Refuting Matthew Paulson's Appeal to Polycarp as a Proto-Trinitarian

In an attempt to show that the Trinity (read: Latin/Creedal Trinity) was part-and-parcel of early Christianity, Matthew Paulson offered the following quote in favor of the thesis:  

Polycarp (AD 70-155/160) Bishop of Smyrna and disciple of John the Apostle:

 

“O Lord God almighty . . . I bless you and glorify you through the eternal and heavenly high priest Jesus Christ, your beloved Son, through whom be glory to you, with Him and the Holy Spirit, both now and forever”
(Epistle to the Philippians). (Matthew A. Paulson, Breaking the Mormon Code: A Critique of Mormon Scholarship Regarding Classical Christian Theology and the Book of Mormon [Livermore, Calif.: WingSpan Press, 2006, 2009], 47)

 

Firstly, the above quote does not come from The Epistle to the Philippians; instead, it comes from The Martyrdom of Polycarp.

 

One will note that there is an ellipsis (. . . ) in Paulson's quote; here is the prayer, attributed to Polycarp, in chapter 14 of The Martyrdom of Polycarp:

 

O Lord God Almighty, the Father of your beloved and blessed Son Jesus Christ, by whom we have received the knowledge of You, the God of angels and powers, and of every creature, and of the whole race of the righteous who live before you, I give You thanks that You have counted me, worthy of this day and this hour, that I should have a part in the number of Your martyrs, in the cup of your Christ, to the resurrection of eternal life, both of soul and body, through the incorruption [imparted] by the Holy Ghost. Among whom may I be accepted this day before You as a fat and acceptable sacrifice, according as You, the ever-truthful God, have foreordained, have revealed beforehand to me, and now have fulfilled. Wherefore also I praise You for all things, I bless You, I glorify You, along with the everlasting and heavenly Jesus Christ, Your beloved Son, with whom, to You, and the Holy Ghost, be glory both now and to all coming ages. Amen.

 

Here is the Greek from PG 5:1040:

 

 

One will see that the title “Lord God Almighty” and other terms, such as “God,” are used of the Father alone, not the Son, Holy Spirit, or as having the triad as a referent.

 

This is another example of good old-fashioned quote mining of patristics, and just yet another example of how poorly researched Paulson's book is.

Further Reading:

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