First Christian Voices: Practices of the Apostolic Fathers

164

First Christian Voices

therefore, the evil, the old, the sour leaven, and be changed into the new leaven which is Jesus Christ. Be salted in Him, in case anyone among you becomes rotten since by your stench you will be convicted. It is absurd to profess Christ Jesus and to Judaize. For Christianity did not embrace Judaism, but Judaism Christianity, so that every tongue which believes might be gathered together to God. These things I write, my dear ones, not that I know any to be in such a condition, but, as one least among you, to forewarn you unless you fall upon the snares of false doctrine. Instead, be fully convinced of the birth, and suffering, and resurrection truly and certainly accomplished by Jesus Christ during the time of the government of Pontius Pilate. He is our hope. May none of you ever be turned aside from this assurance. P olycarp to the P hilippians 8–10: Let us then continually persevere in our hope and in the earnest of our righteousness, which is Jesus Christ. He who “bore our sins in his body on the tree” (1 Pet 2:24), who “committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth” (1 Pet 2:22), endured all things for us that we might live in Him. Let us then be imitators of His patience. If we suffer for His name’s sake, let us glorify Him. For He has set us this example in Himself and we have believed that such is the case. I urge you all, therefore, to yield obedience to the word of righteousness, and to exercise all patience, such as you have seen before your eyes, not only in the case of the blessed Ignatius, and Zosimus and Rufus, but also in others among yourselves, including Paul himself and the rest of the apostles. Be convinced that all these people have not