10:2b quia eleëmosyna de morte liberat
“…alms delivers from death.”
quoniam elemosyna a morte
liberat (Tobit 12:9 VUL)
Agreement: There are
multiple factors that support the conclusion that Polycarp was referencing the
deuterocanonical book of Tobit. The closeness of the wording makes the
possibility of such a connection difficult to dismiss.
Disagreement: Although the
evidence for dependence on Tobit is strong there are minor spelling differences
between the texts. As noted previously this comparison involves translations of
the original Greek and such orthographic variation should therefore be expected.
It is also possible that Polycarp was citing the passage from memory as he does
elsewhere rather than copying it directly from a manuscript. (Stephen Boyce, “The
Use of Scripture in Early Christian Writings: A Textual Analysis of 1 Clement,
Polycarp, the Didache, and Ignatius” [PhD Dissertation; Louisiana Baptist
University and Seminary, 2021], 212)
