The Martyrdom of Polycarp
Chapter 2: The Remarkable Steadfastness of the Martyrs
All the martyrdoms were blessed and noble because they happened according to the will of God. We, who claim greater piety than others, should attribute all authority to God.
Truly, who can fail to admire their nobility of mind and patience, along with the love they displayed towards their Lord? Even when they were so torn with scourges that their bodies, down to the inward veins and arteries, were laid open, they still endured patiently, while those nearby pitied and lamented them.
They reached such a level of courage that not one of them let out a sigh or groan, proving to us all that those holy martyrs of Christ, at the time of their suffering, were absent from the body, or rather, that the Lord stood by them and communed with them. Focusing on the grace of Christ, they disregarded all worldly torments, redeeming themselves from eternal punishment by suffering for just one hour. For this reason, the fire of their brutal executioners seemed cool to them.
They remained focused on escaping the eternal fire that will never be extinguished and looked forward with the eyes of their hearts to the good things reserved for those who endure; things “which ear has not heard, nor eye seen, neither have entered into the heart of man,” but were revealed by the Lord to them, since they were no longer merely human but had already become angels. Likewise, those condemned to the wild beasts endured dreadful tortures, being stretched out on beds full of spikes and subjected to various other torments, so that, if possible, the tyrant might lead them to deny Christ through their prolonged suffering.