Why Send Open Letters?
Polycarp pt.XIII - My Last Letter
This series on Polycarp’s letter to the Philippians was born out of a shared love that Tim and I have for the early church, but also a shared love for the church in our time. If you’ve missed the Polycarp series so far and you’d like to read along with us, you can do so by heading to this link, where you’ll find all of the articles we’ve written so far. Each of these articles is written in the form of a letter, either to Tim or myself . If you want to read more of Tim’s work, which I highly suggest you do, you can do so by heading to nuakh.uk.
Dear Tim,
After almost four months writing to one another, this is my last letter. Or, at least, my last letter about Polycarp. We’ve covered how the letter applied to the early church and the church in the UK today, including what our personal response to false teaching and heresy should be, how to be patient and hopeful in times of great difficulty, and how to remain steadfast through trials. All of this begs the question, why are we writing these letters, and why was Polycarp’s letter written in the first place? It’s a question Polycarp speaks about here at the end of his epistle, and it is a section I have been looking forward to since the start. Of all of the topics he covers, this is perhaps the least theological, but it tells us a lot about the history of writing throughout church history and particularly the legacy of letter writing and sharing.
Here’s our section for today:
Chapter XIII — Concerning the Transmission of Epistles
Both you and Ignatius wrote to me, that if any one went [from here] into Syria, he should carry your letter with him; which request I will attend to if I find a fitting opportunity, either personally, or through some other acting for me, that your desire may be fulfilled. The Epistles of Ignatius written by him to us, and all the rest [of his Epistles] which we have by us, we have sent to you, as you requested. They are subjoined to this Epistle, and by them you may be greatly profited; for they treat of faith and patience, and all things that tend to edification in our Lord. Any more certain information you may have obtained respecting both Ignatius himself, and those that were with him, have the goodness to make known to us.
Carrying Your Letter
Imagine the postman knocking on the door, opening it, receiving him with a holy kiss and then inviting him in to rest his weary feet after a long journey. After asking after his family and the church he’s come from, your attention turns to the stack of bound papers he’s been carrying all this way. In it, you find a letter from me, along with a number of others that I’ve recently received, that I’ve had copied out and so that you might be encouraged by them too. Perhaps there’s one by
on pastoral ministry and new beginnings or on the importance of discernment when scrolling through social media, or another from about living as both an elect exile and an immigrant. How much more precious would we find these letters if that was how they arrived. What if instead of a morning rush of fresh newsletters in our email inbox, we received stacks of them curated by those who cared about us, and knew both our hearts and our needs.This is the kind of situation Polycarp speaks of in this passage. Polycarp would endeavour to have Ignatius’ words1 copied and sent further afield to others churches, and no doubt, this letter came bound with a number of others too. Throughout our letters, we’ve touched on the various biblical epistles Polycarp has referenced from Paul, Peter, and his own teacher, John. It’s clear that even from this early time in the church, Polycarp and other teachers like him have not just read, or listened to these epistles, but have studied them in depth. Now, having done so, they’ve already begun the work of expounding upon those letters, and using them to clarify theological and pastoral points in their own writing.
Right up to the present day, writers have continued to do the same. We are immensely blessed that so many of these letters, books, and even poems and hymns have been kept, copied, and in many cases translated, so that we can learn from them today. They might not be bound up like personal parcels, but they are nonetheless meant to be received for our edification.
One of the great blessing of this series for me personally, has been writing with you in mind. You’re well aware that at times I have encoded personal messages of exhortation and encouragement that I believed would be generally helpful to others, but specifically important for you. More than any time in my writing ‘career’ I’ve felt that my writing has been crafted with a purpose, and as a result, I think that the more personal the letters have become, the more generally helpful they‘ve grown too. I’ve heard from others how they’ve been helped by it, and have been encouraged to dive into Polycarp’s own letter too. It’s amazing to see how Polycarp, who was writing with the Philippians buried in his heart, was also speaking to Reading and Birmingham, and no doubt to countless other churches and saints around the world today, and throughout church history. If not, why else would these letters have been transmitted down through the ages.
We have a duty as Christians gifted with the skill of writing, to be biblically sound, personally applicable, and to imitate blessed writers who have come before.
I have learned so much about what this looks like from both Polycarp and yourself, and I cannot wait to see where that wisdom leads me next. I will miss writing to you every fortnight, and spending time with Polycarp. Thank you so much for each of your letters, which contained more personal encouragement than anyone other than the two of us will ever know. I look forward to your last letter too. I pray that in the years to come, these letters, and the letter that inspired them, will continue to teach, instruct, encourage, and admonish every saint that reads them.
Grace, peace, and so much love, in the name of our Saviour Jesus Christ,
Adsum Try Ravenhill
Recommendations of the Week
One of the great sorrows I experience with regard to literature is the loss of poetry as a staple of our artistic diet.
is a wonderful writer and a spiritual disciple of Wendell Berry, adopting and expounding many of his loves, including the importance of both observing and producing beauty. If your own diet could do with some genre diversification, this is a great place to start:
If you’re an artist yourself, whether in the public sphere, as a homeschool teacher, or even simply doodling on the edges of meeting minutes, I think you’ll find this piece from
encouraging this week. addresses far more about writing and publishing than perhaps even he knows. I wonder if I asked ten writers to read this through, how many different responses I would receive as a result. So to any writers reading this recommendation, take some time to read and contemplate this piece. Whether Timothy’s story mirrors your own; whether it scares you, or excites you; or even if it convinces you once and for all to just make that slight change to the way you write, it will be worth it.
A contemporary of Polycarp, who also wrote letters after the time of the Apostles when the Biblical Canon had been closed.
Thanks for sharing, Adsum!