244
POLYCARP
POLYCARP
pagans who filled the stadium, ' sighs, and, raising his eyes towards heaven, says, "Away with tlio atheists!"' But he refused to curse the Christ (ix. 2-3). The proconsul insisted in vain. ' 1 am a Christian,' replied the bishop ; ' if thou wouldest learn the doctrine of Christianity, assign a day and give me a hearing.' ' Prevail upon the people,' answered the Roman magistrate sarcastically. ' As for myself,' said Polycarp, ' I should have heUi thee worthy of discourse ; for we liave been taught to render, as is meet, to princes and authori- ties appointed by God such honour as does us no harm ; but as for these, I do not hold them worthy, that I should defend myself before them ' (x. 2) — a reminiscence of St. Paul, Ro 13'"'. The proconsul threatened to throw him to the wild beasts if he did not abjure. ' Call for them,' answered the ■ bishop, ' for the repentance from better to worse is a change not permitted to us ; but it is a noble thing to change from untowardness to righteous- ness' (xi. 1). The proconsul threatened liim with the stake ; Polycarp replied : ' Thou threatenest that fire which burnetii for a season and after a little while is quenched : for thou art ignorant of the fire of the future judgment and eternal punishment, which is reserved for the ungodly. But why delay est thou 1 Come, do what thou wilt ' (xi. 2). The pro- consul ordered his herald to proclaim in the middle of the stadium : ' Polycarp hath confessed himself to be a Christian ' (xii. 1). The whole multitude, composed of pagans and of Jews living in Smyrna {'lovdaiuf Twv TT]y 'Zjxvpvav KaToiKodvTojv) (on the hos- tility of the Jews towards the Christians see Har- nack. Mission und Aushreitung, Leipzig, 1906, 1. 4U0), began to shout : ' This is the teacher of Asia {o^t6s etTTtv 6 TTjs 'Aaias StSdtrx-aXoy), the father of the Christians, the puller down of our gods, who teacheth numbers not to sacrifice nor worship!' Notice the expression 6 irarrip tQiv HpiaTiavCiv to denote the bishop. The multitude begged that Polycarp should be burned at once (xii. 2-3). They brought fuel ; the Jews were in the greatest haste. When the pile was ready, the bishop laid aside his clothes and was placed against the stake. They wanted to nail him to it ; he refused : ' Leave me as I am,' he said, ' for He that hath granted me to endure the fire will grant me also to remain at the pile unmoved, even without the security which ye seek from the nails' (xiii. 3). Fixed to the stake, his hands behind his back, he was ' like a noble ram out of a great flock for an offering' (xiv. 1). The account goes on to say that the bishop then repeated in a loud voice a very remarkable prayer, for it is in the manner of a eucharistic prayer, and gives the impression of what we call a praefatio (xiv. 1-2). While dying, the bishop prayed in the ritual from which the liturgy is derived. Thus died ' the glorious martyr, Poly- carp, who was found an apostolic and prophetic teacher (SiSdcr/caXos airoiTToKtKb^ Kai irpofpriTiKds), bishop of the holy Catholic Church which is in Smyrna {^TrLiTKOiros t^s ^c ^/jidp^-p Ka6o\tKyj^ 4KK\7]aias). For every word which he uttered from his mouth was accomplished and will be accomplished ' (xvi. 2) (on the gift of prophecy attributed to the bishops see Harnack, Mission, i. 289).
The Martyrium Polycarpi adds that, at the instigation of the Jews, the Christians were refused permission to take away the body of Poly- carp (xvii. 2), which was burned by the soldiers of the proconsul, according to the pagan custom (xviii. 1). The Christians therefore got nothing but the ashes, which they interred 'in a suitable place,' says the Martyrium in terms which do not reveal the locus depositionis : ' Where the Lord will permit us to gather ourselves together, as we are able, in gladness and joy, and to celebrate the birth-day of his martyrdom for the commemoration
of those who have already fought in the contest' (xviii. 3). Here we have the most ancient evidence of the custom of celebrating the birthday of a martyr {t'^v rov fiaprvpiou avroO 7]fj.ipav yevidXiov). We have also the testimony that a similar anni- versary would be celebrated fur Polycarp Avhen possible ; that means that it had not been possible at the time when the Marti/rlinii was edited — which proves that this redaction was made shortly after Polycarp's death.
The supplementary paragraphs of the Martyrium Polycarpi stale that Polycarp was the twelfth to sutler martyrdom at Smyrna, counting the Chris- tians of Philadelphia, but that the martyrdom of Polycarp was the most memorable, ' so that he is talked of even by the heathen in every place' (xix. 1). By his suffering, Polycarp glorifies God and ' our Lord Jesus Christ, saviour of our souls, pilot of our bodies, shepherd of the Catholic Church in the whole inhabited world' (iroifi^fa riji Karil ri;!' oUovfjJyyjif KadoXLKTjs ^KKXnjirias, xix. 2 ; cf. verses 3-5 of the epitaph of Abercius : OOvoya' 'kjiipKtoi uu, 6 fjt.adT]TT]s TToL^vot ayvoO, \\6sl36(7K€i irpoj^aTwy d-yAas ovpe<n treSiois re, |1 (i0^aX^oi)s ds ^x^* p,eyd\ovs TravT-q KadopQv- ras). The appendix (xxii. 1-3), which seems to be entirely a forgery by the hand of pseudo-Pionius, author of the Vita, has no historical interest.