During the reign of Antoninus Pius
there occurred the most famous of all martyrdom, that of the aged Polycarp,
Bishop of Smyrna (AD 69-156). Polycarp was a man of simple, yet deep faith. He
was regarded with much reverence and affection by his flock. Even the non-Christians of Smyrna respected him.
Polycarp was the church’s last link
with the ‘Apostolic Age’. In his younger years, he had been a pupil of the
apostle John and had enjoyed the company of many who had seen the Lord.
The church enjoyed a time of
relative calm under the Emperor Antoninus Pius, who took a lenient view towards
Christians. Ay Smyrna, however, there arose a local outbreak of persecution and
12 Christians were condemned to die in the arena.
One man, Quintius, who had
originally exhorted the others to face martyrdom, lost heart at the sight of
the beasts and was persuaded by the Romans to offer incense to the Emperor.
The other eleven held firm under torture and were thrown to the wild beasts;
one of them actually goaded the beasts into attacking him, and his courage
incensed the crowd. They began to clamor for the bishop: “Polycarp to the
lions!” they shouted, “Search out Polycarp!”
The believers, anxious for his
safety, urged the bishop to withdraw to a farm in the country. Though unafraid
of death, he realized he would be needed to minister to the flock, and so
agreed. But the Lord revealed to him that his end was near. Three days before
his death, Polycarp had a dream in which he saw his pillow on fire. Believing
it to be prophetic, he informed the Christians, ‘I must be burned alive,’ which
caused much alarm. Although he still had the opportunity to escape, he refused
saying, ‘God’s will be done.’
One of Polycarp’s servants was
seized and tortured and he betrayed the whereabouts of his master. When the
Roman officials arrived to arrest Polycarp, he treated them with utmost
courtesy, and invited them to eat and drink as his guests. It seemed they too
were awed by his presence, and were amazed at his great age and bearing.
He asked the men to give him one
hour in which to pray, and he spent some time in commending his friends to God
and asking for courage to face the coming ordeal. When he was ready, the
officials mounted him upon an ass and led him into the city. As they traveled,
the men tried to persuade him to deny Christ.
“Why, what harm is there in saying, ‘Caesar
is lord,’ and so save yourself?” they argued.
But the purpose of their plea was
not to save him from death, rather the honor of breaking down a champion of
the church.
As Polycarp was entering the stadium
where the games were being held, there came a voice from heaven: “Be strong,
Polycarp, and play the man”. Some of the believers standing by heard the voice,
but they saw no one; perhaps it was the voice of God!
In the arena, the wild beast show
was over and the crowd had grown restless and angry. Polycarp was brought
before the proconsul who began by urging him to deny his faith. The proconsul
pleaded with him, ‘Swear by the divinity of Caesar; repent and take the oath
and I will let you go, revile Christ.’
To which the bishop nobly replied, “Eighty-six
years I have served Him, and He has done me no wrong – how can I blaspheme my
King who has saved me?”
Despite further entreaties and
threats of wild beasts and fire, the bishop remained firm in his resolve. At
last the proconsul called the herald and told him to announce three times ‘Polycarp
has confessed to being a Christian.’
Without waiting for the wild beasts,
the crowd demanded that ‘Polycarp should be burned alive’, fulfilling the
prophecy. Hurriedly logs were gathered together and a funeral pyre built. The bishop
put off his cloak, loosened the girdle of his tunic and endeavoured to untie
his shoes. “He who gives me power to endure the fire will also give me the
power to withstand the flames”, he declared.
As the flames leapt around him,
Polycarp looked up to heaven, praising God and thanking him that he was counted
worthy to take the cup of Christ. When the onlookers saw that the body was not
being consumed in the fire, a gladiator was sent to despatch the bishop with a
dagger thrust through the heart. Later the remains were released and placed in
a tomb.
Polycarp did not deny the Lord,
despite the consequence and he had chosen rather to die and receive the crown
of glory.
Are you ready to sacrifice your life
for the glory of Christ?
