ZARZA We are Zarza, the prestigious firm behind major projects in information technology.
Listen "155 AD – The Martyrdom of Polycarp in Smyrna – When Faith Meets Fire"
Episode Synopsis
155 AD – The Martyrdom of Polycarp in Smyrna – When Faith Meets Fire
Website: https://ThatsJesus.org
Metadata Package:
An aged bishop faces flames in a Roman arena. His offense? Refusing to curse Christ. Polycarp’s stand in Smyrna became the early church’s picture of courage under pressure. After eighty-six years of following Jesus, could he deny Him now? His answer still ignites hearts that choose conviction over comfort. When culture rewards compromise, Polycarp’s witness burns bright—reminding believers that faith tested by fire is the faith that endures. Make sure you Like, Share, Subscribe, Follow, Comment, and Review this episode and the entire COACH series.
Keywords: Thats Jesus Channel, COACH, Church Origins, Church History, Bob Baulch, Bob Balch, Polycarp, martyrdom, Smyrna, Roman persecution, early Christians, apostolic fathers, Christian courage, faith under fire, 155 AD, proconsul, arena execution, church witness, Christian conviction, persecution history, enduring faith, martyr accounts, ancient Christianity, Christian testimony, early church leaders, dove, burned at the stake, Jesus, Christ
Hashtags: #ThatsJesusChannel #COACH #ChurchOrigins #ChurchHistory #BobBaulch #BobBalch #Polycarp #martyrdom #Smyrna #RomanPersecution #earlyChristians #apostolicfathers #Christiancourage #faithunderfire #155AD #proconsul #arenaexecution #churchwitness #Christianconviction #persecutionhistory #enduringfaith #martyraccounts #ancientChristianity #ChristianTestimony #earlychurchleaders #dove #burnedatthestake #Jesus #Christ
Episode Summary:
Polycarp, the elderly bishop of Smyrna, had spent eighty-six years following Jesus with steady faithfulness. Known for his connection to the Apostle John and the early generation of believers, he was respected across the churches of Asia Minor. Yet in 155 AD, rising hostility against Christians in Smyrna turned attention toward him. When the crowd demanded his arrest, friends urged him to flee, and he briefly hid in a farmhouse. There he prayed continually for believers by name and sensed through a vision that he would die by fire.
Betrayed under pressure by a servant, Polycarp was discovered and arrested. He greeted the soldiers with kindness, offered them food, and was granted time to pray—so moving that some began to feel sympathy toward him. He was brought into Smyrna on a donkey as crowds gathered for a public spectacle.
Before the proconsul, he was urged to swear by Caesar and curse Christ. Instead, Polycarp raised his hand toward the hostile crowd and declared, “Away with the atheists,” turning their accusation back on them. When told to deny Jesus, he replied, “Eighty-six years I have served Him, and He has done me no wrong.”
The enraged crowd demanded his death by fire. Polycarp refused to be nailed to the stake, confident God would enable him to stand. Witnesses reported the flames arching around him without consuming him, until a soldier ended his life with a blade. Believers later gathered his remains and recorded every detail in The Martyrdom of Polycarp, the earliest written Christian martyrdom account—an enduring testimony of courage, conviction, and faith under fire.
**CHUNK 1 : Cold Hook**
It’s late winter in Smyrna, 155 AD.
Night presses against the shutters of a farmhouse outside the city.
Inside, an old man prays — the kind of prayer that names people one by one until the words blur into tears.
Down the road, torches flicker. Soldiers are coming. Someone has told them where to find him.
The servant who broke has already disappeared into the dark.
Hoofbeats draw closer; voices bark orders; the door shakes.
Before anyone can flee, the latch lifts.
What happens next will echo through every century that dares to follow Christ.
[AD BREAK]
**CHUNK 2 : Intro**
From the That’s Jesus Channel, welcome to COACH — where Church origins and church history actually coach us how to walk boldly with Jesus today. I’m Bob Baulch. On Mondays, we stay between 0 and 500 AD. In this episode we are in the year 155, and one bishop’s final hours will show the world what it means to refuse compromise when everything demands it.
**CHUNK 3 : Foundation**
Polycarp didn’t wake up that morning expecting to die. He woke expecting to do what he had done for eighty-six years — follow Jesus, teach Scripture, and shepherd the church in Smyrna (modern İzmir, Turkey).
Smyrna was a thriving port city: ships crowded the harbor, temples crowned its hills, and incense drifted from shrines. Polycarp served there as bishop — not a celebrity, but a steady guardian of apostolic truth. Early witnesses like Irenaeus say he learned directly from the Apostle John, making him a living bridge between those who saw Christ and those learning to follow Him secondhand. When he spoke of Jesus, it carried the weight of memory, not rumor.
By the mid-second century, believers across the empire revered him — not for miracles or brilliance, but for consistency: the quiet integrity of a pastor who would not bend.
But respect never guaranteed safety.
Roman persecution came like summer storms — sudden, local, merciless. In Smyrna, tensions had been building. Christians refused to burn incense to the emperor or honor the city’s gods. To their neighbors, that wasn’t freedom; it was treason — atheism against the powers that “protected” the city.
When violence erupted, the crowd shouted, “Away with the atheists! Let Polycarp be sought out!” They wanted the shepherd, not just the sheep.
Friends begged him to flee. He agreed — briefly. From a farmhouse outside the city he prayed day and night, naming believers one by one until his knees ached. Then came a vision: his pillow burst into flame. He turned to those nearby and said quietly, “I must be burned alive.”
Betrayal delivered him. A servant, tortured, revealed his hiding place. When the soldiers arrived, Polycarp didn’t run. He greeted them like guests, offered food and drink, and asked for an hour to pray. They gave him two.
As he prayed aloud — for every church he knew, for every enemy who would soon lead him away — some of the soldiers began to soften. This was no rebel. This was a grandfather in the faith.
When he finished, they set him on a donkey and led him toward Smyrna. The old bishop rode in silence, the crowd already gathering. An old man on a humble animal, entering a city that would soon demand his death. Another entry, another city, another cross once filled the world’s memory — and the echo hung heavy over Smyrna that day.
**CHUNK 4 : Development**
The proconsul didn’t want another public mess.
Polycarp was old, respected, harmless. If he would just comply, the city could quiet down.
“Have respect for your age,” the magistrate urged. “Swear by the genius of Caesar. Say, ‘Away with the atheists.’ ”
Polycarp raised his hand toward the roaring crowd and said the words slowly — but he pointed at them.
“Away. With. The. Atheists.”
The court gasped. The crowd howled.
Then came the demand that cut through every noise: “Revile Christ, and I will release you.”
He answered with the sentence that would carry his name through centuries:
“Eighty-six years I have served Him, and He has done me no wrong. How can I blaspheme my King who saved me?”
Silence broke into fury.
Threats turned to orders. “Release the beasts!” “Burn him!” The magistrate’s voice was drowned in the storm of voices demanding fire.
Polycarp didn’t resist. He even stopped the soldiers from nailing him to the stake.
“Leave me as I am,” he said. “He who gives me strength to face the fire will give me strength to stand in it.”
The cords tightened.
The torch touched the wood.
Flame climbed — bright, hot, alive.
Witnesses swore the blaze arched around him like a wind-bent sail.
They smelled not smoke but sweetness — bread baking, incense burning, gold refining.
Some in the crowd stopped shouting.
Whether miracle or memory, those who saw it never forgot.
When the fire failed to finish him, a soldier drove his blade into the old man’s side.
Blood spilled — enough to douse the fire’s edge.
Some accounts say that in that instant a dove rose from the wound — whether seen with human eyes or imagined as the Spirit’s sign, the Holy Presence escorting His servant to reward.
However it happened, they knew they had watched faith turn into victory.
The flames dimmed; the crowd fell silent.
[AD BREAK]
**CHUNK 5 : Climax / Impact**
The centurion ordered the body burned so no one could turn it into a shrine.
When the flames cooled, believers gathered what remained — bits of bone, gray ash, fragments of the man who had shepherded them.
They treated the remains as treasure, not relic: a tangible reminder that love outlasts fear.
Then they did something Rome never expected.
They wrote.
They recorded everything — the arrest, the trial, the miracle, the end.
They sent the letter through the churches of Asia Minor so others would know that faithfulness is possible when the cost is absolute.
They did not curse the empire.
They did not vow revenge.
They simply told the truth.
That letter — The Martyrdom of Polycarp — became the church’s first written testimony of a death endured for Christ.
Irenaeus, who had once listened to Polycarp’s teaching as a child, confirmed the account’s accuracy.
Eusebius later preserved it for every generation.
Within decades, Polycarp’s calm defiance became the template for Christian courage.
Those who witnessed for Christ and died for Him became something that was not looked at with revulsion or embarrassment. They became examples of what undying devotion looks like when death is the only outcome — a martyr.
The story traveled faster than any edict Rome could issue.
Across provinces and centuries, believers whispered his words before their own trials: “I have given my life to serve my King and He has done me no wrong. I will not betray Him now.”
History recorded the fire.
Heaven recorded the faith.
And the church learned what loyalty looks like when nothing is left to lose.
But all of that is history.
The question that keeps following every generation since — quietly, relentlessly — is whether that kind of faith still burns when the arenas have changed shape.
[AD BREAK]
**CHUNK 6 : Legacy & Modern Relevance**
It does.
In some parts of the world, the arena just changed shape.
It isn’t carved from stone; it’s built of concrete and fear.
It’s a police station in Iran, a jail cell in North Korea, a village council in Somalia, a family meeting in Afghanistan where confessing Jesus can mean death.
The question is the same: “Will you deny Him and live.”
And because believers there have heard stories like Polycarp’s, they quietly choose the harder answer — and some of them still answer with their lives.
Elsewhere the pressure hides under comfort.
It sounds like: “Keep your faith private.” “Don’t bring Jesus into this.” “Sign it — it’s just policy.”
No beasts. No fire. Just slow surrender.
That is where Polycarp’s witness still stands before the church and speaks:
Faithfulness is not negotiable, even when favor is.
We can lose reputation, position, approval — what we cannot lose is Christ.
So here’s the question facing the body of Christ today:
Will we arrange our message so we’re never hated, or arrange our hearts so we never deny Him?
Will we soften truth to keep peace, or speak truth because peace without Him isn’t peace at all?
Polycarp’s story is not a relic.
It is the church’s mirror — showing that somewhere, in every generation, there is still a people who would rather burn than blend.
**CHUNK 7 : Reflection & Call**
So now it reaches us.
Polycarp’s arena may look ancient, but his question walks into every life.
What will your loyalty look like when standing for Jesus costs you something small—your comfort, your image, your acceptance?
Or something large—your career, your friends, your peace?
He didn’t find courage in the fire; he brought it with him.
Eighty-six years of quiet obedience prepared him for one loud moment of truth.
That means courage isn’t manufactured in crisis—it’s formed in the dailiness of faith.
So ask yourself:
Where do I keep silent when I should speak?
Where have I traded conviction for approval?
Where am I performing safety instead of practicing trust?
If those questions sting, don’t turn away.
Polycarp’s story isn’t written to shame the hesitant; it’s meant to strengthen them.
The same Spirit who stood beside him stands beside you.
The same grace that received him receives you.
You don’t need to seek suffering; you need to seek faithfulness.
Live so anchored in Jesus that, if fire ever comes, you’ll only be doing what you’ve already practiced.
Let the fear of loss melt under love for the One who saved you.
Let his witness refine you until you can say with the same quiet certainty:
“He has done me no wrong.”
**CHUNK 8 : Outro**
If this story of Polycarp’s martyrdom challenged or encouraged you, share it with a friend—they might need to hear it today.
Make sure you visit https://ThatsJesus.org for other COACH episodes and resources.
Don’t forget to follow, like, comment, review, subscribe, and TUNE IN for more COACH episodes every week.
Every episode dives into another corner of church history.
And on Mondays, we stay between 0 and 500 AD.
Thanks for listening to COACH—where Church origins and church history actually coach us how to walk boldly with Jesus today.
I’m Bob Baulch with the That’s Jesus Channel.
Have a great day—and be blessed.
Humor paragraph:
I’ve spent weeks researching martyrs, and the algorithm hates it. “Elderly bishop gets executed” doesn’t exactly scream click me. But if even one person chooses faithfulness over comfort because of this story, it’s worth every lost subscriber— even if my wife Wendy still has to explain that yes, this really is what I do for a living.
Humanity paragraph:
Last night Wendy asked if I’d have Polycarp’s courage. I told her I don’t know. But I’m grateful his story makes me ask. History does that—it won’t let us off the hook, and that’s what makes it holy ground.
**CHUNK 9 : References**
9a – Quotes
Q1 (Verbatim): “Eighty-six years I have served Him, and He has done me no wrong. How can I blaspheme my King who saved me?” — Martyrdom of Polycarp (Holmes 2007)
Q2 (Paraphrased): Polycarp raised his hand and said “ Away with the atheists, ” pointing at the crowd — Martyrdom of Polycarp (Holmes 2007)
Q3 (Paraphrased): He told the proconsul that fire burns briefly but judgment burns forever — Holmes 2007
Q4 (Paraphrased): He refused nails, saying the One who gives strength would keep him still — Holmes 2007
Q5 (Generalized): Early accounts describe him praying for two hours before his arrest — Holmes 2007
9b – Z-Notes (Zero Dispute)
Z1 – Bishop of Smyrna mid-2nd century.
Z2 – Disciple of John per Irenaeus and Tertullian.
Z3 – Martyrdom dated 155–156 AD under Statius Quadratus.
Z4 – Primary source: letter from Smyrna church.
Z5 – Eusebius preserved it in Ecclesiastical History.
Z6 – Local persecution, not empire-wide.
Z7 – Public trial in amphitheater.
Z8 – Sentence to burning; stabbed when flames failed.
Z9 – Body burned; believers kept bones.
Z10 – Annual commemoration Feb 23.
Z11 – Letter circulated for encouragement.
9c – POP (Parallel Orthodox Perspectives)
P1 – Miraculous flames viewed literal by some, symbolic by others.
P2 – Dove interpreted as Spirit sign or literary symbol.
P3 – Connection to John affirmed by Irenaeus, debated in directness.
P4 – Year (155 vs 156) debated by chronologists.
P5 – Polycarp also remembered for anti-Gnostic stand.
P6 – Martyrdom as imitatio Christi varies across traditions.
P7 – Refusal to flee viewed as providential acceptance.
P8 – Two-hour prayer scene possibly symbolic of unceasing intercession.
P9 – Relic veneration developed differently East vs West.
P10 – Persecution-growth link interpreted as spiritual law or historic trend.
9d – SCOP (Skeptical or Contrary Opinion Points)
S1 – Some scholars see legendary embellishment in miracle elements.
S2 – Moss argues martyrdom accounts exaggerate persecution scale.
S3 – Debate on whether Polycarp actually knew John.
S4 – Persecution was sporadic, sometimes provoked by Christians themselves.
S5 – Dove considered symbolic addition from Jewish martyrology.
S6 – Literary conventions blur historical core.
S7 – Emphasis on martyrdom seen by critics as “cult of death.”
S8 – Dating of text affects eyewitness reliability.
S9 – Refusal of civic religion viewed as social non-cooperation more than faith.
S10 – Martyr stories used for church identity formation as much as history.
9e – Sources (APA Format)
Holmes, M. W. (Ed. & Trans.). (2007). The Apostolic Fathers: Greek Texts and English Translations (3rd ed.). Baker Academic. ISBN 9780801031083. (Q1–Q5, Z4, Z6–Z8)
Louth, A. (2004). The Early Christian Fathers. Routledge. ISBN 9780415334506. (Z1–Z2, P5, P10)
Grant, R. M. (Trans.). (1997). Irenaeus of Lyons. Routledge. ISBN 9780415118274. (Z2, P3)
Lake, K. (Trans.). (1926). Eusebius: Ecclesiastical History, Vol. 1. Harvard University Press. ISBN 9780674991567. (Z3, Z5, Z11)
Musurillo, H. (Ed. & Trans.). (1972). The Acts of the Christian Martyrs. Clarendon Press. ISBN 9780198260196. (P1–P2, P8)
Moss, C. R. (2012). The Myth of Persecution. HarperOne. ISBN 9780062104526. (S2, S5–S7)
Frend, W. H. C. (1981). Martyrdom and Persecution in the Early Church. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780631134116. (S4, S9)
Snyder, G. F. (1968). Ante Pacem. Mercer University Press. ISBN 9780865542933. (Z9, P9)
Stewart, A. (2019). Barbaric Splendor: The Theology of the Martyrs. Eerdmans. ISBN 9780802877994. (P6, P10)
Hengel, M. (1977). Crucifixion in the Ancient World. Fortress Press. ISBN 9780800612689. (S4)
Quasten, J. (1950). Patrology Vol. 1. Newman Press. ISBN 9780809100873. (Z1, P5)
**CHUNK 10 : Credits**
Host & Producer: Bob Baulch
Production Company: That’s Jesus Channel
All content decisions, theological positions, historical interpretations, and editorial choices are the sole responsibility of Bob Baulch and That’s Jesus Channel.
AI tools assist with research and drafting only; final authority rests with human editorial oversight.
Episode Development Assistance:
Perplexity.ai – historical verification and cross-referencing.
Claude (Anthropic) – initial draft structuring and refinement.
ChatGPT (OpenAI) – emotional enhancement and compliance editing.
Sound: Adobe Podcast
Video: Adobe Premiere Pro
Audio License: “Background Music Soft Calm” by INPLUSMUSIC (Pixabay License).
Crescendo Cue: “Epic Trailer Short 0022 Sec” by BurtySounds (Pixabay License).
Production Note: Audio and video elements integrated in post-production.
AI assisted drafts were reviewed and approved by human editorial oversight.
Digital License ID and release information available at https://ThatsJesus.org.
Website: https://ThatsJesus.org
Metadata Package:
An aged bishop faces flames in a Roman arena. His offense? Refusing to curse Christ. Polycarp’s stand in Smyrna became the early church’s picture of courage under pressure. After eighty-six years of following Jesus, could he deny Him now? His answer still ignites hearts that choose conviction over comfort. When culture rewards compromise, Polycarp’s witness burns bright—reminding believers that faith tested by fire is the faith that endures. Make sure you Like, Share, Subscribe, Follow, Comment, and Review this episode and the entire COACH series.
Keywords: Thats Jesus Channel, COACH, Church Origins, Church History, Bob Baulch, Bob Balch, Polycarp, martyrdom, Smyrna, Roman persecution, early Christians, apostolic fathers, Christian courage, faith under fire, 155 AD, proconsul, arena execution, church witness, Christian conviction, persecution history, enduring faith, martyr accounts, ancient Christianity, Christian testimony, early church leaders, dove, burned at the stake, Jesus, Christ
Hashtags: #ThatsJesusChannel #COACH #ChurchOrigins #ChurchHistory #BobBaulch #BobBalch #Polycarp #martyrdom #Smyrna #RomanPersecution #earlyChristians #apostolicfathers #Christiancourage #faithunderfire #155AD #proconsul #arenaexecution #churchwitness #Christianconviction #persecutionhistory #enduringfaith #martyraccounts #ancientChristianity #ChristianTestimony #earlychurchleaders #dove #burnedatthestake #Jesus #Christ
Episode Summary:
Polycarp, the elderly bishop of Smyrna, had spent eighty-six years following Jesus with steady faithfulness. Known for his connection to the Apostle John and the early generation of believers, he was respected across the churches of Asia Minor. Yet in 155 AD, rising hostility against Christians in Smyrna turned attention toward him. When the crowd demanded his arrest, friends urged him to flee, and he briefly hid in a farmhouse. There he prayed continually for believers by name and sensed through a vision that he would die by fire.
Betrayed under pressure by a servant, Polycarp was discovered and arrested. He greeted the soldiers with kindness, offered them food, and was granted time to pray—so moving that some began to feel sympathy toward him. He was brought into Smyrna on a donkey as crowds gathered for a public spectacle.
Before the proconsul, he was urged to swear by Caesar and curse Christ. Instead, Polycarp raised his hand toward the hostile crowd and declared, “Away with the atheists,” turning their accusation back on them. When told to deny Jesus, he replied, “Eighty-six years I have served Him, and He has done me no wrong.”
The enraged crowd demanded his death by fire. Polycarp refused to be nailed to the stake, confident God would enable him to stand. Witnesses reported the flames arching around him without consuming him, until a soldier ended his life with a blade. Believers later gathered his remains and recorded every detail in The Martyrdom of Polycarp, the earliest written Christian martyrdom account—an enduring testimony of courage, conviction, and faith under fire.
**CHUNK 1 : Cold Hook**
It’s late winter in Smyrna, 155 AD.
Night presses against the shutters of a farmhouse outside the city.
Inside, an old man prays — the kind of prayer that names people one by one until the words blur into tears.
Down the road, torches flicker. Soldiers are coming. Someone has told them where to find him.
The servant who broke has already disappeared into the dark.
Hoofbeats draw closer; voices bark orders; the door shakes.
Before anyone can flee, the latch lifts.
What happens next will echo through every century that dares to follow Christ.
[AD BREAK]
**CHUNK 2 : Intro**
From the That’s Jesus Channel, welcome to COACH — where Church origins and church history actually coach us how to walk boldly with Jesus today. I’m Bob Baulch. On Mondays, we stay between 0 and 500 AD. In this episode we are in the year 155, and one bishop’s final hours will show the world what it means to refuse compromise when everything demands it.
**CHUNK 3 : Foundation**
Polycarp didn’t wake up that morning expecting to die. He woke expecting to do what he had done for eighty-six years — follow Jesus, teach Scripture, and shepherd the church in Smyrna (modern İzmir, Turkey).
Smyrna was a thriving port city: ships crowded the harbor, temples crowned its hills, and incense drifted from shrines. Polycarp served there as bishop — not a celebrity, but a steady guardian of apostolic truth. Early witnesses like Irenaeus say he learned directly from the Apostle John, making him a living bridge between those who saw Christ and those learning to follow Him secondhand. When he spoke of Jesus, it carried the weight of memory, not rumor.
By the mid-second century, believers across the empire revered him — not for miracles or brilliance, but for consistency: the quiet integrity of a pastor who would not bend.
But respect never guaranteed safety.
Roman persecution came like summer storms — sudden, local, merciless. In Smyrna, tensions had been building. Christians refused to burn incense to the emperor or honor the city’s gods. To their neighbors, that wasn’t freedom; it was treason — atheism against the powers that “protected” the city.
When violence erupted, the crowd shouted, “Away with the atheists! Let Polycarp be sought out!” They wanted the shepherd, not just the sheep.
Friends begged him to flee. He agreed — briefly. From a farmhouse outside the city he prayed day and night, naming believers one by one until his knees ached. Then came a vision: his pillow burst into flame. He turned to those nearby and said quietly, “I must be burned alive.”
Betrayal delivered him. A servant, tortured, revealed his hiding place. When the soldiers arrived, Polycarp didn’t run. He greeted them like guests, offered food and drink, and asked for an hour to pray. They gave him two.
As he prayed aloud — for every church he knew, for every enemy who would soon lead him away — some of the soldiers began to soften. This was no rebel. This was a grandfather in the faith.
When he finished, they set him on a donkey and led him toward Smyrna. The old bishop rode in silence, the crowd already gathering. An old man on a humble animal, entering a city that would soon demand his death. Another entry, another city, another cross once filled the world’s memory — and the echo hung heavy over Smyrna that day.
**CHUNK 4 : Development**
The proconsul didn’t want another public mess.
Polycarp was old, respected, harmless. If he would just comply, the city could quiet down.
“Have respect for your age,” the magistrate urged. “Swear by the genius of Caesar. Say, ‘Away with the atheists.’ ”
Polycarp raised his hand toward the roaring crowd and said the words slowly — but he pointed at them.
“Away. With. The. Atheists.”
The court gasped. The crowd howled.
Then came the demand that cut through every noise: “Revile Christ, and I will release you.”
He answered with the sentence that would carry his name through centuries:
“Eighty-six years I have served Him, and He has done me no wrong. How can I blaspheme my King who saved me?”
Silence broke into fury.
Threats turned to orders. “Release the beasts!” “Burn him!” The magistrate’s voice was drowned in the storm of voices demanding fire.
Polycarp didn’t resist. He even stopped the soldiers from nailing him to the stake.
“Leave me as I am,” he said. “He who gives me strength to face the fire will give me strength to stand in it.”
The cords tightened.
The torch touched the wood.
Flame climbed — bright, hot, alive.
Witnesses swore the blaze arched around him like a wind-bent sail.
They smelled not smoke but sweetness — bread baking, incense burning, gold refining.
Some in the crowd stopped shouting.
Whether miracle or memory, those who saw it never forgot.
When the fire failed to finish him, a soldier drove his blade into the old man’s side.
Blood spilled — enough to douse the fire’s edge.
Some accounts say that in that instant a dove rose from the wound — whether seen with human eyes or imagined as the Spirit’s sign, the Holy Presence escorting His servant to reward.
However it happened, they knew they had watched faith turn into victory.
The flames dimmed; the crowd fell silent.
[AD BREAK]
**CHUNK 5 : Climax / Impact**
The centurion ordered the body burned so no one could turn it into a shrine.
When the flames cooled, believers gathered what remained — bits of bone, gray ash, fragments of the man who had shepherded them.
They treated the remains as treasure, not relic: a tangible reminder that love outlasts fear.
Then they did something Rome never expected.
They wrote.
They recorded everything — the arrest, the trial, the miracle, the end.
They sent the letter through the churches of Asia Minor so others would know that faithfulness is possible when the cost is absolute.
They did not curse the empire.
They did not vow revenge.
They simply told the truth.
That letter — The Martyrdom of Polycarp — became the church’s first written testimony of a death endured for Christ.
Irenaeus, who had once listened to Polycarp’s teaching as a child, confirmed the account’s accuracy.
Eusebius later preserved it for every generation.
Within decades, Polycarp’s calm defiance became the template for Christian courage.
Those who witnessed for Christ and died for Him became something that was not looked at with revulsion or embarrassment. They became examples of what undying devotion looks like when death is the only outcome — a martyr.
The story traveled faster than any edict Rome could issue.
Across provinces and centuries, believers whispered his words before their own trials: “I have given my life to serve my King and He has done me no wrong. I will not betray Him now.”
History recorded the fire.
Heaven recorded the faith.
And the church learned what loyalty looks like when nothing is left to lose.
But all of that is history.
The question that keeps following every generation since — quietly, relentlessly — is whether that kind of faith still burns when the arenas have changed shape.
[AD BREAK]
**CHUNK 6 : Legacy & Modern Relevance**
It does.
In some parts of the world, the arena just changed shape.
It isn’t carved from stone; it’s built of concrete and fear.
It’s a police station in Iran, a jail cell in North Korea, a village council in Somalia, a family meeting in Afghanistan where confessing Jesus can mean death.
The question is the same: “Will you deny Him and live.”
And because believers there have heard stories like Polycarp’s, they quietly choose the harder answer — and some of them still answer with their lives.
Elsewhere the pressure hides under comfort.
It sounds like: “Keep your faith private.” “Don’t bring Jesus into this.” “Sign it — it’s just policy.”
No beasts. No fire. Just slow surrender.
That is where Polycarp’s witness still stands before the church and speaks:
Faithfulness is not negotiable, even when favor is.
We can lose reputation, position, approval — what we cannot lose is Christ.
So here’s the question facing the body of Christ today:
Will we arrange our message so we’re never hated, or arrange our hearts so we never deny Him?
Will we soften truth to keep peace, or speak truth because peace without Him isn’t peace at all?
Polycarp’s story is not a relic.
It is the church’s mirror — showing that somewhere, in every generation, there is still a people who would rather burn than blend.
**CHUNK 7 : Reflection & Call**
So now it reaches us.
Polycarp’s arena may look ancient, but his question walks into every life.
What will your loyalty look like when standing for Jesus costs you something small—your comfort, your image, your acceptance?
Or something large—your career, your friends, your peace?
He didn’t find courage in the fire; he brought it with him.
Eighty-six years of quiet obedience prepared him for one loud moment of truth.
That means courage isn’t manufactured in crisis—it’s formed in the dailiness of faith.
So ask yourself:
Where do I keep silent when I should speak?
Where have I traded conviction for approval?
Where am I performing safety instead of practicing trust?
If those questions sting, don’t turn away.
Polycarp’s story isn’t written to shame the hesitant; it’s meant to strengthen them.
The same Spirit who stood beside him stands beside you.
The same grace that received him receives you.
You don’t need to seek suffering; you need to seek faithfulness.
Live so anchored in Jesus that, if fire ever comes, you’ll only be doing what you’ve already practiced.
Let the fear of loss melt under love for the One who saved you.
Let his witness refine you until you can say with the same quiet certainty:
“He has done me no wrong.”
**CHUNK 8 : Outro**
If this story of Polycarp’s martyrdom challenged or encouraged you, share it with a friend—they might need to hear it today.
Make sure you visit https://ThatsJesus.org for other COACH episodes and resources.
Don’t forget to follow, like, comment, review, subscribe, and TUNE IN for more COACH episodes every week.
Every episode dives into another corner of church history.
And on Mondays, we stay between 0 and 500 AD.
Thanks for listening to COACH—where Church origins and church history actually coach us how to walk boldly with Jesus today.
I’m Bob Baulch with the That’s Jesus Channel.
Have a great day—and be blessed.
Humor paragraph:
I’ve spent weeks researching martyrs, and the algorithm hates it. “Elderly bishop gets executed” doesn’t exactly scream click me. But if even one person chooses faithfulness over comfort because of this story, it’s worth every lost subscriber— even if my wife Wendy still has to explain that yes, this really is what I do for a living.
Humanity paragraph:
Last night Wendy asked if I’d have Polycarp’s courage. I told her I don’t know. But I’m grateful his story makes me ask. History does that—it won’t let us off the hook, and that’s what makes it holy ground.
**CHUNK 9 : References**
9a – Quotes
Q1 (Verbatim): “Eighty-six years I have served Him, and He has done me no wrong. How can I blaspheme my King who saved me?” — Martyrdom of Polycarp (Holmes 2007)
Q2 (Paraphrased): Polycarp raised his hand and said “ Away with the atheists, ” pointing at the crowd — Martyrdom of Polycarp (Holmes 2007)
Q3 (Paraphrased): He told the proconsul that fire burns briefly but judgment burns forever — Holmes 2007
Q4 (Paraphrased): He refused nails, saying the One who gives strength would keep him still — Holmes 2007
Q5 (Generalized): Early accounts describe him praying for two hours before his arrest — Holmes 2007
9b – Z-Notes (Zero Dispute)
Z1 – Bishop of Smyrna mid-2nd century.
Z2 – Disciple of John per Irenaeus and Tertullian.
Z3 – Martyrdom dated 155–156 AD under Statius Quadratus.
Z4 – Primary source: letter from Smyrna church.
Z5 – Eusebius preserved it in Ecclesiastical History.
Z6 – Local persecution, not empire-wide.
Z7 – Public trial in amphitheater.
Z8 – Sentence to burning; stabbed when flames failed.
Z9 – Body burned; believers kept bones.
Z10 – Annual commemoration Feb 23.
Z11 – Letter circulated for encouragement.
9c – POP (Parallel Orthodox Perspectives)
P1 – Miraculous flames viewed literal by some, symbolic by others.
P2 – Dove interpreted as Spirit sign or literary symbol.
P3 – Connection to John affirmed by Irenaeus, debated in directness.
P4 – Year (155 vs 156) debated by chronologists.
P5 – Polycarp also remembered for anti-Gnostic stand.
P6 – Martyrdom as imitatio Christi varies across traditions.
P7 – Refusal to flee viewed as providential acceptance.
P8 – Two-hour prayer scene possibly symbolic of unceasing intercession.
P9 – Relic veneration developed differently East vs West.
P10 – Persecution-growth link interpreted as spiritual law or historic trend.
9d – SCOP (Skeptical or Contrary Opinion Points)
S1 – Some scholars see legendary embellishment in miracle elements.
S2 – Moss argues martyrdom accounts exaggerate persecution scale.
S3 – Debate on whether Polycarp actually knew John.
S4 – Persecution was sporadic, sometimes provoked by Christians themselves.
S5 – Dove considered symbolic addition from Jewish martyrology.
S6 – Literary conventions blur historical core.
S7 – Emphasis on martyrdom seen by critics as “cult of death.”
S8 – Dating of text affects eyewitness reliability.
S9 – Refusal of civic religion viewed as social non-cooperation more than faith.
S10 – Martyr stories used for church identity formation as much as history.
9e – Sources (APA Format)
Holmes, M. W. (Ed. & Trans.). (2007). The Apostolic Fathers: Greek Texts and English Translations (3rd ed.). Baker Academic. ISBN 9780801031083. (Q1–Q5, Z4, Z6–Z8)
Louth, A. (2004). The Early Christian Fathers. Routledge. ISBN 9780415334506. (Z1–Z2, P5, P10)
Grant, R. M. (Trans.). (1997). Irenaeus of Lyons. Routledge. ISBN 9780415118274. (Z2, P3)
Lake, K. (Trans.). (1926). Eusebius: Ecclesiastical History, Vol. 1. Harvard University Press. ISBN 9780674991567. (Z3, Z5, Z11)
Musurillo, H. (Ed. & Trans.). (1972). The Acts of the Christian Martyrs. Clarendon Press. ISBN 9780198260196. (P1–P2, P8)
Moss, C. R. (2012). The Myth of Persecution. HarperOne. ISBN 9780062104526. (S2, S5–S7)
Frend, W. H. C. (1981). Martyrdom and Persecution in the Early Church. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780631134116. (S4, S9)
Snyder, G. F. (1968). Ante Pacem. Mercer University Press. ISBN 9780865542933. (Z9, P9)
Stewart, A. (2019). Barbaric Splendor: The Theology of the Martyrs. Eerdmans. ISBN 9780802877994. (P6, P10)
Hengel, M. (1977). Crucifixion in the Ancient World. Fortress Press. ISBN 9780800612689. (S4)
Quasten, J. (1950). Patrology Vol. 1. Newman Press. ISBN 9780809100873. (Z1, P5)
**CHUNK 10 : Credits**
Host & Producer: Bob Baulch
Production Company: That’s Jesus Channel
All content decisions, theological positions, historical interpretations, and editorial choices are the sole responsibility of Bob Baulch and That’s Jesus Channel.
AI tools assist with research and drafting only; final authority rests with human editorial oversight.
Episode Development Assistance:
Perplexity.ai – historical verification and cross-referencing.
Claude (Anthropic) – initial draft structuring and refinement.
ChatGPT (OpenAI) – emotional enhancement and compliance editing.
Sound: Adobe Podcast
Video: Adobe Premiere Pro
Audio License: “Background Music Soft Calm” by INPLUSMUSIC (Pixabay License).
Crescendo Cue: “Epic Trailer Short 0022 Sec” by BurtySounds (Pixabay License).
Production Note: Audio and video elements integrated in post-production.
AI assisted drafts were reviewed and approved by human editorial oversight.
Digital License ID and release information available at https://ThatsJesus.org.
In God we trust