Categories, Relationships and Imitation in the Household Codes of 1 Clement, Ignatius and Polycarp: A Comparison with Household Codes in the Pauline Corpus

This article contributes to Pauline reception studies by exploring the household codes of early Pauline readers and by noting two potential fields of contribution. First, the household codes of early Pauline readers have received less attention than the household codes attributed to Paul. Second, the field of Pauline reception studies continues to grow, so that this study may be situated alongside these discussions. Using 1 Clement, Ignatius's To Polycarp and Polycarp's To the Philippians, the study then highlights a tendency in these household codes to increase both the number and specificity of the classifications. Next, it considers the instructions given to married women regarding love and observes an expansion in 1 Clement and Polycarp's To the Philippians to love all people. It subsequently examines the role of Christ in the household codes, emphasising imitation in Ephesians and Ignatius's To Polycarp. The article concludes by considering how this study might be further used to explore second-century Pauline reception. In particular, it aims to provide a base from which to explore household codes in early Pauline readers as part of Pauline reception and to further discussion about how Paul was portrayed by early Pauline readers.