Saint Polycarp was a second century Christian martyr whose historical claim to fame is as one of the first significant martyrs of the Christian church in the Roman Empire and further that he was an associate of the gospel writer: John of Patmos. (1) What interests us about Polycarp is not so much the fact that he refused to burn incense to the Roman Emperor and by so doing brought about his own martyrdom, but rather the role of the jews in his death.
Our principle reliable (and earliest) source for the facts surrounding Polycarp's death is a pastoral letter, which we call 'The Martyrdom of Saint Polycarp', that was sent from the Christian community of Smyrna to the Christian community in nearby Pontus. This letter contains several references to the jews in the context of the overall story of Polycarp's martyrdom, which in order to understand we need to place in the context the letter gives us.
To summarise the story thus far: the Christians of Smyrna are being executed in the arena by the Roman Proconsul for refusing to burn incense in honour of the Roman Emperor per the requirements of the Imperial cult. A Phrygian Christian named Quintus leads some of the Christians in crying out to the Proconsul that they would do as requested if he would but spare their lives (which we may presume he did based on the odium the text heaps on Quintus for doing so), while Germanicus - one of the Christian leaders - sought to encourage his flock to accept an 'hour of pain' so they could prevent themselves 'burning in the eternal fires of hell'.
The Romans have however in the meantime been searching for Polycarp who is the leader of the Christians. Polycarp had apparently been persuaded by 'the greater part' of his flock to flee to a farm outside the city against his own inclinations, and when the Roman authorities raided the farm on which Polycarp had been hiding (having been moved to another farm some little time before the raid). They tortured two slave boys as was a frequent practice in Roman criminal investigations, which uncovered the fact that Polycarp had been there and also to where he had since departed.
The Romans took the male slave who had confessed to knowing Polycarp's current location and rode on to it, which was another farmer's home where Polycarp was secreted in an upper bedroom. The author of the Martyrdom is keen to state that Polycarp could have moved on but chose to stay but which we may reasonably dismiss as rhetorical gloss as the Romans appear to have more or less caught Polycarp by surprise rather than by the latter's design.
At this point the jews make their entry into the story: the man in charge of searching for Polycarp was named Herod who was keen to make sure that Polycarp - as the leader and Bishop of the Christians of Smyrna - was also executed. (2) We are further told that Herod and his Roman troops 'suffered the fate of Judas'. This could either be taken to mean they all committed suicide after fulfilling their appointed role or that they burnt in hell in all eternity.
The likelihood is, of course, the latter possibility given that we can express serious doubts that those who were executing Christians had any significant pangs of guilt about doing so given that such executions were normal and there was nothing especially unusual in killing what they perceived to be religious subversives.
The name Herod can be taken as symbolic as it is unlikely - although not impossible - that a Roman security official would have been named such. However, the symbolism of the term Herod should not be taken too far into assuming that there is no connection between the historical figure and the man hauling Polycarp back for execution.
Rather I would argue that the name Herod is actually meant to symbolise that the man who was persecuting Polycarp was a jewish official of the Empire (or that that official was what was then termed a 'god-fearer' [i.e. a pledged servant unto death of the jews]) and that the name Herod is meant to symbolise the successful attempt to kill the followers of Jesus by jewish officials in direct contrast to the unsuccessful attempt to kill Jesus himself by the historical Herod (which is contained in the Bible).
As such then we have a jew - like an unreformed Saint Paul - who is smugly persecuting Christians only to realise - when he dies - that in doing so he has earned himself a place in the eternal fires of hell.
This is further alluded to when Polycarp is brought back on an ass into Smyrna only to be met by Herod and his father Nicetes who then try to make him burn the incense as per the normal custom.
Herod and Nicetes try to draw Polycarp into rapprochement with the Imperial authorities by inveigling him thus:
'Why what harm is there in saying, Caesar is Lord, and offering incense and saving yourself?' (3)
This is clearly a parallel to the temptation of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane: however, the message that the author of the Martyrdom is intending to deliver to the reader is that the jews are the children of this world and - as such - are of the devil (or 'the evil one' as the text styles him). They are seen to persecute Polycarp because they themselves have lost their chosen status due their lack of recognition of the Messiah's arrival and have given themselves over to the temptation of worldly power by persecuting the followers of said martyred Messiah.
Whatever we may think of the symbolic history being used here: it should not be forgotten that what the author of the Martyrdom is getting at is how the jews are persecuting the Christians and how powerful they are in the power structure of the Roman Empire.
Polycarp is then led to the Roman magistrate who demands that he offer a sacrifice of incense to Caesar’s statue and where he is also accused of being an atheist (a common historical charge against the jews as well) in that he worships nothing corporeal and as such Polycarp was felt - in Juvenal's beautiful praise - to worship the air. (4)
The Roman magistrate at this point does something rather odd in that Polycarp attempts to convert him to Christianity by demanding that a day be appointed when he can expound his reasons for refusing to 'render unto Caesar what is Caesar's'. The magistrate's response is to suggest that Polycarp would be better to give his reasons for doing so to the people and if he can persuade them then the magistrate may be convinced to look upon his refusal differently.
This is made sense of by understanding that Roman trials historically had been frequently held in front of crowds of citizens who acted as a jury and this concept appears to be being invoked in good faith by the magistrate here. However, Polycarp refuses to do this stating that the crowd 'are not worthy' of him, (5) which may be talking about his recognition of his inability to bring many people to his side by the twin powers of oratory and reason.
The magistrate then convicts Polycarp of being a Christian [i.e., an atheist in Roman parlance] and that as he has refused to honour Caesar in the mandatory way: he is to be executed.
The reason for Polycarp's reticence at attempting to persuade the crowd of his reasons is made clear by what happens when his execution is announced at the arena of Smyrna. To wit:
'When this was proclaimed by the herald, the whole multitude both of Gentiles and of Jews who dwelt in Smyrna cried out with ungovernable wrath and with a loud shout, 'This is the teacher of Asia, the father of the Christians, the puller down of our gods, who teaches people not to sacrifice or worship.'' (6)
This tells us that Polycarp was already widely hated by the populace of Smyrna - pagans and jews alike - who regarded him in the first (pagan) instance as an atheist ('the puller down of our gods') and in the second (jewish) instance as a religious revolutionary ('who teaches people not to sacrifice or worship'). (7)
We further are made to understand later in the Martyrdom that while the pagans are felt to be doing so because they know no better: the jews are on the other hand the principle of agents of Polycarp's persecution and execution by the Roman authorities. This is due to the fact that - as the twin episodes with Herod and the magistrate make clear - the jews have a great deal of hatred for Polycarp for reasons that are unstated by the text and are proverbially moving heaven and earth to be rid of him and his followers.
This starring role given to the jews in bringing about Polycarp's death is further evidenced by how the author of the Martyrdom describes the preparations for the burning of Polycarp. To wit:
'These things then happened with so great speed, quicker than words could tell, the crowds forthwith collecting from the workshops and baths timber and faggots, and the Jews more especially assisting in this with zeal, as is their wont.' (8)
We can see in the above passage that the jews are being described as having a fanatical hatred of Polycarp as an individual (or possibly what he represents) and as such are desperate to see him out of this world as quickly as humanly possible. They do this by ransacking the nearby workshops and bath complexes of Smyrna to acquire as much combustible material as they possibly can so they can make Polycarp's live public cremation come all the faster.
The author of the Martyrdom also makes it a point to imply that this anti-Polycarp ardour is due to the religious zeal of the jews with the intended meaning for the reader to take from it being that the jews are not only generally opposed to the Christianity on a practical level, but are furthermore required by their religious beliefs to persecute (and presumably execute) all the Christians.
Once Polycarp had been killed - although apparently the fire would not burn him and instead gave off a fragrant smell (probably explained by scented wood that when burned produces a scent-like fragrance that they could have easily acquired at the bath complexes by mistake) - by being disembowelled by a Roman soldier. The jews began to fear that he could become a new Christ figure and as such began to agitate for the immediate destruction of Polycarp's body rather than its removal by the remaining Christian faithful (who presumably had offered incense to Caesar).
The author of the Martyrdom relates it thus:
'But the jealous and envious Evil One, the adversary of the family of the righteous, having seen the greatness of his martyrdom and his blameless life from the beginning, and how he was crowned with the crown of immortality and had won a reward which none could gainsay, managed that not even his poor body should be taken away by us, although many desired to do this and to touch his holy flesh.
So he put forward Nicetes, the father of Herod and brother of Alce, to plead with the magistrate not to give up his body, 'lest,' so it was said, 'they should abandon the crucified one and begin to worship this man' - this being done at the instigation and urgent entreaty of the Jews, who also watched when we were about to take it from the fire, not knowing that it will be impossible for us either to forsake at any time the Christ who suffered for the salvation of the whole world of those that are saved - suffered though faultless for sinners - nor to worship any other.
For Him, being the Son of God, we adore, but the martyrs as disciples and imitators of the Lord we cherish as they deserve for their matchless affection towards their own King and Teacher. May it be our lot also to be found partakers and fellow-disciples with them.
The centurion therefore, seeing the opposition raised on the part of the Jews, set him in the midst and burnt him after their custom.' (9)
There are several aspects of the above culmination of the story of Polycarp's death that need to be brought out.
We should firstly notice that once again the jews are held to be the direct servants of the devil ('the evil one') and that as such they are held to be the ultimate opponents of Christianity: much less so than the pagans who are largely incidental to the whole story. This means in effect that the jews are held by our principle source about Polycarp's death to be wholly responsible for it and that as such have not only the blood of Jesus on their hands (per the charge of deicide) but also that of Polycarp who they killed like Jesus through controlling and forcing the hands of the Roman authorities.
Secondly, we should note that we here find confirmation of Herod's jewish status - as well as that of his father Nicetes and his uncle Alce - when the author of the Martyrdom relates that it was through them that the jews achieved their object of preventing the Christians from taking away and reverencing Polycarp's body (which they clearly expected to work miracles if we are to believe the text).
Thirdly we should note that the jews are described by necessary implication by the author of the Martyrdom as being highly influential in the Roman Empire and as such able to require the Roman authorities (i.e. the Proconsul) to burn Polycarp's corpse per pagan tradition (and which the jews knew would greatly offend the Christians) then and there, which is then facilitated by the centurion's act (as he could and would not have done so without the direct approval of the Proconsul without risking potentially fatal punishment for disobedience).
Fourthly, we should note that the legend that Polycarp could not burn is rather absurd as the centurion burned his corpse on the same pyre as was originally intended to facilitate his live cremation. The events are however easily explained without invoking the supernatural or paranormal by noting that some of the wood for the pyre came from bath houses, which not infrequently stocked scented woods (as well as incense) to add to the experience of their clientèle.
This wood burns slowly and gives off a pleasant fragrance (as well as plenty of smoke), which would mean that the description of Polycarp being surrounded by a fire but not burnt could simply be a function of this wood being the top layer of the outer pyre. Further wood of this type is easy to extinguish when it is on fire explaining how the fire 'could not touch' Polycarp and why it was so easily quenched. The centurion when disposing of Polycarp's body in all likelihood simply stripped off this outer layer of scented wood and exposed the ordinary soft wood from the workshops beneath, which quickly cremated Polycarp's body.
If we understand all this, then we can see that the jews were the primary actors and facilitators of the death of Saint Polycarp in Smyrna. Further we can also see that the jews are held by the author of the Martyrdom to be the direct agents of the devil as well as having an incredible amount of power and influence with the Roman authorities in Syrma. A fact that was not lost upon Polycarp's disciple Irenaeus who vehemently denounced the jews because of it. (10)
Thus - as the great medieval writers were want to style it - Saint Polycarp was slain due to wickedness of the jews.
References
(1) Iren. Adv. Her. 5:33
(2) Mart. Pol. 6:2
(3) Ibid. 8:2
(4) Juv. 14
(5) Mart. Pol. 10:2
(6) Ibid. 12:2
(7) You could also attribute the second passage; 'who teaches people not to sacrifice or worship', to the pagans, but I have chosen to simplify this slightly to streamline the argument and narrative without affecting its textual basis too much.
(8) Mart. Pol. 13:1
(9) Ibid. 17:1-18:1
(10) Charles Freeman, 2009, 'A New History of Early Christianity', 1st Edition, Yale University Press: New Haven, p. 157