Ante-Nicene Fathers (Volume 1) - II - Epistle of Mathetes to Diognetus, the Epistle of Polycarp to the Philippians and the Encyclical Epistle of the church at Smyrna

Required reading
Ante-Nicene Fathers (Volume 1) (Available from Amazon or free here) - Read the Epistle of Mathetes to Diognetus, the Epistle of Polycarp to the Philippians and the Encyclical Epistle of the church at Smyrna.

My summary
Today we read three letters by three different authors.

Firstly we read the epistle of Mathetes to Diognetus.  This is an apologetic letter to someone who is 'desirous to learn the mode of worshipping God prevalent among the Christians.'  Thus the letter speaks about the:
(i) uselessness of idols;
(ii) errors of the Jews;
(iii) Christian life;
(iv) the life and death of Christ.

Then we read the epistle of the great Polycarp to the Philippians.  The letter is basically a collection of exhortations to live holy lives.

The last letter is written by the church at Smyrna and gives a detailed account of the martyrdom of Polycarp.

What grabbed me
The martyrdom of Polycarp should be compulsory reading for Christians.  I am ashamed that until now I have only read fragments of it in other writings.

But I also particularly liked the letter of Mathetes to Diognetus.  This is a marvelous statement of the gospel: 'But when our wickedness had reached its height, and it had been clearly shown that its reward, punishment and death, was impending over us; and when the time had come which God had before appointed for manifesting His own kindness and power, how the one love of God, through exceeding regard for men, did not regard us with hatred, nor thrust us away, nor remember our iniquity against us, but showed great long-suffering, and bore with us, He Himself took on Him the burden of our iniquities, He gave His own Son as a ransom for us, the holy One for transgressors, the blameless One for the wicked, the righteous One for the unrighteous, the incorruptible One for the corruptible, the immortal One for them that are mortal. For what other thing was capable of covering our sins than His righteousness? By what other one was it possible that we, the wicked and ungodly, could be justified, than by the only Son of God? O sweet exchange! O unsearchable operation! O benefits surpassing all expectation! that the wickedness of many should be hid in a single righteous One, and that the righteousness of One should justify many transgressors! Having therefore convinced us in the former time that our nature was unable to attain to life, and having now revealed the Saviour who is able to save even those things which it was [formerly] impossible to save, by both these facts He desired to lead us to trust in His kindness, to esteem Him our Nourisher, Father, Teacher, Counsellor, Healer, our Wisdom, Light, Honour, Glory, Power, and Life, so that we should not be anxious concerning clothing and food. '

What a God!

Next week's reading
Read the Epistle of Ignatius to the Ephesians and the Epistle of Ignatius to the Magnesians.

Now it's your turn
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.