Most of the little that is reported of this saint is also probably
mythical. His importance chiefly depends upon his being made the link
between the Apostle John and Irenaeus, the first writer who towards the
close of the second century names the four Gospels.
Archbishop Usher ("Proleg. ad Ignat. Ep.," chap, iii.). thought Polycarp
was the angel of the Church at Smyrna, referred to in Revelations ii.,
8. A trivial objection to this is, that it would make Polycarp live
until 100 years afterwards, as the old father is alleged to have lived
on through all the early persecutions, only to suffer death in 167,
under the reign of the mild and gentle Antoninus. Later critics,
however, have decided that Statius Quadratus, under whom he is said to
have died, was pro-consul in a.d. 154-5 or 155-6--all of which shows
the very reliable nature of early Christian records. He is said to
have declared that he served Christ for eighty-six years, but learned
authorities are again divided as to whether he meant that as his age, or
as dating from the time of his conversion. Irenaeus, from whom we get our
information concerning Polycarp, gives us the following choice anecdote,
which illustrates how these Christians loved one another: "There are
also those who heard from him that John, the disciple of the Lord, going
to bathe at Ephesus, and perceiving Cerinthus within, rushed out of
the bath-house without bathing, exclaiming, 'Let us fly, lest even
the bathhouse fall down, because Cerinthus, the enemy of the truth, is
within.' And Polycarp himself replied to Marcion, who met him on one
occasion and said, 'Dost thou know me?' 'I do know thee, the firstborn
of Satan'" ("Irenaeus against Heresies," book iii., chap, iii., sec.
4., p. 263, Vol. V. "Ante-Nicene Christian Library"). In the so-called
Epistle of Polycarp to the Philippians, which consists of a string of
quotations from the Old Testament and Paul, occurs this passage: "For
whosoever does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh, is
antichrist; and whosoever does not confess the testimony of the cross,
is of the Devil; and whosoever perverts the oracles of the Lord to his
own lusts, and says that there is neither a resurrection nor a judgment,
he is the first-born of Satan" (chap, xii., p. 73). Schwegler and
Hilgenfeld consider the insertion of this phrase, "firstborn of Satan,"
as proof of the inauthenticity of the Epistle. They argue that the
well-known saying was employed to give an appearance of reality to the
forgery. Nor are there wanting other indications of its spuriousness.
It refers to the mythical martyr journey of Ignatius, and while treating
him as dead in chapter ix., has him alive and kicking again in chapter
xiii.
The Church of Smyrna is said to have issued an encyclical letter
detailing Polycarp's martyrdom, which is reported by that eminent Church
historian, or rather mythographist, Eusebius ("Ec. Hist.," iv., 15). It
relates how "as Polycarp was entering into the stadium, there came to
him a voice from heaven, saying, 'Be strong, and show thyself a man O,
Polycarp.' No one saw who it was that spoke to him, but those of our
brethren who were present heard the voice" (chap, ix., p. 88). Upon
which Dr. Donaldson quietly says ("Apostolical Fathers," chap, iii.,
p. 202; 1874): "It is not very probable that there was any voice from
heaven; and it is improbable that there were Christians in the place to
hear the voice."
The old father proved to be of the asbestos-like nature of Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego. "When he had pronounced this _amen_, and so
finished his prayer, those who were appointed for the purpose kindled
the fire. And as the flame blazed forth in great fury, we, to whom it
was given to witness it, beheld a great miracle, and have been preserved
that we might report to others what then took place. For the fire,
shaping itself into the form of an arch, like the sail of a ship when
filled with wind, encompassed as by a circle the body of the martyr. And
he appeared within not like flesh which is burnt, but as bread that
is baked, or as gold and silver glowing in a furnace. Moreover, we
perceived such a sweet odor, as if frankincense or some precious
spice had been smoking there" (chap, xv., p. 92). But this divine
interposition was only to make a display--Polycarp was not to escape; he
was only saved from the flames to perish by the dagger. "At length, when
those wicked men perceived that his body could not be consumed by the
fire, they commanded an executioner to go near and pierce him through
with a dagger. And on doing this, there came forth a dove, and a great
quantity of blood, so that the fire was extinguished; and all the people
wondered that there should be such a difference between the unbelievers
and the elect, of whom this most admirable Polycarp was one, having in
our own times been an apostolic and prophetic teacher, and bishop of the
Catholic church which is in Smyrna. For every word that went out of his
mouth either has been, or shall yet be, accomplished" (chap, xvi., p.
92). The account relates that Polycarp had a vision of his pillow on
fire, and prophesied therefrom that he should be burnt alive.
The dove which flew out of Polycarp's side proved him to have been
possessed of the Holy Ghost. Herodian relates that at the Apotheosis of
the Roman emperors it formed part of the solemnity to let an eagle fly
from out of the burning pile of wood on which the corpse of the new
deity was cremated, to intimate that this bird of Jove carried the
soul of the deceased to heaven. Lucian, in his account of the death of
Peregrinus, relates how he told the simpletons that at the death of this
Christian martyr, a vulture flew up out of the flames, taking his course
direct to the skies, and screaming out in an articulate voice, "Soaring
above the earth, I ascend to Olympus." The miracles at the death of
Polycarp may be just as true as that of the earthquake and the saints
having come out of their graves at the death of Jesus; but sceptics will
doubtless be found who consider, with Dr. Donaldson (p. 219), that "not
one of the facts has proper historical testimony for it."