The Martyrdom of Polycarp · §12 · Origen of Alexandria

The crowd demands Polycarp be burned alive

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After Polycarp refuses the proconsul's threats of beasts and fire, the proconsul has his herald proclaim three times in the stadium that Polycarp has confessed to be a Christian.

As Polycarp said this and much more, he was filled with boldness and joy, and his face was full of grace. He did not collapse, shaken by what was said to him. On the contrary, the proconsul himself was astounded and sent his own herald to stand in the middle of the stadium and proclaim three times, "Polycarp has confessed himself to be a Christian."

When the herald said this, the whole crowd of pagans and Jews who lived in Smyrna shouted with uncontrollable anger and a loud voice, "This is the teacher of Asia, the father of the Christians, the destroyer of our gods, who teaches many neither to sacrifice nor to worship." As they said this they kept shouting and asking the provincial official Philip to loose a lion on Polycarp. But he said it was not permitted for him, because he had completed the beast fights. Then they agreed with one mind to shout that Polycarp should be burned alive.

For the vision he had seen upon the pillow had to be fulfilled, when he saw it burning as he prayed and turned to the faithful with him and said prophetically, "I must be burned alive."

Greek

XII. Ταῦτα δὲ καὶ ἕτερα πλείονα λέγων, θάρσους καὶ χαρᾶς ἐνεπίμπλατο, καὶ τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ χάριτος ἐπληροῦτο, ὥστε οὐ μόνον μὴ συμπεσεῖν ταραχθέντα ὑπὸ τῶν λεγομένων πρὸς αὐτόν, ἀλλὰ τοὐναντίον τὸν ἀνθύπατον ἐκστῆναι, πέμψαι τε τὸν ἑαυτοῦ κήρυκα, ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ σταδίου κηρῦξαι τρὶς Πολύκαρπος ὡμολόγησεν ἑαυτὸν Χριστιανὸν εἶναι. Τούτου λεχθέντος ὑπὸ τοῦ κήρυκος, ἅπαν τὸ πλῆθος ἐθνῶν τε καὶ Ἰουδαίων τῶν τὴν Σμύρναν κατοικούντων ἀκατασχέτῳ θυμῷ καὶ μεγάλῃ φωνῇ ἐπεβόα· Οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ τῆς Ἀσίας διδάσκαλος, ὁ πατὴρ τῶν Χριστιανῶν, ὁ τῶν ἡμετέρων θεῶν καθαιρέτης, ὁ πολλοὺς διδάσκων μὴ θύειν μηδὲ προσκυνεῖν. Ταῦτα λέγοντες ἐπεβόων καὶ ἠρώτων τὸν Ἀσιάρχην Φίλιππον ἵνα ἐπαφῇ τῷ Πολυκάρπῳ λέοντα. Ὁ δὲ ἔφη μὴ εἶναι ἐξὸν αὐτῷ, ἐπειδὴ πεπληρώκει τὰ κυνηγέσια. Τότε ἔδοξεν αὐτοῖς ὁμοθυμαδὸν ἐπιβοῆσαι ὥστε τὸν Πολύκαρπον ζῶντα κατακαῦσαι. Ἔδει γὰρ τὸ τῆς φανερωθείσης ἐπὶ τοῦ προσκεφαλαίου ὀπτασίας πληρωθῆναι, ὅτε ἰδὼν αὐτὸ καιόμενον προσευχόμενος εἶπεν ἐπιστραφεὶς τοῖς σὺν αὐτῷ πιστοῖς προφητικῶς· Δεῖ με ζῶντα καῆναι.

About this text

They wanted the report shared with other Christians so that God would be glorified and Polycarp would be remembered and imitated.

This letter was written by the Church of Smyrna (c. 156) to the church of God at Philomelium and to all congregations of the holy and universal church everywhere. The Smyrnaeans were answering a request from Philomelium for a fuller account of their recent martyrs, especially bishop Polycarp, whose death closed the persecution. They wanted the report shared with other Christians so that God would be glorified and Polycarp would be remembered and imitated.

The letter argues that true martyrdom happens according to God's will and the gospel, when the martyr waits to be handed over like Christ, endures torture patiently with Christ present, and seeks the salvation of others. It therefore praises the tortured Christians and Germanicus, who provoked the beast, but blames Quintus the Phrygian and other volunteers whose self offering ended in denial, and presents Polycarp as the model who withdrew, prayed, accepted betrayal and arrest, fed his captors, refused to swear by Caesar, revile Christ or deny he was a Christian, and accepted burning in fulfilment of his vision. A reader will meet Polycarp, Germanicus, Quintus, Herod and his father Nicetes with Alce, the provincial official Philip, the proconsul, and later transmitters such as Irenaeus, Gaius, Socrates or Isocrates, Pionius, Marcian and the scribe Evarestus, and will hear quoted speech from Polycarp, the proconsul, Herod and Nicetes, the crowd, the herald, a heavenly voice and Nicetes petitioning about the body, with argument against Quintus and against the heretical teacher Marcion.

As rendered here, martyr means one who confesses himself a Christian under trial and dies rather than deny him, martyrdom means faithful suffering unto death, confess means to declare oneself a Christian before authority and denial means denying Christ by swearing, sacrificing or reviling him, while universal means worldwide, proconsul means the Roman governor, police chief means the local arresting officer, provincial official means the leader in charge of festivals and beast shows, crown means the reward for enduring, anniversary means the yearly celebration of a martyr death, and worship is owed to Christ alone. Godless people renders the crowd insult against Christians for rejecting pagan gods. There are no formal book citations, only unattributed gospel like phrases given as modern allusions. Evarestus is the scribe who wrote with his household, Marcion is the heretical teacher Polycarp rebuked, and Herod and Philip of Tralles appear as names in the closing date formula.

This work has passed this project's source check. This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. Open Greek on each section for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.