The Martyrdom of Polycarp, which is the earliest Christian account of martyrdom, was written in the second century. It details the three days leading up to Polycarp’s death. In these final three days what occurs follows nearly step-by-step with the passion of Christ. While this seems like to much of a coincidence, to most, the author had intent when forming this account. Major similarities and differences in the both texts make the reader wonder: for what purpose did the author choose to parallel these two accounts? The reason is to highlight the importance of Christian martyrdom at this time without undermining Jesus’ death.
Polycarp was a teacher, and a Christian holy man. His history as Bishop takes place in Smyrna, which was an ancient Greco-Roman city located in modern day Turkey. This is important to understand for the reading because it gives context as to why Polycarp was martyred. Not only was he a believer, but a teacher of Christianity and therefore, he had different beliefs than most Romans of this time. The Edict of Milan, which Emperor Constantine declared giving toleration to Christians, had not been declared by the time of Polycarp’s death in February of 167 AD. Thus, Christians at this time were still persecuted by the Romans if they were not
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willing to assimilate to Roman polytheistic beliefs. This is the basis on which Polycarp’s martyrdom begins.
The Passion of the Christ is depicted in all four Gospels and each gave a different account of this event. Some accounts were similar to others (Mark and Matthew), and some were more abstract (John). Nonetheless, each depicts the same event—Jesus’ death and resurrection. Fast forward a century after the gospels were written, and The Martyrdom of Polycarp is produced. No matter how great, or how small, the reader would be able to find a significant amount of similarities between these two accounts. The first major similarity between the texts is each characters’ prediction of their death. In the Martyrdom of Polycarp it states, “He had a vision three days before he was arrested; and he saw his pillow burning up with fire; and he turned and said to those with him: “I must be burned alive.” As the reader knows this is foreshadowing because in the end Polycarp dies while being surrounded by flames, which were lit by the Roman hierarchy. Similarly, Jesus predicted his death as well, “From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised” (Matthew 16:21). As all four gospels state these events do, in fact, happen, Jesus is tortured, killed, and then he resurrects.
Another parallel, which occurs before the deaths of both Jesus and Polycarp, deals with those who turn them in. In Jesus’ case he is betrayed by one of his disciples, Judas. “then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, went to the chief priests in order to betray him to
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them…They were greatly pleased and promised to give him money. So he began to look for an opportunity to betray him” (Mark 14:10-11). Jesus was betrayed not only by a friend, but one of
his disciples—someone very close to him. The same happens to Polycarp, “For it was quite impossible for him to remain hidden since in fact his betrayers were members of his household.” A third major similarity between texts comes from the scene of each characters’ respective deaths. In Matthew’s passion narrative after Jesus is killed there were miraculous events that took place, “Suddenly there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the lord, descending from heaven came and rolled back the stone and sat on it” (Matthew 28: 2). After such a monumental event, Matthew was the only gospel writer to recall such commotion after Jesus’ death. In The Martyrdom of Polycarp, when he finishes praying and the match is lit, to set him on fire, something miraculous happens, “The men attending to the fire lit it… for the fire took the form of an arch like the sail of a ship filled by the wind and encircled the body of the martyr like a wall.” After this miraculous event had taken place, those who were impatient and unholy decided to order a stabbing of Polycarp. While the combination of the fire and the dagger ultimately killed Polycarp, as he was stabbed, “A dove and a large quantity of blood came out so that it quenched the fire.” So when Polycarp was martyred his death presented two miraculous events. This could symbolize and highlight the believed importance, by the author, of Polycarp’s martyrdom to the Christian faith.
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Finally, the last significant similarity used comes not necessarily as a parallel between what occurs in the accounts of Jesus and Polycarp, but rather it highlights the similarities in character. Whether it be the author of Polycarp’s Martyrdom or one of the gospel writers, both
highlight the fact that these figures accepted their deaths, even if they could’ve avoided it. For instance, when Polycarp was being chased, “In the evening they found him lying down in a little room upstairs; now even from there he could have gone elsewhere but he decided not to saying “God’s will be done.” This means that he knew of his inevitable death, he accepted it, and he realized soon enough he’d be closer to the goal of eternal life and as a result, he did not fight it. Similarly, Jesus knew of his eventual death and resurrection and gives himself up to embrace his Fathers’ commands, “I lay down my life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father” (John 10:17-18). This quote embodies the more outright thought of Jesus, Son of Man, who explains that he has the power to not lose his life—it’s his choice, but he has received the message of God and thus, he will die on the cross for the sin of mankind.
As many similarities as there are between both the passion of Christ and The Martyrdom of Polycarp, there are distinct differences as well. For Instance, Jesus was nailed to the cross so the Romans could humanize Christ. The fact that they were able to secure Christ by nails meant that they had possession over him, or so they thought. In the Martyrdom of Polycarp, he tells them not to nail his hands to the burning stake. “Make it possible for me to remain on the pyre
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unmoved without the security of nails,” this could been interpreted in many ways. In this instance he is trying to emulate Jesus Christ by dying for something he’s believed in his whole life, all while trying to not put himself on the same level as the Lord. The final distinct difference
comes from a character included in both texts. In the Gospel’s accounts of Jesus’ death Herod was the King of the Jews in Jerusalem, who felt threatened by the birth of Jesus, because Jesus’ threatened his position of power. In The Martyrdom of Polycarp there is another character named Herod and he is a sheriff in charge of bringing Polycarp to the stadium and in front of the proconsul. In the text Herod is described as “anxious” this is because once he brought Polycarp to the stadium he was ready to watch him die. So in both cases Herod is seen as an antagonist to Jesus and Polycarp. The reason the author of Polycarp’s Martyrdom may have held him in a lower position of power was to point out the fact that the Lord had to deal with the power of a “king” because he himself was King of the Jews and Polycarp, a human man, had to deal with power-hungry rulers as well, like the sheriff.
The question still remains why does the author correlate these two stories? A possible explanation is to point out the value of sacrifice. Jesus sacrificed his life for the sins of mankind, for the death of mankind, and life everlasting. Polycarp sacrificed his life, willingly, to a cause brought about by Jesus’ death and resurrection. Thus, it must be known that Polycarp’s martyrdom wouldn’t exist without the passion of Christ. However, Christ’s death and resurrection would have happened regardless of Polycarp. The passion of Christ brought about the belief in Christianity. This same belief and steadfast devotion to this belief is what led to the
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death of Polycarp. “What is wrong with saying ‘Caesar is Lord’…he said “I am not going to do what you advise me.” This exemplifies Polycarp’s unwavering devotion to the Lord. It also
shows what the Romans wanted to do—convert Christians into their polytheistic religion, where they worshipped their emperor as a God. This devoutness seen by Polycarp is closely tied with monasticism. Where Monasticism strives to achieve Kenosis or self emptying, Martyrs do the same and both have the same goal in mind—eternal life. Monks live a life of seclusion and prayer, the reader sees both of these in Polycarp’s martyrdom, “He did withdraw to a farm not far away from the city and stayed there…doing nothing night and day but praying for all men and for churches throughout the world.” This is exactly what monks do daily, repetitive prayer, not for themselves, but for all people. Thus, Monasticism and Martyrdom are very interrelated.
In the end, while it is hard to compare both characters, it is quite easy to compare their stories. Polycarp serves to highlight the death and resurrection of Christ. He does this by showing that with Jesus’ death, others found it in them to die for what they love. And while Jesus and Polycarp, themselves, may not be on the same wavelength their devotion and spiritualty were, and as a result, it was seen as necessary to show this by paralleling their individual stories.