The Martyrdom of Polycarp

While he spoke these and many other similar things, he was filled with confidence and joy, and his appearance was full of grace, so that not only did it not falter as if troubled by what was said to him, but, on the contrary, the proconsul was astonished and sent his herald to proclaim in the middle of the stadium three times, “Polycarp has confessed that he is a Christian.” After this proclamation by the herald, the entire crowd of both the heathens and Jews living in Smyrna cried out with uncontrollable fury, and in a loud voice, “This is the teacher of Asia, the father of the Christians, and the destroyer of our gods, he who has taught many not to sacrifice or worship the gods.” Speaking like this, they cried out and pleaded with Philip the Asiarch to release a lion upon Polycarp. But Philip replied that it was not lawful for him to do so, since the shows of wild beasts were already concluded. Then it seemed right to them to unanimously cry out that Polycarp should be burned alive. For this fulfilled the vision revealed to him regarding his pillow, when, seeing it on fire while he was praying, he turned around and said prophetically to the faithful who were with him, “I must be burned alive.”