E00066: Eusebius of Caesarea, in his Ecclesiastical History, summarises and quotes from the Martyrdom of *Polycarp/Polykarpos (bishop and martyr of Smyrna, S00004), of the 2nd/3rd c., describing various miracles accompanying the martyrdom in Smyrna (western Asia Minor). Written in Greek in Palestine, 311/325.
Creators: name: Admin, CSLA
Publisher: name: University of Oxford
Year: 2014
Subjects: History

description: Eusebius of Caesarea, Ecclesiastical History 4.15<br><br>4.15.10 (summarising Martyrdom of Polycarp 5.2: see E00008)<br><br>καὶ δὴ εὐχόμενον, ἐν ὀπτασίᾳ τριῶν πρότερον ἡμερῶν τῆς συλλήψεως νύκτωρ ἰδεῖν τὸ ὑπὸ κεφαλῆς αὐτῷ στρῶμα ἀθρόως οὕτως ὑπὸ πυρὸς φλεχθὲν δεδαπανῆσθαι, ἔξυπνον δ’ ἐπὶ τούτῳ γενόμενον, εὐθὺς ὑφερμηνεῦσαι τοῖς παροῦσι τὸ φανέν, μόνον οὐχὶ τὸ μέλλον προθεσπίσαντα σαφῶς τε ἀνειπόντα τοῖς ἀμφ’ αὐτὸν ὅτι δέοι αὐτὸν διὰ Χριστὸν πυρὶ τὴν ζωὴν μεταλλάξαι.<br><br>'And while he was praying, three days before his arrest, he saw during the night the pillow under his head completely consumed by fire; he woke up immediately and straightaway explained the vision to those present, not just foretelling the future, but clearly describing to his companions that he was to end his life through fire for the sake of Christ.'<br><br><br>4.15.17 (quoting Martyrdom of Polycarp 8.3-9.1: E00008)<br><br>θορύβου δὲ τηλικούτου ὄντος ἐν τῷ σταδίῳ, ὡς μηδὲ πολλοῖς ἀκουσθῆναι, τῷ Πολυκάρπῳ εἰσιόντι εἰς τὸ στάδιον φωνὴ ἐξ οὐρανοῦ γέγονεν· ἴσχυε, Πολύκαρπε, καὶ ἀνδρίζου. καὶ τὸν μὲν εἰπόντα οὐδεὶς εἶδεν, τὴν δὲ φωνὴν τῶν ἡμετέρων πολλοὶ ἤκουσαν.<br><br>'Now there was so much noise in the stadium that it was not heard by many, but, as Polycarp was entering the stadium, a voice came to him from heaven: "Be strong, Polycarp, and have courage". No one saw who was speaking, but many of our people heard the voice.'<br><br><br>4.15.27-28 (quoting Martyrdom of Polycarp 12.3: E00008)<br><br>(27.) ... τότε ἔδοξεν αὐτοῖς ὁμοθυμαδὸν ἐπιβοῆσαι ὥστε ζῶντα τὸν Πολύκαρπον κατακαῦσαι. (28.) ἔδει γὰρ τὸ τῆς φανερωθείσης αὐτῷ ἐπὶ τοῦ προσκεφαλαίου ὀπτασίας πληρωθῆναι· ὅτε ἰδῶν αὐτὸ καιόμενον προσευχόμενος, εἶπεν ἐπιστραφεὶς τοῖς μετ’ αὐτοῦ πιστοῖς προφητικῶς· δεῖ με ζῶντα καῆναι.<br><br>'(27.) Then they decided to shout out all together that Polycarp should be burnt alive. (28.) For the vision he had seen regarding his pillow had to be fulfilled, when he saw it burning, while he was praying, and turned to his faithful companions and prophetically said: "I am to be burned alive."'<br><br><br>4.15.36-39 (quoting Martyrdom of Polycarp 15-16: E00008)<br><br>(36.) ἀναπέμψαντος δὲ αὐτοῦ τὸ ἀμὴν καὶ πληρώσαντος τὴν προσευχήν, οἱ τοῦ πυρὸς ἄνθρωποι ἐξῆψαν τὸ πῦρ, μεγάλης δὲ ἐκλαμψάσης φλογὸς θαῦμα εἴδομεν οἷς ἰδεῖν ἐδόθη, οἳ καὶ ἐτηρήθησαν εἰς τὸ ἀναγγεῖλαι τοῖς λοιποῖς τὰ γενόμενα. (37.) τὸ γὰρ πῦρ καμάρας εἶδος ποιῆσαν ὥσπερ ὀθόνης πλοίου ὑπὸ πνεύματος πληρουμένης, κύκλῳ περιετείχισε τὸ σῶμα τοῦ μάρτυρος, καὶ ἦν μέσον οὐχ ὡς σὰρξ καιομένη, ἀλλ’ ὡς χρυσὸς καὶ ἄργυρος ἐν καμίνῳ πυρούμενος· καὶ γὰρ εὐωδίας τοσαύτης ἀντελαβόμεθα ὡς λιβανωτοῦ πνέοντος ἢ ἄλλου τινὸς τῶν τιμίων ἀρωμάτων. (38.) πέρας γοῦν ἰδόντες οἱ ἄνομοι μὴ δυνάμενον τὸ σῶμα ὑπὸ τοῦ πυρὸς δαπανηθῆναι, ἐκέλευσαν προσελθόντα αὐτῷ κομφέκτορα παραβῦσαι ξίφος, (39.) καὶ τοῦτο ποιήσαντος, ἐξῆλθεν πλῆθος αἵματος, ὥστε κατασβέσαι τὸ πῦρ καὶ θαυμάσαι πάντα τὸν ὄχλον εἰ τοσαύτη τις διαφορὰ μεταξὺ τῶν τε ἀπίστων καὶ τῶν ἐκλεκτῶν· <br><br>'(36.) As he uttered his Amen and finished his prayer, the men in charge of the fire started to light it. A great flame blazed and those of us to whom it was given to see saw a miracle; and they were indeed preserved to announce the events to the rest. (37.) For the flames, like a ship’s sail filled by the wind, formed into the shape of a vault and thus surrounded the martyr’s body as with a wall. And he was within it not as burning flesh, but rather like gold and silver being purified in a furnace. And from it we perceived such a delightful fragrance as though it were smoking incense or some other costly perfume. (38.) At last, when the lawless realised that his body could not be consumed by the fire, they ordered a confector [executioner – Latin in the text] to go up and stab him with a dagger. (39.) When he did this, there came out a large quantity of blood, so that the flames were extinguished, and the whole crowd marvelled that there should be such a difference between the infidels and the elect.'<br><br>Text: Schwartz et al. 1999. Translation: E. Rizos.