and of
the ancients. From this we make the following brief quotations,
“We therefore celebrate the day according to usage, inviolably,
neither adding anything to nor taking anything from it, for in Asia lie
the remains of the greatest saints of those who shall rise again on the
day of the Lord, when he shall come in majesty from heaven and shall
quicken all the saints, I mean Philip one of the twelve apostles who
sleeps at Hierapolis and his two daughters who were virgins until their
death and another daughter of his who died at Ephesus full of the Holy
Spirit. And John too, who lay on Our Lord’s breast and was his
high priest carrying the golden frontlet on his forehead, both martyr
and doctor, fell asleep at Ephesus and Polycarp bishop and martyr died
at Smyrna. Thraseas of Eumenia also, bishop and martyr, rests in the
same Smyrna. What need is there of mentioning Sagaris, bishop and
martyr, who sleeps in Laodicea and the blessed Papyrus and Melito,
eunuch in the Holy Spirit, who, ever serving the Lord, was laid to rest
in Sardis and there awaits his resurrection at Christ’s advent.
These all observed the day of the passover on the fourteenth of the
month, in nowise departing from the evangelical tradition and following
the ecclesiastical canon. I also, Polycrates, the least of all your
servants, according to the doctrine of my relatives which I also have
followed (for there were seven of my relatives bishops indeed and I the
eighth) have always celebrated the passover when the Jewish people
celebrated the putting away of the leaven. And so brethren being
sixty-five years old in the Lord and instructed by many brethren from
all parts of the world, and having searched all the Scriptures, I will
not fear those who threaten us, for my predecessors said “It is
fitting to obey God rather than men.” I quote this to show
through a small example the genius and authority of the man. He
flourished in the reign of the emperor Severus in the same period as
Narcissus of Jerusalem.E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
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