EPISTLE OF THE CHURCH OF SMYRNA CONCERNING THE MARTYRDOM OF SAINT POLYCARP, CIRCULAR EPISTLE
A The Church of God which sojourns at Smyrna, to the Church of God which sojourns at Philomelium, and to all the parishes of the holy and catholic Church in every place; mercy, peace, and love from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ be multiplied.
I. We write to you, brethren, concerning the martyrs and the blessed Polycarp, who by his martyrdom, as if placing a seal upon it, brought the persecution to an end. For almost all the preceding events happened in order that the Lord might show us from above a martyrdom which is in accordance with the Gospel. For he awaited being delivered up, just as the Lord did, that we also might become his imitators, not looking only to what concerns ourselves, but also to what concerns our neighbors. For it is the part of true and steadfast love to desire not only one's own salvation, but also that of all the brethren.
C II. The wonderful constancy of the martyrs.
Blessed and noble, indeed, are all the martyrdoms which have taken place according to the will of God. For we ought, as those more reverent, to ascribe to God the power over all things. For who would not admire their nobility and their patience and their love of the Lord?
A For who would not admire them, who were so torn by scourges that the structure of their bodies, even to the innermost veins and arteries, was laid bare, yet they endured it, so that even those standing by felt pity and lamented; but they themselves attained such a degree of fortitude that none of them uttered a groan or complaint, demonstrating to us all that in that hour, while being tortured, the martyrs of Christ were absent from the flesh, or rather, that the Lord was standing by and conversing with them? And attending to the grace of Christ, they despised the torments of this world, redeeming themselves from eternal punishment by the span of a single hour. And the fire of the cruel executioners seemed cold to them. For they had before their eyes the escape from that fire which is eternal and will never be quenched, and with the eyes of their heart they gazed upon those good things which are reserved for those who endure, B "which neither ear heard nor eye saw, nor did they enter into the heart of man," but were revealed to them by the Lord, as they were no longer men, but already angels. Likewise, those who were condemned to the beasts also bore grievous torments, being prostrated upon sharp shells and excruciated by various other tortures, so that, if possible, the tyrant might lead them to a denial of Christ through the persistence of the punishment.
III. The Constancy of Germanicus. The Death of Polycarp Is Demanded.
For the devil devised many things against them. But thanks be to God; for he could not prevail over any of them. C For the most noble Germanicus encouraged their timidity through his own constancy, as he fought splendidly with the wild beasts. For when the proconsul wished to sway him and told him to have pity on his own youth, he voluntarily drew the beast toward him and provoked it, desiring more quickly to escape from the unjust and wicked life of those men. From this, therefore, the whole multitude, marveling at the fortitude of the pious and religious race of the Christians, shouted: "Away with the impious; let Polycarp be sought out!"
IV. Quintus the Apostate.
But a certain man, Quintus by name, a Phrygian by nation, who had recently arrived from Phrygia, when he saw the beasts, was struck with fear. D Now this was the one who had urged himself and certain others to come forward voluntarily. To him the proconsul, through many entreaties, persuaded to swear oaths and offer sacrifice. Therefore, brothers, we do not applaud those who offer themselves up, since the Gospel does not teach us so.
VI. Polycarp's retreat and vision.
A Polycarp, that most admirable man, when he first heard this, was not troubled, but wanted to remain in the city; however, the majority persuaded him to withdraw. So he withdrew to a small farm, not far from the city; and he stayed there with a few people, doing nothing else night and day but praying for everyone and for the Churches throughout the world, which was his custom. And while praying, behind three days before he was arrested, a vision came to him: he saw his pillow burning with fire. And turning to those who were with him, he said prophetically: "I must be burned alive."
VI. Polycarp is betrayed by a servant. Herod the irenarch.
As those who were looking for him persisted, he moved to another farm; and immediately they who sought him arrived. And when they did not find him, they seized two young slaves, one of whom, once tormented, confessed. B Indeed, it was impossible for him to remain hidden, since those who betrayed him were his own household. And the irenarch—who was also the cleronomus, a position of the same name—named Herod, was eager to bring him into the stadium, so that he might fulfill his own lot, having become a partaker of Christ; while those who betrayed him would undergo the punishment of Judas!
VII. Polycarp is found by his persecutors.
Having the boy therefore, on Friday, at the hour of supper, the persecutors and horsemen went out with their customary arms, "as if running against a thief" C. And arriving at evening time, they found him lying in an upper room of a certain small house; from there he could have departed to another place, but he did not wish to, saying, "The will of God be done." D As he heard that they were present, he descended and spoke with them; those who were present were amazed at his age and his composure, and that they had used such great effort to arrest such an old man. Immediately, therefore, he ordered that food and drink be set before them at that hour, as much as they wanted; and he asked them to give him an hour to pray freely. And when they consented, standing he prayed, being full of the grace of God, so that for two hours he could not be silent, and those who heard were astonished, and many of them repented that they had come against such a god-fearing old man.
VIII. Polycarp is led into the city.
A When he had finished his prayer, having made mention of all who had at any time come into contact with him, small and great, distinguished and obscure, and of the whole Catholic Church throughout the world, when the hour came for him to depart, they set him upon an ass and brought him into the city on the day of the Great Sabbath. And Herodes the irenarch, along with his father Nicetas, met him, and they took him up into their carriage, and seating themselves beside him, they tried to persuade him, saying: "For what harm is there in saying, 'Lord Caesar,' and sacrificing, and so saving yourself?" B At first he did not answer them, but when they persisted, he said: "I am not going to do what you advise me." Then they, frustrated in their hope of persuading him, spoke insulting words to him, and with vehemence threw him out of the carriage, so that as he stepped down he injured his shin. But, in no way perturbed, and as though he had suffered no harm, he went forward eagerly and quickly, being led to the stadium. There was such a tumult in the stadium that the voice of those who were speaking could not be heard.
IX. Polycarpus Christo Domino suo non maledicit.
As Polycarp entered the stadium, a voice came to him from heaven: "Be strong and act manfully, Polycarp!" And no one saw the one who spoke, but the voice was heard by those of our people who were present. C And then, when he was brought in, there was a great tumult among those who heard that Polycarp had been captured. When he was brought forth, the proconsul asked him if he were Polycarp. And when he confessed, he tried to persuade him to deny it, saying: "Have respect for your age," and other things customary for them to say: "Swear by the fortune of Caesar; repent; say: ‘Away with the atheists.’" But Polycarp, looking with a grave and stern countenance at the entire crowd of lawless Gentiles in the stadium, and waving his hand at them, and sighing and looking up to heaven, said: "Away with the atheists!" D When the proconsul pressed him and said: "Swear, and I will release you; revile Christ," Polycarp said: "Eighty-six years have I served him, and he has done me no wrong; how then can I blaspheme my King who saved me?"
X. Polycarp professes himself a Christian and wishes to speak about Christ.
When he pressed him again, saying: "Swear by the fortune of Caesar," he answered: "If you vainly expect that I will swear by the fortune of Caesar, as you say, and pretend that you do not know who I am, hear it plainly: I am a Christian. And if you wish to learn the teaching of Christianity, grant me a day and listen."
A The proconsul said: "Persuade the people." Polycarp responded: "You, indeed, I have deemed worthy of a speech; for we have been taught to render, as is fitting, honors—such as do not harm us—to the rulers and authorities ordained by God; but those, I do not consider worthy to have an account rendered to them."
XI. Neither wild beasts, nor fire, terrify Polycarp
The proconsul said to him: "I have wild beasts; I will throw you to them unless you repent." B He answered: "Call them; for we cannot be changed from the better to the worse by repentance; but it is good to change from evil to what is just." The proconsul said to him again: "I will have you consumed by fire if you despise the wild beasts, unless you repent." Polycarp replied: "You threaten fire that burns for an hour and is extinguished after a little while; for you are ignorant of the fire of the future judgment and of eternal punishment reserved for the ungodly. But why do you delay? Bring what you wish."
XII. Polycarp is condemned to the pyre
While he was saying these and many other things, he was filled with confidence and joy, and his face was full of grace, so that he not only did not collapse, disturbed by the things said to him, but on the contrary the proconsul was astonished and sent his own herald to proclaim in the middle of the stadium three times: "Polycarp has confessed that he is a Christian." C When this had been announced by the herald, the whole multitude of the Gentiles and Jews living in Smyrna shouted with uncontrollable rage and a loud voice: "This is the teacher of impiety, the father of the Christians, the destroyer of our gods, who teaches many not to sacrifice nor pay homage to the gods."
Saying these things, they clamored and asked Philip the Asiarch to release a lion against Polycarp. But Philip said that it was not permitted for him, since he had already concluded the games of the beasts. Then it seemed good to them with one accord to shout that Polycarp should be burned alive. For it was necessary that that vision concerning the pillow, which had been shown to him during prayer when he saw it burning, be fulfilled, and turning to the faithful who were present, he said prophetically: "I must be burned alive."
XIII. The pyre is constructed
These things were done with such speed, faster than they could be spoken, for the crowds immediately gathered together from the workshops and baths.
the Jews especially assisting with great zeal, as is their custom, in this work. And when the pyre was prepared, he put off all his garments, loosened his girdle, and tried also to unshoe himself, which he did not do before, because always each of the faithful was eager, whoever could do so most quickly, to touch his skin; for he had been adorned with every good thing, even before his martyrdom, because of his holy manner of life. Immediately, therefore, they laid upon him the instruments prepared for the pyre. But when they were also going to fix him with nails A, he said: “Leave me as I am; for He who grants me to endure the fire will also enable me, without your security from the nails, to remain at the pyre unmoving.”
XIV. The prayer of Polycarp They did not, therefore, drive in the nails, but bound him. B And with his hands placed behind him and bound, like a noble ram chosen from a great flock for an oblation, a burnt offering acceptable to God [the] prepared, he looked up to heaven and said: “O Lord God Almighty, the Father of Thy beloved and blessed Child, Jesus Christ, through whom we have received the knowledge of Thee, the God of angels and powers and of all creation and of the whole race of the righteous who live in Thy presence; I bless Thee, because Thou hast deemed me worthy of this day and hour, that I might receive a portion among the number of Thy martyrs in the cup of Thy Christ, unto the resurrection of eternal life, of both soul and body, in the incorruptibility of the Holy Spirit; among whom may I be received today before Thee as a rich and acceptable sacrifice, as Thou hast prepared and revealed beforehand and now fulfilled, O God who art without falsehood and true. For this reason, and for all things, I praise Thee, I bless Thee, I glorify Thee, along with the eternal and heavenly Jesus Christ, Thy beloved Child; with whom, to Thee and the Holy Spirit, be glory, both now and unto the ages to come. Amen.” C
XV. Polycarp is not harmed by the fire And when he had sent forth the “Amen!” and completed his prayer, those who were in charge of the fire lit the flame. And a great flame flashing forth, we saw a great miracle, we to whom it was given to see, and who were therefore preserved to announce to the others what happened. For the fire, making the appearance of a vault, like the sail of a ship filled by the wind, circled round the body of the martyr; and it was in the midst not as burning flesh, but as bread being baked, or as gold and silver D glowing in a furnace. For we perceived such a fragrant scent of
frankincense or some other of the precious spices. A
XVI. Polycarpus is transfixed by a dagger.
The wicked ones, therefore, seeing that his body could not be consumed by the fire, commanded a confector to approach and transfix him with a dagger. B And when he had done this, a dove flew out, and a quantity of blood, so that it extinguished the fire; and the whole crowd marveled that there should be such a difference between the unbelievers and the elect, of whom this most admirable martyr Polycarp was one, having been in our times an apostolic and prophetic teacher and bishop of the catholic Church in Smyrna. For every word which he uttered from his mouth was fulfilled and will be fulfilled. C
XVII. Polycarp's body is not delivered to the Christians.
But that envious and malicious enemy, the adversary of the race of the just, seeing the greatness of his martyrdom and his blameless life from the beginning, and that he was crowned with the crown of immortality and had carried off an indisputable prize, took pains that his remains should not be taken by us, although many desired to do this and to have fellowship with his holy flesh. He therefore suggested to Nicetes, the father of Herod and brother of Alce, to entreat the governor not to give up his body for burial: "Lest," he said, "they abandon the Crucified and begin to worship this one." And they said these things while the Jews were suggesting and urging them—they who also watched us as we were about to take him from the fire, ignorant that we can never abandon Christ, who suffered for the salvation of all who will be saved in the whole world, the blameless one for sinners, nor can we worship any other. For Him, indeed, being the Son of God, we worship; but the martyrs, as disciples and imitators of the Lord, we love worthily, because of their surpassing benevolence toward their own King and teacher; of whom may we also become fellow-partakers and fellow-disciples. D
A Identifying, therefore, the contention arisen from the Jews, the centurion set him in the midst of the fire and burned him. And thus we, later taking up his bones—more precious than costly gems and more tried than gold—deposited them where it was fitting. There, as we gather together in exultation and joy as we are able, the Lord will grant us to celebrate the birthday of his martyrdom, both in memory of those who have finished their contests, and for the exercise and preparation of those to come.
XIX. Praise of Polycarp the martyr
These things regarding the blessed Polycarp, who, having suffered martyrdom in Smyrna as the twelfth B from Philadelphia, is alone remembered by all, so that he is spoken of by the Gentiles in every place; for he proved himself not only a distinguished teacher, but also an outstanding martyr, whose martyrdom all desire to imitate, as it was in accordance with the Gospel of Christ. For by endurance he overcame the unrighteous magistrate and thus received the crown of immortality; exulting with the apostles and all the righteous, he glorifies God the Father, and blesses our Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior of our souls and the governor of our bodies, and the shepherd of the Catholic Church throughout the world.
XX. Send this epistle to the brethren
C You indeed had requested that all things which transpired be explained to you more fully; but for the present, we have indicated them in summary through our brother Mark. When, therefore, you have read these things, transmit the epistle to the brethren further away, that they too may glorify the Lord, who makes a choice from among his own servants. To Him who is able to lead us all in His grace and gift into His eternal kingdom, through His only-begotten Son Jesus Christ, to Him be glory, honor, dominion, majesty, throughout the ages. Amen. Greet all the saints. Those who are with us greet you, as does Evarestus, who wrote this, with all his household.
XXI. Time of the martyrdom
D The blessed Polycarp suffered martyrdom on the second day of the beginning of the month Xanthicus, before the seventh of the Kalends of May, on the great Sabbath, at the eighth hour.