THE MARTYRDOM OF POLYCARP: A Disciple of the Apostle John

The thousands, who surrounded him in the arena, viewed him as a godless man who was causing their countrymen to abandon their worship, believing that this man worked toward the destruction of their gods. The crowd’s stares were of malicious hatred, as they despised his very presence. The governor called him forward; this dignified man of 86 years of age stepped into the open and acknowledged his identity. His name was Polycarp. You, the reader, are likely asking why this 86-year-old man is on trial? Who exactly was Polycarp? And what was it that brought him to this point in his life, to be standing in a Roman Colosseum facing certain execution, to be burned alive?