postle. The letter is addressed by
Irenaeus to a friend named Florinus, with whom he remonstrates for
holding erroneous doctrines:

"These doctrines, O Florinus, to say the least, are not of a sound
understanding. These doctrines are inconsistent with the Church, and
calculated to thrust those that follow them into the greatest impiety;
these doctrines not even the heretics out of the Church ever attempted
to assert; these doctrines were never delivered to thee by the
presbyters before us, those who also were the immediate disciples of the
apostles.

"For I saw thee when I was yet a boy in Lower Asia with Polycarp moving
in great splendor at court, and endeavoring by all means to gain his
esteem. I remember the events of those times much better than those of
more recent occurrence, as the studies of our youth growing with our
minds unite with them so firmly that I can tell also the very place
where the blessed Polycarp was accustomed to sit and discourse, and also
his entrances, his walks, his manner of life, the form of his body, his
conversations with the people and familiar intercourse with John, as he
was accustomed to tell, as also his familiarity with those that had
seen the Lord; also concerning his miracles, his doctrine; all these
were told by Polycarp in consistency with the Holy Scriptures, and he
had received them from the eye-witnesses of the doctrine of salvation.

"These things, by the mercy of God and the opportunity then afforded me,
I attentively heard, noting them down, not on paper, but in my heart;
and these same facts I am always in the habit, by the grace of God, of
recalling faithfully to mind; and I can bear witness in the sight of God
that, if that blessed and apostolic presbyter had heard any such thing
as this, he would have exclaimed and stopped his ears, and, according to
his custom, would have said: 'O good God! unto what things hast thou
reserved me, that I should tolerate these things?' He would have fled
from the place in which he had sat or stood hearing doctrines like
these.

"From his epistles also, which he wrote to the neighboring churches in
order to confirm them, or to some of the brethren in order to admonish
or exhort them, the same thing may be clearly shown."

In another place Irenaeus states that Polycarp was appointed bishop of
Smyrna by the apostles themselves:

"Polycarp also was not only instructed by apostles, and conversed with
many who had seen Christ, but was