Polycarp as the Second Joshua (Not the Man on the Cross)

[Secret Alias]

I know we are all convinced that the founder of Christian religion was a human being named Joshua. There are a few mythicists here who want him to a fictitious god of the same name. I have offered a different theory of course which denies that this was the name of the god of the Christian religion. The difficulty of course is accounting for how 'Jesus' entered into the Christian pantheon.

An interesting observation (I hope).

In the Martyrdom of Polycarp the saint and martyr hears a heavenly voice at the moment he is about to embrace his martyrdom. It declares "Ἴσχυε, Πολύκαρπε, καὶ ἀνδρίζου" which is translated "Be strong, Polycarp, be the man." I have always found this proclamation very interesting because it actually identifies Polycarp as the second Joshua. Throughout the first books of the Bible, Joshua is called with these words:

Then Moses went out and spoke these words to all Israel: 2 “I am now a hundred and twenty years old and I am no longer able to lead you. The Lord has said to me, ‘You shall not cross the Jordan.’ 3 The Lord your God himself will cross over ahead of you. He will destroy these nations before you, and you will take possession of their land. Joshua also will cross over ahead of you, as the Lord said. 4 And the Lord will do to them what he did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites, whom he destroyed along with their land. 5 The Lord will deliver them to you, and you must do to them all that I have commanded you. 6 Be strong and courageous (ἀνδρίζου καὶ ἴσχυε). Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the presence of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous (ἀνδρίζου καὶ ἴσχυε), for you must go with this people into the land that the Lord swore to their ancestors to give them, and you must divide it among them as their inheritance ... The Lord gave this command to Joshua son of Nun: “Be strong and courageous (ἀνδρίζου καὶ ἴσχυε), for you will bring the Israelites into the land I promised them on oath, and I myself will be with you.”[Deuteronomy 31:7,23]

This statement is recycled in the opening lines of Joshua as he is about to cross the Jordan:

After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide: 2 “Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites. 3 I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. 4 Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates—all the Hittite country—to the Mediterranean Sea in the west. 5 No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. 6 Be strong and courageous (ἴσχυε καὶ ἀνδρίζου), because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them.

7 “Be strong and very courageous (ἴσχυε οὖν καὶ ἀνδρίζου). Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. 8 Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous (ἴσχυε καὶ ἀνδρίζου). Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

10 So Joshua ordered the officers of the people: 11 “Go through the camp and tell the people, ‘Get your provisions ready. Three days from now you will cross the Jordan here to go in and take possession of the land the Lord your God is giving you for your own.’” ... Then they (the Israelites) answered Joshua, “Whatever you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go. 17 Just as we fully obeyed Moses, so we will obey you. Only may the Lord your God be with you as he was with Moses. 18 Whoever rebels against your word and does not obey it, whatever you may command them, will be put to death. Only be strong and courageous (ἴσχυε καὶ ἀνδρίζου)!”

The original Hebrew here for ἀνδρίζου καὶ ἴσχυε and ἴσχυε καὶ ἀνδρίζου is חִזְקוּ וְאִמְצוּ ,חֲזַק וֶאֱמָץ.

The difficulty for me is that - if as is normally suggested - Jesus is the fulfillment of Joshua 'type' how could Polycarp be a second Joshua rather than a second Jesus. In other words, if the typology was 'completed' by Jesus of Nazareth what was Polycarp doing a 'second take'?

[Tenorikuma]

Isn't it just saying "be a man", in much the same sense a modern person uses the phrase? I recall seeing this expression in the NT as well.

Found it: 1 Corinthians 16:13 exhorts readers to "be men" (ἀνδρίζεσθε). Of course, modern translations will have none of that misogyny.

Also in the OT, 1 Kings 2:2. David on his deathbed tells Solomon, "Be strong, be a man."

[Giuseppe]

The difficulty of course is accounting for how 'Jesus' entered into the Christian pantheon.

I don't understand what precisely would be your accounting. Do you mean that the proto-catholics historicized a previous fictious god X identifying him with the man Polycarp and calling him 'Jesus' ?

[Stephan Huller]

T

But for Jews, the Pentateuch was THE Book hence the term Bible (the rest of the dreck wasn't on the same level of holiness)

[Stephan Huller]

G

I am just wondering whether Polycarp had something to do with the "Jesus" interest