Читать книгу A Source Book for Ancient Church History - Joseph Cullen Ayer - Страница 12

Polycrates was bishop of Ephesus and a contemporary of Victor of Rome (189–199 AD). His date cannot be fixed more precisely. The reference to the “high priest's mitre” is obscure; see J. B. Lightfoot, Commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians, p. 345. A longer extract from this epistle of Polycrates will be found under the Easter Controversy (§ 38).

The time of John's death has been given in a general way,1 but his burial-place is indicated by an epistle of Polycrates (who was bishop of the parish of Ephesus) addressed to Victor of Rome, mentioning him, together with the Apostle Philip and his daughters, in the following words: “For in Asia also great lights have fallen asleep, which shall rise again at the last day, at the coming of the Lord, when he shall come with [pg 011] glory from heaven and seek out all the saints. Among these are Philip, one of the twelve Apostles, who sleeps at Hierapolis, and his two aged virgin daughters, and another daughter who lived in the Holy Spirit and now rests at Ephesus; and moreover John, who was both a witness and a teacher, who reclined upon the bosom of the Lord, and being a priest wore the high priest's mitre, also sleeps at Ephesus.”