Now, 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. And as he was brought forward, the tumult became great when they heard that Polycarp was taken. And when he came near, the proconsul asked him whether he was Polycarp. On his confessing that he was, [the proconsul] sought to persuade him to deny [Christ], saying, “Have respect to thy old age,” and other similar things, according to their custom, [such as], “Swear by the fortune of Cæsar; repent, and say, Away with the Atheists.” But Polycarp, gazing with a stern countenance on all the multitude of the wicked heathen then in the stadium, and waving his hand towards them, while with groans he looked up to heaven, said, “Away with the Atheists.” Referring the words to the heathen, and not to the Christians, as was desired. Then, the proconsul urging him, and saying, “Swear, and I will set thee at liberty, reproach Christ;” Polycarp declared, “Eighty and six years have I served Him, and He never did me any injury: how then can I blaspheme my King and my Saviour?”
–The Matyrdom of Polycarp, Chapter IX
How can one take this item and make it relate to Anglican politics, one might ask? Well, with apologies, it’s always struck me that so many of these early Christians endured horrible torments and, eventually, martyrdom rather than renounce Christ. Actually, as we are told in many saints’ lives that the emperor, or prefect, or torturer, would implore them to turn away in a long series of back-and-forths, I think it’s fair to say the martyrs were not willing to renounce any part of their Faith.
This is one of the things that hit me the hardest as I considered the Episcopal Church and my place in it. ECUSA claims we can believe whatever we want, and that it has no answers, only questions. What they are saying, in a nutshell, is that the martyrs and saints were fools and dupes, who should have yielded a little to save themselves (only in this earthly life, of course). That, I can’t accept.
St. Polycarp, pray for us sinners before Christ our God!
Well said, Phil.
I often wonder, reading accounts like this, how would I respond if put to the ultimate test. I suppose one never knows till it happens. Even if you have rejected griswoldian pluriform doubletalk, Satan can still craft arguments that sound so reasonable. “Come on,” says the Proconsul. “It’s just a little oath. Say these words and then it will all be over and you can go home.”
The way to deal with moments of temptation, say the Saints of the Orthodox Church, is to fill your mind with constant repetition of the Jesus Prayer:
[b] Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner. [/b]
The testimony of the martyrs, such as Blessed Polycard (executed Feb. 23, AD 156), is that faithfulness to Christ is worth making the ultimate sacrifice, the laying down of our lives out of love for Him who made the ultimate sacrfice for us. Who will be the martyrs in this great Anglican confict that will be extolled in the ages to come? Few of us are likely to lose our lives due to the oppressive leaders of TEC etc. But many clergy are sacrificing their careers, and some orthodox churches are giving up their buildings rather than compromise.
What I like in this story about Polycarp is his boldness in pointing to the pagan crowd and mockingly saying, “Away with the Athiests!” You gotta love it. Such chutzpah! Not very Anglican perhaps in its confrontational style, but that’s precisely why it appeals to me so much. We desperately need that kind of brazen, holy boldness.
David Handy+
I’ll take boldness over judiciousness any day.