Early Church Writings — historically valuable Christian documents, presented as noncanonical writings rather than Scripture.

Martyrdom of Polycarp

Church at Smyrna

Chapter XI.—No threats have any effect on Polycarp

The proconsul then said to him, "I have wild beasts at hand; to these will I cast thee, except thou repent." But he answered, "Call them then, for we are not accustomed to repent of what is good in order to adopt that which is evil; 449 and it is well for me to be changed from what is evil to what is righteous." 450 But again the proconsul said to him, "I will cause thee to be consumed by fire, seeing thou despisest the wild beasts, if thou wilt not repent." But Polycarp said, "Thou threatenest me with fire which burneth for an hour, and after a little is extinguished, but art ignorant of the fire of the coming judgment and of eternal punishment, reserved for the ungodly. But why tarriest thou? Bring forth what thou wilt."

Notes

  1. Literally, "repentance from things better to things worse is a change impossible to us." ↩
  2. That is, to leave this world for a better. ↩

Ante-Nicene Fathers, Volume I, edited by Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson; revised by A. Cleveland Coxe. Public domain. Electronic text courtesy of CCEL.