Victor R. Claveau, MJ
Saint Polycarp, another of the Apostolic Fathers, was a disciple of the Apostle Saint John. The letter from the church at Smyrna to the church at Philomelium known as the Martyrdom of Polycarp is the oldest written account of a Christian martyrdom outside the New Testament. Apparently written by eyewitnesses shortly after the event, it records, in sometimes gruesome detail, the pursuit, arrest, trial, and execution of Polycarp, the beloved 86-year-old bishop of the church at Smyrna.
This account bears eloquent testimony to a growing challenge confronting the church around the middle of the second century. Because of its belief in one God the Church found herself engaged in a struggle with the Roman state which permitted no compromise and which eventually only one of the two would emerge victorious. The Martyrdom of Polycarp sets out quite clearly both the issues at stake—Lord Christ versus Lord Caesar—and the state’s (as well as the general population’s) view of Christians as disloyal atheists who threatened the well-being of the empire. In the face of this antipathy, the steadfastness of Polycarp’s faith in Christ and the fearlessness with which he faced death became a model for many believers who found themselves in similar circumstances during the course of the next century and a half, until various edicts of toleration issued between 311 and 313 A.D. (including the letter of Constantine and Licinus in 313 A.D. known as the Edict of Milan) brought an end to the conflict and victory to the church.
Although he is a less important literary figure, Saint Polycarp was a man of the same stamp and stature as Saint Ignatius. Saint Polycarp had welcomed Saint Ignatius to Smyrna during the latter’s journey to Rome, and from him he received a letter of gratitude and good counsel. After the great bishop Polycarp’s death, the younger Saint Ignatius busied himself in passing the account of his Polycarp’s martyrdom on to different churches. A letter of Polycarp’s announcing the imminent arrival of this document to the people of Philippi is still extant. The text is somewhat commonplace, but it contains the following lines: “Let us keep our eyes constantly fixed on our hope and the pledge of our justice, namely on Jesus.” Polycarp’s glorious martyrdom in 155 A.D., under Antoninus, would make him famous.
The letter of Polycarp to the Philippians is especially valuable to us because of the authenticity it lends to the letters of Saint Ignatius. But it is also interesting in itself, inasmuch as it demonstrates Christian morals and preaching at the beginning of the second century. The bishop of Smyrna is full of veneration for “the blessed Ignatius, Zosimus and Rufus (9:1),” still more for “the Blessed and glorious apostle Paul (3:2);” if he writes to the Philippians, it is to grant their desire (3:1). He exhorts them to rectitude in the faith (7:1), to the memory of the death and resurrection of the Lord (1:2; 2:2); he particularly urges them to follow the example of Christ.
The Martyrdom of Saint Polycarp
“But as Polycarp entered the stadium, there came a voice from heaven: ‘Be strong, Polycarp, and act like a man.’ And no one saw the speaker, but those of our people who were present heard the voice. And then, as he was brought forward, there was a great tumult when they heard that Polycarp had been arrested. Therefore, when he was brought before him, the proconsul asked if he was Polycarp. And when he confessed that he was, the proconsul tried to persuade him to recant, saying, ‘Have respect for your age,’ and other such things as they are accustomed to say: ‘Swear by the Genius (i.e., the guardian spirit) of Caesar; repent; say, Away with the atheists!’ So Polycarp solemnly looked at the crowd of lawless heather who were in the stadium, motioned toward them with his hand and then (groaning as he looked up to heaven) said, ‘Away with the atheists’ But when the magistrate persisted and said, ‘Swear the oath, and I will release you; revile Christ,’ Polycarp replied, ‘For eighty-six years I have been his servant, and he has done me no wrong. How can I blaspheme my King who saved me?’
But as he continued to insist, saying, ‘Swear by the Genius of Caesar’, he answered: ‘If you vainly suppose that I will swear by the Genius of Caesar, as you request, and pretend not to know who I am, listen carefully: I am a Christian. Now if you want to learn the doctrine of Christianity, name a day and give me a hearing.’ The proconsul said: “Persuade the people.” But Polycarp said: ‘You I might have considered worthy of a reply, for we have been taught to pay proper respect to rulers and authorities appointed by God, as long as it does us no harm; but as for these, I do not think they are worthy, that I should have to defend myself before them.’”
“So much, then, for the Blessed Polycarp. Although he was, together with those from Philadelphia, the twelfth martyr in Smyrna, he alone is especially remembered by all, and is spoken of in every place, even by the heathen. He was not only a famous teacher, but also an outstanding witness, whose martyrdom all desire to imitate, because it was so much in accord with the gospel of Christ. By his endurance he overcame the unjust ruler, and thus gained the imperishable crown. Now with the Apostles and all the just he is glorifying God the Father Almighty, and he is blessing our Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior of our souls, the Helmsman of our bodies, and the Shepherd of the Catholic Church throughout the world.”[1]
[1] Jurgens, The Faith of the Early Fathers, 31.