Martyrdom of Polycarp 11:1-2

11 Ὁ δὲ ἀνθύπατος εἶπεν· Θηρία ἔχω, τούτοις σε παραβαλῶ, ἐὰν μὴ μετανοήσῃς. ὁ δὲ εἶπεν· Κάλει, ἀμετάθετος γὰρ ἡμῖν ἡ ἀπὸ τῶν κρειττόνων ἐπὶ τὰ χείρω μετάνοια· καλὸν δὲ μετατίθεσθαι ἀπὸ τῶν χαλεπῶν ἐπὶ τὰ δίκαια. 2 ὁ δὲ πάλιν πρὸς αὐτόν· Πυρί σε ποιῶ δαπανηθῆναι, εἰ τῶν θηρίων καταφρονεῖς, ἐὰν μὴ μετανοήσῃς. ὁ δὲ Πολύκαρπος [εἶπεν]· Πῦρ ἀπειλεῖς τὸ πρὸς ὥραν καιόμενον καὶ μετ’ ὀλίγον σβεννύμενον· ἀγνοεῖς γὰρ τὸ τῆς μελλούσης κρίσεως καὶ αἰωνίου κολάσεως τοῖς ἀσεβέσι τηρούμενον πῦρ. ἀλλὰ τί βραδύνεις; φέρε, ὃ βούλει.

Polycarp Threatened with Wild Beasts
11 The proconsul said, “I have wild animals – I will throw you to them unless you change your mind.” But he replied, “Call for them! A change from better to worse is impossible for us. But it is right to change from evil to good.” 
     2 Again he said, “I will have you consumed by fire if you despise wild animals – unless you change your mind.” Polycarp replied, “You threaten fire that burns for an hour and is soon quenched, for you are ignorant of the fire of the coming judgment and the eternal punishment reserved for the wicked. But why are you waiting? Come! Do what you will!”

11:1 θηρία “wild animals.” The idea of fighting wild animals in the arena is present in the New Testament (1 Corinthians 15:32) but begins to be a more and more prevalent theme throughout the Fathers: IRom. 4:1f.; 5:3; ISmyr. 4:2; MPol 3; 11; Hv 3,2,1.

παραβαλῶ "I shall throw (you)" The transitive use of παραβάλλω doesn't occur in the New Testament except in a variant reading like the cognate Byzantine phrase in Mark 4:30 pointed out by BAG: πoίᾳ παραβολῇ παραβάλωμεν αὐτὴν; “With what sort of parable shall we use in comparing it?” The transitive meaning does occur elsewhere in the Fathers: 1 Clement 55:6 (relating the Esther story); Diognetus 7:7.

11:2 δαπανηθῆναι aor pass inf δαπανάω, which has a primary meaning of “spend” but here takes a secondary meaning of “expend; destroy; be consumed (by fire).” A similar meaning occurs in 2 Macc. 1:23; 2:10; and in Hermas (Hm 12,1,2).

11:2 καιόμενον “burning,” present passive participle καίω “burn.” The theme of hell as a burning fire is present throughout the Bible. Isaiah ends his final chapter with this warning about "those who rebelled against me:" "Their worm will not die, nor will their fire be quenched, and they will be loathsome to all mankind" (Isaiah 66:24). Jude describes the punishment of Sodom and Gomorrah this way: "They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire" (Jude 7).

11:2 ἀσεβέσι “godless, impious.” Adjective, masc dative plural ἀσεβής. 1 Peter 4:18. Accused of being an atheist, Polycarp proclaims God's judgment on men like the proconsul who are utterly godless.

11:2 βραδύνεις “(Why) do you delay” present active indicative  3 sing. βραδύνω (cp. 1 Timothy 3:15).