The Martyrdom of St. Polycarp
THE MARTYRDOM OF
SAINT POLYCARP
INTRODUCTION
The Martyrdom of Polycarp * is the story, in the form of a letter, of the death which the bishop of Smyrna suffered at the hands of the Roman authorities in Asia for the defense of the Christian faith. It is an account of eyewitnesses, composed in the name of the Church of Smyrna by a certain
Marcion," committed to paper by one Evarestus, and, though sent to the Christians at Philomelium in Phrygia, intended from the outset for world-wide circulation. In asking for a detailed description of the glorious event, the Philomelians may be said to have atoned for the indiscreet zeal of one of their number if the surmise is correct that the Phrygian
Quintus was a member of the Philomelian community and had by his conduct started the persecution of the Christians at Smyrna.' At all events, the Smyrnaeans complied with the request and thus inaugurated a branch of Christian literature * which grew to considerable importance in the early centuries and survives, in one form or another, to this day.
The inscription states the name of the Church responsible for this account, and that of the addressees, the Church at Philomelium and "all the communities of the holy and Catholic Church, residing in any place." * It closes with a greeting modelled on that of the Epistle of St. Jude. The writer begins by pointing out what might be called his leitmotif, a feature in Polycarp's martyrdom of which he
Tue Martryrpom oF SAINT POoLyCARP never loses sight: its resemblance to the Passion of Christ.®
It was, he says, of the type of martyrdom narrated in the Gospel. He then discourses on the extraordinary heroism of the martyrs and accounts for it by the invisible presence of Jesus Christ in their hour of torture. Particularly noteworthy was the conduct of a certain Germanicus, which so enraged the pagans that they demanded the execution of Polycarp.
The rest of the letter is devoted to the story of the death of this "most wonderful" man.
Since the program of " the hunting sports " was closed for that day, he was condemned to be burnt alive, instead of being thrown before the wild beasts. The description of Polycarp on the pyre and his prayer to God the Father are profoundly pathetic. But the fire failed to touch Polycarp, and he was finally stabbed to death. There follows an account of the struggle for the remains of the martyr: the Christians and, instigated by the Devil, the Jews and the pagans wished to secure them. The proconsul put an end to this " contentiousness " by declaring the body public property and having it burnt. The Christians then reverently gathered what was left of him and interred it in a decent place, in the hope of returning to it on the anniversary of his death.
We could wish we knew more than we actually do about Polycarp's career. Even so, however, we are in one important detail better informed about him than about Ignatius of Antioch. There is no positive attestation of Ignatius's martyrdom; it is merely a certain inference from the way Polycarp speaks of him in his letter to the Philippians about twenty years later. Regarding Polycarp, on the other hand, we here have not only an authentic statement of the fact, but also an elaborate description of the manner, of his martyrdom. Besides, some notices preserved by Irenaeus and Eusebius,' and,
INTRODUCTION
above all, his letter to the Philippians and the Ignatian epistles addressed to him and to the Church of Smyrna, make us feel that his martrydom was, as it were, the natural climax of a long life spent in the service of his King. " Keep faith with me to the death," St. John was told to write to the angel of the Church in Smyrna, "and I will crown you with life."
About the same time or a little ]ater Ignatius wrote to Polycarp: "As God's athlete, be sober; the stake is immortality and eternal life."
We do not know when or by whom Polycarp was appointed bishop of Smyrna.* That he was rather young at the time of his appointment seems certain. It has been conjectured that he was "the angel of Smyrna" mentioned in Apoc. 2. 8-11. Somewhere in the last years of Trajan's reign
—let us say between the years 110 and 115—he had the great pleasure of meeting at Smyrna Ignatius of Antioch on the latter's journey to Rome. The two men were of one mind both in the defense of the faith and in their ardent desire to prove their devotion to Christ, or, as they said, their " discipleship," by dying for Him. A noteworthy result of this meeting was
Polycarp's interest in the Ignatian correspondence, a fact of the greatest importance in settling the controversy over the genuineness of the Ignatian epistles.
We may take for granted that Polycarp acceded to Ignatius's wish conveyed to him from Troas and Philippi, and sent a delegation to Antioch, unless he went there himself, with a congratulatory letter to the Syrian community on the restoration of peace.
We now lose sight of Polycarp until we hear that in or about the year 154 he went to Rome to confer with Pope Anicetus about the Paschal controversy.
Anicetus permitted him to continue to celebrate the feast on the day on which he had been accustomed to do so."°
Tue Marryrpom oF SAINT PoLYCARP The Martyrdom is a noble monument erected by a grateful flock to its supreme shepherd. It harmoniously rounds out the picture, both of the man and of the churchman, that is gained from such other ancient writings as deal with him.
Here the man rises to the heroic stature of a true athlete of Christ, and the churchman's career ** is summed up in enviable tributes from friend and foe. " Of the elect," says the Christan author of the Martyrdom, "the most wonderful
Polycarp is certainly one—an apostolic and prophetic teacher in our times"; and the pagans, clamoring for his death, are forced to say that " he is the teacher of Asia, the father of the Christians, the destroyer of our gods."
Judged by other specimens of the so-called Acta Martyrum, the Smyrnaean account is remarkably free from legendary matter. The appearance of a dove is probably a later addition.
The incident of the fire being " cool" to him is matched by a similar fact told in the Book of Daniel.
The feast of St. Polycarp is kept by the Western Church on January 26. The name " Polycarp" means " fruitful; rich in fruit."
The two last chapters, 21 and 22, are chronological appendixes. 'The first of these (21) contains important details for fixing the date of Polycarp's martyrdom. 'The doxology closely resembles that of Clement of Rome's letter to the Corinthians."
The second appendix (22. 1) appears neither in the Moscow manuscript nor in the Latin version. It, too, ends with a doxology. Its date and authorship are unknown.
The third appendix (22.2 and 3) gives the story of the transmission of the Martyrdom.
It falls into two parts. A certain Socrates Cor Isocrates)) made a copy of the letter from a transcript made by one Gaius, a contemporary of Irenaeus.
INTRODUCTION
The scribe who calls himself Pionius is not the martyr Pionius who died in 250, but the author of a Life of Polycarp written in the second half of the 4th century. This life has little historical value.*® The Martyrdom has come down to us in five Greek manuscripts, of which that preserved in Moscow is appraised as the most trustworthy. Large extracts of the Martyrdom also survive in the Ecclesiastical History of Eusebius.
Besides, ancient translations into at least four languages—Latin, Armenian, Syriac, and Coptic—show how well-suited the Martyrdom was to the spiritual needs of Christian readers in different parts of the world.
The text used for this translation is that of F. X. Funk, revised by K. Bihlmeyer, Die apostolischen Vater, 1. Teil
CTiibingen 1924) 120-32.
The following modern translations may also be noted:
Bosio, G., I Padri apostolici 2 (Corona Patrum Salesiana, ser. graeca 14, Turin 1942) 203-47.
Lake, K., The Apostolic Fathers 2 (Loeb Classical Library, London 1913) 307-45.
Lelong, A., Les Péres apostoliques 3 (Textes et documents 12, 2nd ed., Paris 1927) 128-61.
Lightfoot, J. B., The Apostolic Fathers (ed. by J. R. Harmer, London 1898) 201-11.
Rauschen, G., Friihchristliche Apologeten und Martyrerakten 2 (Bibliothek der Kirchenvater 14, Munich 1913) 297-308.
THE MARTYRDOM OF SAINT POLYCARP
BISHOP OF SMYRNA
The Church of God which resides as a stranger at Smyrna,' to the Church of God residing at Philomelium," and to all the communities of the holy and Catholic Church, residing in any place: may mercy, peace, and love of God the Father and Our Lord Jesus Christ be yours in abundance! *
1. We are sending you, brethren, a written account of the martyrs and, in particular, of blessed Polycarp, whose witness to the faith as it were sealed the persecution and put an end to it.' By almost every step that led up to it the Lord intended to exhibit to us anew the type of martyrdom narrated in the Gospel. 2 For instance, just as the Lord had done, he waited to be betrayed,* that we, too, might follow his example, not with an eye to ourselves alone, but also to our neighbors.° It is certainly a mark of true and steadfast love, not only to desire one's own salvation, but that of all the brethren as well.
2. 'To begin with, blessed and heroic are all the martyrdoms that have taken place according to the will of God; for, of course, we must be reverent enough to attribute to God the right to dispose of everything.
2 And indeed, is there anyone who would not admire their heroism, their patient endurance, and their love of the Master? Some of them were cut up by scourging until the anatomy of the body could go
Tue Martyrpom oF Saint Porycarp QI be seen down to the veins and arteries within; and still they remained steadfast, so that even the bystanders would take pity on them and weep aloud. Some, again, proved them-
> selves so heroic that not one of them uttered cry or moan, and thus they made it clear to all of us that in that hour of their torture the most noble martyrs of Christ were no longer in the flesh, or rather that the Lord stood beside them and conversed with them." 3 And so, their minds fixed on the grace of Christ, they despised the world's torments and in the space of a single hour purchased eternal life.* To them the fire of their inhuman torturers was cold, for what they envisaged was escape from the eternal and unquenchable fire.
With their mind's eyes they gazed upon the good things reserved for those who persevere—things which neither ear has heard nor eye seen nor human heart conceived; * but to them—no longer men, but already angels—a glimpse of these things was granted by the Lord.
4 In like manner those condemned to the wild beasts underwent frightful torments: they were bedded on sharp shells and subjected to various other kinds of punishment, in the hope that the excutioner * might, if possible, induce them to deny the faith by the prolonged torture.
3. Numerous, at any rate, were the stratagems which the Devil employed against them; but, thanks be to God, he did not prevail against any of them.' The most noble Germanicus strengthened their natural timidity by the patient endurance he exhibited. He also gloriously wrestled with the beast: when the proconsul ** wished to pursuade him and urged him to have pity on his youth, he forcibly dragged the beast toward him,"* desiring to get away the more: quickly from the utter depravity of those people! 2 At this moment ving
Tue Marryrpom oF Saint PoLycaRP the whole mob, astonished at the heroism of the God-loving and God-fearing race of the Christians, shouted:
" Away with the atheists! ** Let Polycarp be searched for!
4. One, however, Quintus by name, a Phrygian lately arrived from Phrygia, lost heart at the sight of the beasts.
But he was one that had intruded himself and had pressed others to come forward of their own accord. The proconsul earnestly entreated this man and persuaded him to take the oath and offer incense. For this reason, then, brethren, we do not commend those who volunteer to come forward, since this is not the teaching of the Gospel.*°
5. The most wonderful Polycarp, on the other hand, was not at all disturbed when the news reached him, and, in fact, his impulse was to tarry in the city. But the majority were in favor of his withdrawal; and so he withdrew to a farm not far from the city, where he stayed with a few friends."*
Day and night he did nothing but pray for all and for the Churches throughout the world, as was his custom. 2 And it was in prayer, three days before his arrest, that he had a vision: he saw his pillow consumed by fire; and, turning to his companions, he declared: "I must be burnt alive."
6. While the search for him continued, he had no sooner removed to another farm when his pursuers came upon the scene." Since they did not find him, they arrested two young slaves, one of whom confessed under torture.
2 It was really impossible for him to escape detection. Those who were ready to betray him were of his own household; and besides, the chief of police, who providentially bore the same name as Herod, was in a hurry to bring him into the arena.
In this way he was to fulfill his own destiny by entering into
Tue Martyrpom or Saint Potycare
partnership with Christ, while his betrayers were to meet with the same punishment as Judas.
7. 'Taking, then, the slave with them, mounted policemen set out on Friday at about suppertime, armed in their usual way, as though they were in hot pursuit of a robber.
Closing in upon him late in the day, they found him hidden in a small room under the roof. Even there escape to another place was still possible; but he decided against it, saying:
" God's will be done!" * 2 So when he heard of their arrival, he came down and conversed with them. The onlookers were wondering at his age and his composure, and that there was so much ado about arresting a man so old. Then, late as it was, he at once ordered food and drink to be served them as much as they wished, and begged them to allow him an hour for undisturbed prayer.
3 They granted his request; and there he stood," rapt in prayer, so overflowing with the grace of God that for two hours he was unable to stop speaking! Those that heard him were struck with admiration, and many were sorry they had come to fetch so old a man of God.
8. When he had at last ended his prayer, in which he remembered all that had met him at any time—both small and great, both known and unknown to fame, and the whole world-wide Catholic Church *—the moment of departure arrived, and, seating him on an ass," they led him into the city. It was a great Sabbath.
2 He was met by Herod, the chief of police, and his father Nicetas. 'They had him transferred to their carriage and, seated at his side, tried to win him over.
"Really," they said, " what harm is there in saying ' Lord
Tue Marryrpom oF SAINT POoLyCARP Caesar,' * and offering incense "—and what goes with it—
"and thus being saved? "
At first he did not answer them; but when they persisted, he said: "I am not going to do what you counsel me."
3 So they failed to win him over, and with dire threats made him get down so hurriedly that in leaving the carriage he bruised his shin. But without turning round, as though he had suffered no injury, he walked briskly as he was led to the arena. The uproar in the arena was so tremendous that no one could even be heard.
9. As Polycarp entered the arena, a voice was heard from heaven:
Be strong, Polycarp, and act manfully." Nobody saw the speaker, but those of our people who were present heard the voice. When he was finally led up to the tribunal, there was a terrific uproar among the people on hearing that Polycarp had been arrested.
2 So when he had been led up, the proconsul questioned him whether he was Polycarp, and, when he admitted the fact, tried to persuade him to deny the faith.
He said to him, " Respect your age," and all the rest they were accustomed to say; " swear by the Fortune of Caesar; ** change your mind; say, ' Away with the atheists! '"
But Polycarp looked with a stern mien at the whole rabble of lawless heathen in the arena; he then groaned and, looking up to heaven, said, with a wave of his hand at them:
" Away with the atheists! "
3 When the proconsul insisted and said:
" Take the oath and I will set you free; revile Christ," Polycarp replied: " For six and eighty years I have been serving Him, and He has done no wrong to me; how, then, dare I blaspheme my King who has saved me! " *8
Tue Martyrpom or Saint Portycarp
10. But he again insisted and said:
"Swear by the Fortune of Caesar."
| He answered:
"If you flatter yourself that I shall swear by the Fortune of Caesar, as you suggest, and if you pretend not to know me, let me frankly tell you: I am a Christian!
If you wish to learn the teaching of Christianity, fix a day and let me explain."
2 "Talk to the crowd," the procounsul next said.*° " You," replied Polycarp, "I indeed consider entitled to an explanation; for we have been trained to render honor, in so far as it does not harm us, to magistrates and authorities appointed by God; ** but as to that crowd, I do not think it proper to make an appeal to them."
11. "Well," said the procounsul, "I have wild beasts, and shall have you thrown before them if you do not change your mind."
"Call for them," he replied; " to us a change from better to worse is impossible; but it is noble to change from what is evil to what is good." ** 2 Again he said to him: "If you make little of the beasts,
I shall have you consumed by fire unless you change your mind."
"The fire which you threaten," replied Polycarp, " is one that burns for a little while, and after a short time goes out.
You evidently do not know the fire of the judgment to come and the eternal punishment, which awaits the wicked. But why do you delay? Go ahead; do what you want."
12. As he said this and more besides, he was animated with courage and joy, and his countenance was suffused with beauty. As a result, he did not collapse from fright at what was being said to him; the proconsul, on the other hand, was
Tue Marryrpom oF SAINT PoLycaRP astounded, and sent his herald to announce three times in the centre of the arena:
" Polycarp has confessed to being a Christian."
2 Upon this announcement of the herald, the whole multitude of heathens and of Jews ** living at Smyrna shouted with uncontrolled anger and at the top of their voices:
"This is the teacher of Asia, the father of the Christians, the destroyer of our gods! He teaches many not to sacrifice and not to worship!" Amid this noisy demonstration, they called upon Philip, the minister of public worship in Asia,** to let loose a lion upon Polycarp. But he replied he had no authority to do so, since he had already closed the hunting sports.** 3 'Then they decided with one accord to demand that he should burn Polycarp alive. Of course, the vision that had appeared to him in connection with the pillow—when he saw it on fire during his prayer and then turned to his trusted friends with the prophetic remark:
"T must be burnt alive "—had to be fulfilled! ** 13. Then the thing was done more quickly than can be told, the crowds being in so great a hurry to gather logs and firewood from the shops and baths! And the Jews, too, as is their custom,'' were particularly zealous in lending a hand.
2 When the pyre was prepared, he laid aside all his clothes, unfastened the loin cloth, and prepared also to take off his shoes. He had not been in the habit of doing this, because the faithful always vied with each other to see which of them would be the first to touch his body. Even before his martyrdom, he had always been honored for holiness of life. 3
Without delay the material prepared for the pyre was piled up round him; but when they intended to nail him as well, he said: " Leave me just as I am. He who enables me to endure the fire will also enable me to remain on the pyre unbudging, without the security afforded by your nails."
Tue Martyrpom oF Saint Potycarp
14. So they did not nail him, but just fastened him. And there he was, with his hands put behind him, and fastened, like a ram towering above a large flock, ready for sacrifice, a holocaust prepared and acceptable to God! And he looked up to heaven and said: a "O Lord God, O Almighty, Father of Thy beloved and blessed Son Jesus Christ, through whom we have received the knowledge of you—
God of angels and hosts and all creation *—and of the whole race of saints who live under your eyes!
2 I bless Thee, because Thou hast seen fit to bestow upon me this day and this hour," that I may share, among the number of the martyrs, the cup " of Thy Anointed and rise to eternal life * both in soul and in body, in virtue of the immortality of the Holy Spirit. May I be accepted among them in Thy sight today as a rich and pleasing sacrifice," such as Thou, the true God that cannot utter a falsehood, hast prearranged, revealed in advance, and now consummated.
3 And therefore I praise Thee for everything; I bless 'Thee; I glorify Thee through the eternal and heavenly High Priest Jesus
Christ, Thy beloved Son, through whom be glory to Thee together with Him and the Holy Spirit, both now and for the ages yet to come. Amen." "
15. When he had wafted up the Amen and finished the prayer, the men attending to the fire lit it; and when a mighty flame shot up, we, who were privileged to see it, saw a wonderful thing; and we have been spared to tell the tale to the rest.
2 The fire produced the likeness of a vaulted chamber, like a ship's sail bellying to the breeze, and sur-
Tue Marryrpom oF SAInt POLYCARP rounded the martyr's body as with a wall; and he was in the centre of it, not as burning flesh, but as bread that is baking, or as gold and silver refined in a furnace! In fact, we even caught an aroma such as the scent of incense or of some other precious spice.
16. At length, seeing that his body could not be consumed by fire, those impious people ordered an executioner to approach him and run a dagger into him. This done, there issued [a dove and] ** a great quantity of blood, with the result that the fire was quenched and the whole crowd was struck by the difference between unbelievers and elect.
And of the elect the most wonderful Polycarp was certainly one—an apostolic and prophetic teacher in our times, and a bishop of the Catholic Church at Smyrna.** In fact, every word his lips have uttered has been, or will yet be, fulfilled.
17. But the jealous and malicious rival, the adversary of the race of saints, had witnessed the splendor of his martyrdom, had seen that his life was blameless from the beginning, and now saw him adorned with the crown of immortality and carrying off an incontestable prize. And so he busied himself preventing even his poor body from being laid hold of by us.
Many, of course, were eager to do so and have a share in the possession of his holy remains.** 2 He therefore instigated Nicetas, Herod's father and Alce's brother,* to plead with the magistrate not to deliver up his body; " or else," he said,
"they will abandon the Crucified and worship this man in good earnest." 'This he said at the urgent representations of the Jews, who were again on the alert when we intended to take him out of the fire. They did not realize that we shall never bring ourselves either to abandon Christ, who suffered for the salvation of all those that are saved in the whole world
Tue Martyrpom oF Saint PoLycarp
—the Innocent for sinners! "—or to worship any other.
Him we worship as being the Son of God, the martyrs we love as being disciples and imitators of the Lord; and deservedly so, because of their unsurpassable devotion to their
King and Teacher. May it be our good fortune, too, to be their companions and fellow disciples!
18. When the centurion noticed the contentiousness of the Jews, he declared the body public property * and, according to their custom, burnt it. 2 And thus it came about that we afterwards took up his bones, more precious than costly stones and more excellent than gold, and interred them in a decent place. 3 There the Lord will permit us, as far as possible, to assemble in rapturous joy and celebrate his martyrdom—his birthday "—both in order to commemorate the heroes that have gone before, and to train and prepare the heroes yet to come.
19. Such is the story of blessed Polycarp. Although he suffered martyrdom at Smyrna with eleven others from Philadelphia," he alone is universally remembered by preference, so much so that even the heathen speak of him in every place. Not only was he a celebrated teacher, but also an outstanding martyr, whose martyrdom all desire to imitate because it was in accord with the Gospel of Christ. 2 By his patient endurance he overcame the unjust magistrate, and thus won the incorruptible crown; and now, exulting with the Apostles and all the saints, he glorifies God and the Father Almighty, and blesses Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior of our souls, the Captain of our bodies, and Shepherd of the world-wide Catholic Church."
20. You asked, it is true, for a more detailed account of
Tue Marryrpom oF SAINT PoLyCARP the events, but for the present we are giving you only a summary report through the good offices of our brother
Marcion.** Take note, then, of the contents and forward the letter to the brethren farther on. They too, should glorify the Lord, who makes His choice from among His servants.
2 To Him who is able, by His bountiful grace, to bring us all into His eternal kingdom through His Son Jesus Christ, the Only-begotten, be glory, honor, might, and majesty forever. Greetings to all the saints. Those who are with us and especially Evarestus, who committed this letter to paper, with his whole family, wish to be remembered to you.
21. The day of blessed Polycarp's martyrdom is the second of the first half of the month of Xanthicus, the seventh before the kalends of March.** It was a great Sabbath; * the time was two in the afternoon. He was arrested by Herod, when
Philip of Tralles was high priest, and Statius Quadratus proconsul, during the unending reign of Our Lord Jesus Christ. 'To Him belongs the glory, honor, majesty, and an eternal throne from generation to generation. Amen.
22. We say farewell to you, brethren. Make the teaching of Jesus Christ, as expressed in the Gospel, your rule of life.
Together with Him be glory to God—the Father and the Holy Spirit—for the salvation of the holy elect. It was thus *° that the blessed Polycarp suffered martyrdom. May we be privileged to follow in his footsteps and arrive in the kingdom of Jesus Christ.
2 A transcript of this letter was made by Gaius °° from a manuscript in the possession of Irenaeus.
He was a contemporary of Irenaeus, who in turn was a disciple of Polycarp. And I, Socrates, copied it out in Corinth from the duplicates of Gaius. Grace be with you all!
Tue Martryrpom oF Saint Po.ycarp IOI 3 And I, Pionius," in my turn, copied it out from the aforesaid manuscript, after I had discovered it through a revelation made to me by blessed Polycarp, as I shall explain in the sequel. I gathered the leaves when they were already almost worn out by age. "May the Lord Jesus Christ gather me," too, together with His elect into His heavenly kingdom.
To Him belongs the glory with the Father and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.
Another Epilogue from the Moscow Manuscript A transcript of this account was made by Gaius from the writings of Irenaeus. He was also a contemporary of Irenaeus, who in turn was a disciple of Saint Polycarp. 2 This Irenatus, by the way, was at the time of the martyrdom of Bishop
Polycarp at Rome, where he taught a great many persons.
Many most beautiful and altogether orthodox writings of his are still in circulation, in which he mentions Polycarp as having been his teacher."* He also wrote a solid refutation of every heresy and, besides, handed down the ecclesiastical and Catholic rule of faith, just as he had received it from the saint. 3 Among other things he narrates " that Marcion, the founder of the so-called Marcionites, one day met Saint
Polycarp and said: "Do you know me, Polycarp?"
" Yes, yes," he said to Marcion; "I know very well the first-born of Satan." 4 The following fact, likewise, is recorded in the writings of Irenaeus: on the day and at the hour when
Polycarp suffered martyrdom at Smyrna, Irenaeus happened to be in the city of Rome and heard a voice which sounded like a trumpet, saying: " Polycarp has suffered martyrdom."
5 From these writings of Irenaeus, then, as has been stated
Tue Martyrpom oF SAINT PoLycARP above, Gaius made a transcript; and from the duplicates of Gaius Isocrates made a copy of it at Corinth. And I, Pionius, in turn, made a copy from the duplicates of Isocrates, after discovering it through a revelation made by Saint Polycarp. I gathered the leaves when they were already almost worn out by age. May the Lord Jesus Christ gather me, too, together with His elect into His heavenly kingdom. 'To Him belongs the glory with the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.
ie 2) é : z Ay < a S, ~