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the church who kept the Passover on the 14th day of the moon (the biblical date), contrary to the Roman Easter.
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The specific excerpt regarding the Apostle John: “Moreover, there is John, who was both a witness and a teacher, who reclined upon the bosom of the Lord, and, being a priest, wore the sacerdotal plate (petalon); he fell asleep at Ephesus.”— Eusebius, Church History (Historia Ecclesiastica), Book V, Chapter 24.
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The Significance of the “Sacerdotal Plate” This “slip” in the historical record is devastating to the “Fourth Betrayal” for several reasons: The Sacerdotal Plate (Petalon): The petalon was the golden plate worn on the forehead of the Levitical High Priest (inscribed with “Holiness to Yahavah”).
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By stating that John wore this, Polycrates is identifying John as the true, legitimate successor to the High Priesthood—not the Edomite interlopers in Jerusalem, and certainly not the burgeoning “Popes” in Rome.
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The Authority of Ephesus: This proves that the leadership of the True Way had moved from the “Viper’s Den” of Jerusalem to the Seven Churches of Asia Minor. Polycrates wrote this specifically to tell the Roman Bishop that he didn’t care about Roman decrees. He was following the authority of the “High Priest” John and the original Apostles, not the “Universal” system.
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The Fourth Betrayal! As we start the fourth betrayal, we must first absolutely identify what and who the main player of the betrayal is. Scripture clearly names Saul as the one that the Edomite controlled Priesthood sent forth to imprison, and or murder the Followers of the Way of Christ. So, just who was this man named Saul who later changed his name to Paul in an effort to conceal his true identity?
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The Evidence of Lineage and Allegiance To strip away the concealment of the name “Paul,” we look to the following historical and scriptural markers:
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The Herodian Connection: In Romans 16:11, Paul explicitly sends greetings to Herodion, whom he calls his “kinsman” (Greek: syngenē). This term denotes a blood relative, not merely a fellow countryman.