Bart Ehrman, Polycarp & Didache

The following citations are taken from The Apostolic Fathers, Volume I: I Clement. II Clement. Ignatius. Polycarp. Didache, edited and translated by Bart D. Ehrman, and published in 2003 by Harvard University Press. All emphasis will be mine.

Polycarp

2

Therefore, bind up your loose robes and serve as Gods slaves in reverential fear and truth, abandoning futile reasoning and the error that deceives many, and believing in the one who raised our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead and gave him glory⁴ and a throne at his right hand. Everything in heaven and on earth is subject to him;5 everything that breathes will serve him; he is coming as a judge of the living and the dead;⁶ and God will hold those who disobey him accountable for his blood. 2. But the one who raised him from the dead will raise us as well,⁷ if we do his will, walking in his commandments and loving the things he loved, abstaining from every kind of injustice, greed, love of money, slander, and false witness, not paying back evil for evil, or abuse for abuse,⁸ or blow for blow, or curse for curse, 3. but remembering what the Lord said when he taught: "Do not judge lest you be judged; forgive and it will be forgiven you; show mercy that you may be shown mercy; the amount you dispense will be the amount you receive in return."⁹ And, "blessed are the poor and those persecuted for the sake of righteousness, because the kingdom of God belongs to them."¹⁰ (Pp. 335, 337) 

10

And so, you should stand firm in these things and follow the example of the Lord, secure and unmoveable in your faith, loving the brotherhood, caring for one another, united in the truth, waiting on one another in the gentleness of the Lord, looking down on no one. 2. When you are able to do good, do not put it off,³⁴ since giving to charity frees a person from death.³⁵ Let all of you be subject to one another, keeping your interactions with the outsiders above reproach, that by your good works you may receive praise and the Lord not be blasphemed because of you. 3. For woe to the one through whom the name of the Lord is blasphemed.³⁶ Teach all, therefore, to conduct themselves in a sober way, as you yourselves are doing.

11 I am extremely sad for Valens, once a presbyter among you, that he should so misunderstand the office that was given him. Thus I urge you to abstain from love of money and to be pure and truthful. Abstain from every kind of evil.³⁷ 2. For if someone cannot control himself in such things, how can he preach self-control to another?³⁸ Anyone who cannot avoid the love of money will be defiled by idolatry and will be judged as if among the outsiders who know nothing about the judgment of the Lord. Or do we not realize that "the saints will judge the world?"³⁹ For so Paul teaches. 3. But I have neither perceived nor heard that you have any such thing in your midst, among whom the most fortunate Paul labored and who are found in the beginning of his epistle. For he exulted in you among all his churches, which alone knew God at that time; for we had not yet come to know him. 4. And so, my brothers, I am very sad for that man and his wife; may the Lord give them true repentance. And you yourselves should act in a sober way in this matter. Rather than judge such people as enemies, call them back as frail and wayward members, so as to heal your entire body. For when you do this, you build yourselves up.

12

I am confident that you are well trained in the sacred Scriptures and that nothing is hidden from you; but to me this has not been granted. Only, as it is written in these Scriptures, "Be angry and do not sin, and do not let the sun go down on your anger."⁴⁰ How fortunate is the one who remembers this; and I believe this to be the case among you. 2. So may the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the eternal priest himself, the Son of God, Jesus Christ, build you up in faith and truth and in all gentleness, without anger, and in patience, forbearance, tolerance, and purity; and may he grant to you the lot and portion to be among his saints—and to us as well with you, and to everyone under heaven who is about to believe in our Lord and God, Jesus Christ, and in his Father, who raised him from the dead. 3. Pray for all the saints.⁴¹ Pray also for kings and magistrates and rulers, as well as for those who persecute and hate you⁴² and for the enemies of the cross, that your fruit may be manifest to all and you may be made perfect in him.

13

Both you and Ignatius have written to me that if anyone is going to Syria he should take along your letter. I will do so if I have the opportunity—either I or someone I send as a representative on your behalf and mine. 2. We have forwarded to you the letters of Ignatius that he sent to us, along with all the others we had with us, just as you directed us to do. These accompany this letter; you will be able to profit greatly from them, for they deal with faith and endurance and all edification that is suitable in our Lord. And let us know what you have learned more definitely about Ignatius himself and those who are with him. (Pp. 347, 349, 351) 

³⁵ Tob 4:10. (P. 347)

Didache

7

But with respect to baptism, baptize as follows. Having said all these things in advance, baptize in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,¹⁶ in running water. 2. But if you do not have running water, baptize in some other water. And if you cannot baptize in cold water, use warm. 3. But if you have neither, pour water on the head three times in the name of Father and Son and Holy Spirit. 4. But both the one baptizing and the one being baptized should fast before the baptism, along with some others if they can. But command the one being baptized to fast one or two days in advance.

8 

And do not keep your fasts with the hypocrites.¹⁷ For they fast on Monday and Thursday; but you should fast on Wednesday and Friday. 2. Nor should you pray like the hypocrites,¹⁸ but as the Lord commanded in his gospel, you should pray as follows: "Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy, may your kingdom come, may your will be done on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread [Or: the bread that we need; or: our bread for tomorrow]. And forgive us our debt, as we forgive our debtors. And do not bring us into temptation but deliver us from the evil one [Or: from evil]. For the power and the glory are yours forever."¹⁹ 3. Pray like this three times a day.

9 

And with respect to the thanksgiving meal [Literally: eucharist], you shall give thanks as follows. 2. First, with respect to the cup: "We give you thanks, our Father, for the holy vine of David, your child, which you made known to us through Jesus your child. To you be the glory forever." 3. And with respect to the fragment of bread: "We give you thanks, our Father, for the life and knowledge that you made known to us through Jesus your child. To you be the glory forever. 4. As this fragment of bread was scattered upon the mountains and was gathered to become one, so may your church be gathered together from the ends of the earth into your kingdom. For the glory and the power are yours through Jesus Christ forever." 5. But let no one eat or drink from your thanksgiving meal unless they have been baptized in the name of the Lord. For also the Lord has said about this, "Do not give what is holy to the dogs."²⁰

10 And when you have had enough to eat, you should give thanks as follows: 2. "We give you thanks, holy Father, for your holy name which you have made reside in our hearts, and for the knowledge, faith, and immortality that you made known to us through Jesus your child. To you be the glory forever. 3. You, Ο Master Almighty, created all things for the sake of your name, and gave both food and drink to humans for their refreshment, that they might give you thanks. And you graciously provided us with spiritual food and drink, and eternal life through your child. 4. Above all we thank you because you are powerful. To you be the glory forever. 5. Remember your church, Ο Lord; save it from all evil, and perfect it in your love. And gather it from the four winds into your kingdom, which you prepared for it. For yours is the power and the glory forever. 6. May grace come and this world pass away. Hosanna to the God of David. If anyone is holy, let him come; if any one is not, let him repent. Maranatha!²¹ Amen." 7. But permit the prophets to give thanks [Or: hold the eucharist] as often as they wish.²² (Pp. 429, 431, 433)

14

On the Lord's own day, when you gather together, break bread and give thanks [Or: celebrate the eucharist] after you have confessed your unlawful deeds, that your sacrifice may be pure. 2. Let no one quarreling with his neighbor join you until they are reconciled, that your sacrifice may not be defiled.²⁷ 3. For this is the sacrifice mentioned by the Lord: "In everyplace and time, bring me a pure sacrifice. For I am a great King, says the Lord, and my name is considered marvelous among the Gentiles."²⁸

15 

And so, elect for yourselves bishops and deacons who are worthy of the Lord, gentle men who are not fond of money, who are true and approved. For these also conduct the ministry of the prophets and teachers among you. 2. And so, do not disregard them. For these are the ones who have found honor among you, along with the prophets and teachers. 3. Do not reprimand one another in anger, but in peace, as you have learned from the gospel. Let no one speak with a person who has committed a sin against his neighbor, nor let him hear anything from you, until he repents. 4. But say your prayers, give to charity, and engage in all your activities as you have learned in the gospel of our Lord.

16

Be watchful for your life. Do not let your lamps be extinguished or your robes be loosed; but be prepared. For you do not know the hour when our Lord is coming.²⁹ 2. Gather together frequently, seeking what is appropriate for your souls. For the entire time of your faith will be of no use to you if you are not found perfect at the final moment. 3. For in the final days the false prophets and corruptors of the faith will be multiplied. The sheep will be turned into wolves, and love into hatred. 4. For when lawlessness in creases they will hate, persecute, and betray one another.³⁰ Then the world-deceiver will be manifest as a son of God. He will perform signs and wonders,³¹ and the earth will be delivered over into his hands. He will perform lawless deeds, unlike anything done from eternity. 5. Then all human creation will come to the fire of testing, and many will fall away and perish, but those who endure in their faith will be saved³² by the curse itself.³³ 6. Then the signs of truth will be manifest:³⁴ first a sign of a rip [Or: of a stretching! in the sky, then a sign of the sound of a trumpet,³⁵ and third a resurrection of the dead. 7. But not of all the dead. For as it has been said, "The Lord will come and all of his holy ones with him."³⁶ 8. Then the world will see the Lord coming on the clouds of the sky . . . ³⁷ (Pp. 439, 441, 443)

29 Cf. Matt 24:42; Luke 12:40; cf. Mark 13:35,37.

30 Cf. Matt 24:10-12.

31 Cf. Mark 13:22.

32 Cf. Matt 24:10, 13.

33 The meaning is obscure.

34 Cf. Matt 24:30.

35 Cf. Matt 24:31; 1 Cor 15:52; 1 Thess 4:16.

36 Zech. 14:5; 1 Thess 3:13.

37 Cf. Matt 24:30. (Pp. 441, 443)