Genesis 25 and Early Church Writings [Polycarp to Philippians] 6-8

Genesis 25 – With Sarah deceased, Abraham marries again (Keturah) and has another six sons – a strange ending to the story of this man who was said to be 100 when his son Isaac was born. He must be nearly 120 at this point. All of the progeny of this period are sent to the east. Abraham dies at 175 and is buried with Sarah.

Isaac makes his home near the well of Lahai-roi (well of the Living One who sees me) in the Negev Desert

Ishmael’s 12 sons are listed in verses 13-15 (northern Arabian tribes), and then the story returns to Rebecca and Isaac.  “Ishmael lived for 137 years. Then he breathed his last and joined his ancestors in death. [They] occupied the region from Havilah to Shur, . .  There they lived in open hostility toward all their relatives” (25:18).

Rebekah is barren.  Her pregnancy comes as a result of Isaac’s prayers; the twins she will have struggle even within her—Esau, the hunter and Jacob, the quiet one, his mother’s favorite.  They are who they are but they also represent two rival nations—Israel and Edom (the land south of Moab, a land marked by the prominence of a reddish sandstone). 

Esau is more like his father’s half-brother—Ishmael.  Like Ishmael Esau is the first-born, but he is not the promise bearer.  Jacob, the quiet man, his mother’s favorite, is that.  Jacob [Yaakov] also means “heel-holder” or even “heel-sneak” according to the Schocken Bible.  The name he will get in the future – Israel [Yisrael] -- means “God-fighter.”

As they grow up, Esau becomes a skilled hunter, but Jacob prefers to stay at home. “One day when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau arrived home from the wilderness exhausted and hungry” (25:29). He tells his brother he’s starving and needs some “red stew.” Jacob replies “’All right, . . . but trade me your rights as the firstborn son” (25:31). Esau tells him to stop fooling around; he’s starving. Jacob makes him swear the his birthright will go to him.

The Epistle of Polycarp to the Philippians [c. mid-2^nd century)

Chapter 6 – “As for the clergy, they should be men of generous sympathies, with a wide compassion for humanity. It is their business to reclaim the wanderers, keep an eye on all who are infirm, and never neglect the widow, the orphan, or the needy” (121).

They should always avoid any “show of ill-temper, partiality, or prejudice” (121); and an “eagerness for money should be a thing utterly alien to them” (121).

Chapter 7 – “To deny that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is to be Antichrist (1 John 4:2-3). To contradict the evidence of the Cross is to be of the devil. And to pervert the Lord’s words to suit our own wishes, by asserting that there are no such things as resurrection or judgment, is to be a first-begotten son of Satan” (121-122). Strong words – tough for my modern ears. Let us pray that we will not be lead into temptation, for we know that the spirit willing, [but] the flesh is weak (122).

Chapter 8 – “Let us never relax our grasp on the Hope and Pledge of our righteousness; I mean Jesus Christ, who bore our sins in his own body on the tree; who did no sin, neither was guile found in this mouth, who steadfastly endured all things for our sakes, that we might have life in Him. Let us imitate that patient endurance of His; and if we do have to suffer for His Name’s sake, why then, let us give glory to Him” (122).

Genesis 24:33-67 and Early Church Writings [Polycarp to Philippians] 3-5

Genesis 24:33-67 - They show the servant of Abraham great hospitality; he tells them the whole story about Abraham – his success in making the move he did and the prosperity he came into with God’s help. He explains why his master sent him and how he came to believe that Rebekah was the intended bride for Isaac.

After hearing all the details, Laban and Bethuel [Rebekah’s brother] agree to the marriage; they only ask that she remain with them for ten days. Abraham’s servant wants to start back right away. Rebekah is willing, so they leave with a “nurse” who has been with Rebekah since childhood.

Meanwhile, back at home, Issac had returned from a trip to Beer-lahai-roi. One evening as he was out meditating in his fields, he looks up and sees camels in the distance. Out with the camels, Rebekah sees him and asks who he is. When she learns he is the man she has been brought to marry, she covers her face with a veil. Rebekah is brought into “Sarah’s tent, and she became his wife. [Isaac] loved her deeply, and she was a special comfort to him after the death of his mother” (24:67).

The Epistle of Polycarp to the Philippians [c. mid-2^nd century)

Chapter 3 – He says he writes not because he knows everything they need to learn but because they have asked him for his advice. “For I am as far as anyone else of my sort from having the wisdom of our blessed and glorious Paul. During his [Paul’s] residence with you he gave the men of those days clear and sound instruction in the word of truth, while he was there in person among them; and even after his departure he still sent letters which, if you study them attentively, will enable you to make progress in the faith which was delivered to you. Faith is the mother of us all; with Hope following in her train, and Love of God and Christ and neighbor leading the way” (120).

Chapter 4 – “[T]roubles of every kind stem from the love of money. Therefore, since we know that we brought nothing into this world, and we can carry nothing out, we must gird on the armor in integrity, and the first step must be to school our own selves into conformity with the Divine commandments” (120).

Then we can teach these things to our wives, children and others in the community, for “they are an altar of God, who scrutinizes every offering laid on it, and from whom none of their thoughts or intentions . . . can be hidden” (120).

Chapter 5 – We want to make sure we are walking in a way worthy of God’s glory. Our “deacons [should] be blameless before the face of his righteousness”; they must not be “slanderers, double-tongued, or lovers of money, but temperate in all things, compassionate, industrious, walking according to the truth of the Lord.” (Ethereal version).

“If we please Him in this present world, we shall receive also the future world, according as He has promised to us that He will raise us again from the dead, and that if we live worthily of Him, ‘we shall also reign together with Him, provided only we believe.”

Genesis 24:1-32 and Early Church Writings [Polycarp to Philippians] Introduction through 2

Genesis 24:1-32 – Abraham is now a very old man. He asks his oldest servant, “the man in charge of his household” (24:2) to take and oath “by putting [his] hand under [his] thigh” (24:2) and swearing that he “will not allow [his] son [Isaac] to marry one of these local Canaanite women” (24:3). He wants his steward to find a woman from the house of Abraham’s father in Haran. He makes it clear he does not want Isaac to travel there EVER. The steward is to go there on his own and find the right woman. The steward swears he will do as asked.

The steward travels a long distance to the northern parts of Mesopotamia. He arrives at a well outside the town and prays to the Lord to show him the woman he has been sent to find by having her respond to his request for a drink of water by saying “’Yes, have a drink, and I will water your camels, too!’ – let her be the one you have selected as Isaac’s wife. This is how I will know that you have shown unfailing love to my master” (24:14).

Before he is finished with his prayer, a young woman named Rebekah comes out with a water jug on her shoulder. She is “very beautiful and old enough to be married, but she was still a virgin” (24:16). She does all the right things, says what the Lord has told the steward she would say.

The woman is Abraham’s nephew’s daughter, Rebekah (Rivka).  She runs home and tells her family everything. Her brother Laban, goes out to meet the man. He asks him to come to their house to stay. They offer him generous hospitality.

The Epistle of Polycarp to the Philippians [c. mid-2^nd century) – Introduction through Book 2

Introduction from the Ethereal Library Edition and from the Penguin Edition (1987):

Polycarp (69-155 AD) was born later than Ignatius (35 or 50 to 98-117 AD) and lived to a much later age (86 or so) but his epistle is usually made a kind of preface for the letters of Ignatius; we will look at the letters of Ignatius after reading Polycarp. They were both pupils of the apostle John.

Polycarp [Bishop of Smyrna--seaport town on west coast of Anatolia] was a teacher of Irenaeus, and Irenaeus often spoke of the conversations Polycarp had had with the apostle John and with “others who had seen the Lord.” The church of the Philippians to which he is writing here was the first in Europe

The manuscript scholars have worked with is not perfect in any of the Greek manuscripts, which contain it. But Eusebius had a Latin copy of the text – not as good as the Greek version.

Polycarp was a Christian from early childhood. He was appalled by the distortions of the faith brought by the Gnostics, and according to Eusebius, told a story about John the Apostle being so horrified by the presence of Cerinthus, an early Gnostic, in a public bath-house in Ephesus, he told everyone to flee from the place (Early Christian Writings, 115). Polycarp traveled to Rome to consult with the Bishop there – Anicetus (Pope ca. 154) – over a disagreement that existed as to when Easter was to be observed: on the Jewish Passover or the Roman custom of always celebrating it on a Sunday. They agreed to disagree (115).

Chapter 1

“I have greatly rejoiced with you in our Lord Jesus Christ, because you have followed the example of true love [as displayed by God], and have accompanied . . . those who were bound in chains, the fitting ornaments of saints, and . . . the diadems of the true elect of God and our Lord Jesus Christ. . . .” This is a reference to Ignatius and prisoners who were with him on their way to Rome.

“In Him, endurance went so far as to face even death for our sins; but God overruled the pangs of the grave, and raised Him up to life again. Though you never saw Him for yourselves, yet you believe in Him in a glory of joy beyond all words . . . knowing that it is by His grace you are saved, not of your own doing but by the will of God through Jesus Christ” (119).

Chapter 2

“So gird up your loins now and serve God in fear and sincerity” (119). Avoid the useless sophistries of the pagans, the myths of the Jews and the “theosophy” of the Gnostics (124). Put your trust in Him who raised Jesus Christ from the grave. “All things in heaven and earth have been made subject to Him; everything that breathes pays Him homage” (120).

“He that raised Him from the dead will raise us also, if we do His will and live by His commandments, and cherish the things He cherished – if . . . we keep ourselves from wrongdoing, overreaching, penny-pinching, tale-telling, and prevaricating, and bear in mind the words of our Lord in His teaching, Judge not, that you be not judged; forgive, and you will be forgiven; be merciful, that you may obtain mercy; for whatever you measure out to other people will be measured back again to yourselves” (119-120).