Eusebius of Caesarea, Church History 15

In this period, Polycarp met his end through martyrdom when the fiercest persecutions yet erupted throughout Asia, and I consider it essential to record his most necessary death in writing, preserving it within the memory of this history. The document comes from the church he himself led, addressed to the neighboring congregations to inform them of what happened to him. It reads: "The church of God dwelling in Smyrna sends greetings to the church of God dwelling in Philomelium and to all the churches in every place of the holy catholic church: may mercy, peace, and love from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ be multiplied to you. We have written to you, brothers, about those who were martyred and about the blessed Polycarp, who by his martyrdom, as if sealing it with a seal, brought the persecution to an end." Before launching into the narrative about Polycarp, the account first describes the other martyrs and the endurance they displayed amid their sufferings. The writer says that onlookers stood amazed as they watched the martyrs being scourged until even their innermost veins and arteries were laid bare, so that the very organs and limbs hidden deep within their bodies were exposed. At times the victims were forced onto sharp stakes and pointed rods, and they were subjected to every kind of punishment and torture before finally being thrown to the beasts for food. The narrative especially highlights the noble Germanicus, who, strengthened by divine grace, overcame the natural fear of death that belongs to the body.