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POLYCARP, MARTYRDOM

Apart from the NT account of the death of Stephen (Acts 7:54-60), the Martyrdom of Polycarp preserves Christianity’s earliest example of a martyrdom. The Martyrdom is a stylized portrayal of the death of Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna, who served the Church through the advanced age of 86 (Mart. Pol. 9:3). The portrayal of his death ultimately came to serve as a prototypical example for subsequent martyrological accounts, with focus upon the themes of faithfulness, courage, and piety in the face of danger and death.

The actual account of the martyrdom is preserved within the framework of a letter which was sent from the Christians at Smyrna (the site of Polycarp’s death) to the church at Philomelium in central Asia Minor. Its purpose was to honor the memory of the slain bishop, as well as to encourage other Christians who faced the threat of persecution. The account was undoubtedly recorded soon after Polycarp’s death, though the date of that event (and hence of the text) is much debated. The closing portion of the text (ch. 21) places the death on 22 (or 23?) February, but no year is indicated. Internal evidence argues for 154-155, though Eusebius preferred 166 (or 167). Recent scholars observe that the general context of persecution under Marcus Aurelius could permit a date at any point prior to 181.

Apart from the general Christian community at Smyrna, no single author is clearly identified for the writing. The name Evarestus is offered as the author of the letter itself (20:2), and certain later Christians are recorded in the closing chapter as those who forwarded the text in antiquity. Use of the plural pronoun “we” (15:1) suggests that more than one individual may have served as author (or at least as witness) for the actual martyrdom account.

Scholars assume that the Martyrdom does indeed offer some large element of authenticity as a witness to Polycarp’s death. Because of the polemical nature of the document, however, it is certain that the event has been recounted through the eyes of faith. This is best exemplified through the numerous similarities which the final days of Polycarp’s life, trial, and death find in the story of Jesus of Nazareth in the NT Gospels. Like Jesus, Polycarp enters the city (here Smyrna) on a donkey. He prays for the Church at large (5:1), is betrayed to the authorities by someone close to him (6:1-2), serves as head of the table at a final meal (7:2), and offers an extended prayer before his arrest (7:2-3). He then is interrogated by an official named Herod (8:2-3), made the object of derision by the Jews (12:2–13:1), crucified on a Friday (7:1), and his body removed by loyal followers after his death (18:2-3). The emphasis upon these elements is clear to even the most casual reader, and reflects traditions which were borrowed from all of the NT Gospels.

The Martyrdom has become famous within the Christian tradition for the various elements of a heroic sacrifice which are modeled here as a pattern for later martyrological accounts. Most noteworthy is the focus upon a “noble death” tradition, i.e., the ancient view that in certain circumstances it becomes necessary for one person to be sacrificed for the benefit of the larger community. This sacrifice comes in the midst of a struggle between the forces of good and evil, the latter represented here by the “evil one,” the Jews, and the civil authorities of the Roman Empire. The death of a faithful martyr is depicted as a sweet conclusion to a prayerful life — Polycarp’s body is baked as bread which produces the smell of incense and perfume. Finally, the anniversary of the event (the “birthday of the martyrdom,” 18:3) becomes an occasion of reverence and discernment, and contributes to the developing stream of growing “martyr cult” mentality which characterized so much of subsequent Christian spirituality.

Bibliography. W. H. C. Frend, Martyrdom and Persecution in the Early Church (Oxford, 1965), 268-302; C. N. Jefford, K. J. Harder, and L. D. Amezaga, Jr., Reading the Apostolic Fathers (Peabody, 1996), 84-97.

Clayton N. Jefford

Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

POLYCARP, MARTYRDOM

Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000)