redleghunter:
St. Polycarp is a good guy to read. Have read him. St. Ignatius of Antioch, a pupil of Polycarp, is also a good one to read. Of Polycarp and the canon, he does quote from 17 of the 27 NT books. In addition, he also quotes from the book of Tobit chapter 4:10 and 12:9 when he states “when you do good, defer it not, as alms delivers you from death” I did look over at your link but does it also point that point out as well. Still, you can’t construct the 27 NT from St. Polycarp, you can show which works and scriptural passages he used to make his arguments against the un-orthodox of his time. According to St. Irenaeus, St. Polycarp called Marcion, the leading Gnostic of that era, the firstborn of Satan.
This Marcion, would call for the Church to accept only Luke’s Gospel, Acts and I think 10 of Pauls Letters and throw out the OT entirely [The LXX version was the one being used, hence Polycarps use of Tobit]. Marcion, was excommunicated by the Bishop of Rome in 144AD and his theology [wrong one] provided the Church with the need to more formally define the NT canon. By 180-190 AD, we have the Muratorian Fragment which describes the approved writings that could be read in the “Church’s Liturgy” [key criteria for Canonicity was could it be read in the Liturgy]. It is hard to define how many of the 27 are defined by the Church of Rome in time of the Fragment but most scholars I have read say it is at most 22 of the 27. Close to the final 27, but not quite there yet.
with respect to Tobit, the Catholic and Orthodox Church would provide further definition on the meaning of Tobit in the life of the Church and St. Polycarp’ writing but as I think you are aware of , Alms, prayer and fasting were all part of the Discipline of Lent, which of course we also have early evidence of in the writings of St. Ireneaus in circa 180AD when he was debating the Date of the celebration of Easter and documenting Pope Victor’s arguments with some of the Church’s in the East over the celebration of the said date of Easter [Pascha using the classical word derived from Latin]
I am glad Polycarp used the portion of To it that he did than the part where fish guts are burned to ward off demons.