Polycarp and Paul: An Analysis of Their Literary and Theological Relationship in Light of Polycarp's Use of Biblical and Extra-Biblical Literature (review)

Polycarp of Smyrna, overshadowed in the Church's memory by the greatness of Paul and the passion of Ignatius, has often been characterized as a third-rate writer deficient in regard to both style and thought. The present volume makes a strong case that such a caricature is overdue for retirement and offers a plausible (and often persuasive) alternative reading in its place.

An introduction dealing with customary topics such as the history of research, date/unity/genre, methodology, etc., opens this revised dissertation. The introductory matters are well handled, with one glaring exception, i.e., Berding's uncritical acceptance of Harrison's two-letter hypothesis, whose foundation is nothing more than a set of psychologizing assumptions. Chapter 2—at ninety-three pages by far the longest section of the book—offers a discussion of "each possible citation of, allusion to, or reminiscence of earlier writings found in Pol. Phil." (excluding only phrases deemed "too obscure or commonplace to allow one to establish the possibility of dependence"). In it Berding proceeds through the letter section by section, seeking to determine Polycarp's use and knowledge of earlier Jewish and (primarily) Christian writers. He concludes that it is "almost certain" that Polycarp knew Psalms, Matthew, Romans, 1-2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, 1-2 Timothy, 1 Peter, 1 John, and 1 Clement; "probable" that he used Proverbs, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Tobit, Luke, Acts, 2 Thessalonians, and the letters of Ignatius; and "possible" that there are influences from Ezekiel, Sirach, Mark, John, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, and Hebrews.

In Chapter 3 ("Polycarp, An Imitator of Paul?"), Berding argues that Polycarp desired to imitate Paul (especially his letter to the Philippians) "both literarily and ethically" and that Polycarp's deliberate use of the Pauline letter genre indicates he was "somewhat more aware" than other contemporary Christian writers of the generic conventions of Christian letters. On the basis of the way in which references to 1-2 Timothy are clustered with references to undisputed Pauline letters, the author argues in chapter 4 that Polycarp is "the earliest external witness to the belief" in Pauline authorship of these two epistles. In chapter 5 Berding investigates "Paul's Influence on the Theology of Polycarp" and follows this with a chapter summarizing the conclusions of the previous sections. An extremely useful appendix (which summarizes chapter 2 according to source and degree of probability), a bibliography, and indices of ancient names and sources conclude the volume.

Chapter 2 offers the most extensive examination of Polycarp's use of earlier writings I know of, and it is the best discussion of the topic to date. Yet, substantial problems are evident. Berding is generally aware that assessing one author's use of earlier writers is a problematic undertaking, and he attempts to formulate a methodology to deal with the difficulties. However, his primary models are drawn from the area of textual criticism, and although these models are not without relevance, they are really tangential to the main difficulties that a study like this must confront. Far more central are the issues raised by the study of what is now widely termed "intertextuality," but none of this makes any appearance in the author's discussion. What is more, his important discussion of "imitation" in chapter 3, which has substantive methodological relevance to the task of chapter 2, is nowhere brought to bear on the matter. The result is a seriously attenuated methodology that is biased in favor of written rather than oral sources.

The discussion of individual passages and their possible relation to earlier sources is often well done but not consistently so. Alternative possibilities are not always...