Martyrdom of Polycarp 14:1-3

14 Οἱ δὲ οὐ καθήλωσαν μέν, προσέδησαν δὲ αὐτόν. ὁ δὲ ὀπίσω τὰς χεῖρας ποιήσας καὶ προσδεθείς, ὥσπερ κριὸς ἐπίσημος ἐκ μεγάλου ποιμνίου εἰς προσφοράν, ὁλοκαύτωμα δεκτὸν τῷ θεῷ ἡτοιμασμένον, ἀναβλέψας εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν εἶπεν·
.     Κύριε ὁ θεὸς ὁ παντοκράτωρ, ὁ τοῦ ἀγαπητοῦ καὶ εὐλογητοῦ παιδός σου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ πατήρ, δι’ οὗ τὴν περὶ σοῦ ἐπίγνωσιν εἰλήφαμεν, ὁ θεὸς [ὁ] ἀγγέλων καὶ δυνάμεων καὶ πάσης τῆς κτίσεως παντός τε τοῦ γένους τῶν δικαίων, οἳ ζῶσιν ἐνώπιόν σου· 2 εὐλογῶ σε, ὅτι ἠξίωσάς με τῆς ἡμέρας καὶ ὥρας ταύτης, τοῦ λαβεῖν με μέρος ἐν ἀριθμῷ τῶν μαρτύρων ἐν τῷ ποτηρίῳ τοῦ Χριστοῦ σου εἰς ἀνάστασιν ζωῆς αἰωνίου ψυχῆς τε καὶ σώματος ἐν ἀφθαρσίᾳ πνεύματος ἁγίου· ἐν οἷς προσδεχθείην ἐνώπιόν σου σήμερον ἐν θυσίᾳ πίονι καὶ προσδεκτῇ, καθὼς προητοίμασας καὶ πρoεφανέρωσας καὶ ἐπλήρωσας, ὁ ἀψευδὴς καὶ ἀληθινὸς θεός. 3 διὰ τοῦτο καὶ περὶ πάντων σὲ αἰνῶ, σὲ εὐλογῶ, σὲ δοξάζω διὰ τοῦ αἰωνίου καί ἐπουρανίου ἀρχιερέως Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἀγαπητοῦ σου παιδός, δι’ οὗ σοὶ σὺν αὐτῷ καὶ πνεύματι ἁγίῳ [ἡ] δόξα καὶ νῦν [καὶ ἀεὶ] καὶ εἰς τοὺς μέλλοντας αἰῶνας. ἀμήν.
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14:3 [καὶ ἀεὶ] Mosquensis 160 (Latin: et in futurum in saecula saeculorum); text: Baroccianus 238; Paris 1452; Vindob. Hist. Greac.; S. Sep. Hierosl. I; Eusebius.
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14:2 εἰς ἀνάστασιν ζωῆς, John 5:21.

Polycarp’s Prayer
14 1 So instead of nailing him, they started to bind him instead. When he had put his hands behind his back and had been bound (like a good ram from a large flock for sacrifice, prepared as a burnt offering1 acceptable to God), he looked up to heaven and said, 
     “Lord God Almighty, Father of your beloved and blessed Son Jesus Christ, through whom we have received knowledge of you, God of angels and powers and every created thing, and the whole race of the just who dwell before you, 2 I bless you because you have considered me worthy of this day and hour to receive a portion in the cup of your Christ, among the number of martyrs, to the resurrection of eternal life of both soul and body in the incorruption of the Holy Spirit. May I be received today among them as a fine and acceptable sacrifice just as you have prepared beforehand and fulfilled, O undeceiving and true God. 3 For this reason and for all these things I praise you, I bless you and I glorify you, through the eternal and heavenly high priest Jesus Christ your beloved Son, through whom to you and the Holy Spirit with him be glory now and forever, Amen.”
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“now and forever, Amen,” One Greek Ms and Latin read “now, always and forever, Amen."

The body of Polycarp’s prayer is filled with Scriptural references and in fact contains very little that is not quoted verbatim from the Bible.

MPol. 14:1

Οἱ δὲ οὐ καθήλωσαν μέν, προσέδησαν δὲ αὐτόν. "So instead of nailing him, they started to bind him instead." Here is a traditional and classic μέν...δὲ clause.

καθήλωσαν aorist 3rd plural καθηλόω, "nail; nail to." Septuagint word: Psalm 119[118]:120, where the meaning might be "(my flesh) bristles up like nails."

προσέδησαν aorist 3rd plural προσδίδωμι "give over, hand over." Another Septuagint word (Ezekiel 16:34), although it occurs in the variant of Uncial D in Luke 24:30 for ἐπεδίδου (προσεδίδου) "he broke (the bread) and began to give it (over) to them..."

ὁλοκαύτωμα Greek "holocaust," whole burnt offering. Of course in the last century this word has taken on another meaning altogether because of the memory of the atrocities of the war, but such things cannot be read backward into this second century text.

δεκτὸν, "acceptable." Accusative singular δεκτός; cf. Luke 4:24. More common in the LXX.

κριός “ram,” (Latin aries, also used of a battering-ram), Gen. 22:13; Ezek. 46:6; Daniel (Theod.)  8:3, 20; and many times in Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.


MPol. 14:2

Κύριε ὁ θεὸς ὁ παντοκράτωρ, “Lord God Almighty.” Amos 3:13; 4:13; 5:8, 14-16; 9:15; Hos. 12:5; Rev. 4:8; 11:17; 15:3; 16:7; 21:22; Apostolic Constitutions 8,15,2; cf. Didache 10:3.

πατήρ, “Father…” Apost. Const. 8,15,2, “Master, God Almighty, Father of your Christ, your blessed son…”

ὁ τοῦ ἀγαπητοῦ... σου “of your beloved,” Matt 12:8; cf. Mark 1:1; 9:7; Diog. 8:11; 1 Clement 59:2.

καὶ εὐλογητοῦ, “and blessed” Apost. Const. 8,15,2; cf. Matt 12:8.

παιδός “Son,” Isaiah 52:13; Acts 3:13, 26; 4:27, 30; Barn 9:2; Diog 8:9,11; 9:1; 1 Clem. 59:2-4; Apost. Const. 8,15,2.

Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ “Jesus Christ,” (cf. “Father” above)

δι’ οὗ “through whom,” (referring to the work of Christ on our behalf) cf. 1 Clem. 58:2; 59:2, 3; 61:3; 62; 65; 2 Clem 20:5.

τὴν περὶ σοῦ ἐπίγνωσιν εἰλήφαμεν “we have received knowledge of you” 1 Clem 59:2; cf. Did 9:2-3; 10:2; Apost Const 8,11,2.

ὁ θεὸς ἀγγέλων “God of angels” Apost. Const. 8,12,8.

καὶ δυνάμεων “and powers” 1 Kings 17:1; Psalm 59:5; cf. Judith 9:14; 13:4.

καὶ πάσης τῆς κτίσεως “and every created thing” Judith 9:2 (cf. Colossians 1:15)

παντός τε τοῦ γένους τῶν δικαίων “and the whole race of the just”   Hermas Hs 9,17,5; cf. Mart. Polycarp 17:1.


MPol. 14:3

εὐλογῶ σε “I bless you” Acts of Paul and Thecla 24; Lk 1:64; 2:28; 24:53.

ὅτι ἠξίωσάς με “because you have considered me worthy”  4 Macc. 18:3.

τῆς ἡμέρας καὶ ὥρας ταύτης, “of this day and hour” Cf. John 12:27. He means, the moment of his martyrdom.

μέρος “a portion” Rev. 20:6.

ἐν ἀριθμῷ “among the number” Cf. Exodus 12:4; Deut. 32:8; Luke 22:3; Rev. 6:9-11; 7:4; 13:17, 18; 15:2; 1 Clement 59:2.

ἐν τῷ ποτηρίῳ  “in the cup” Mark 14:26

τοῦ Χριστοῦ σου “of your Christ” Apost. Const. 8,15,2.

εἰς ἀνάστασιν ζωῆς αἰωνίου “to the resurrection of eternal life” John 5:29

ψυχῆς τε καὶ σώματος  “soul and body” Apost. Const. 8,14,2

ἐν ἀφθαρσίᾳ “in the incorruption” Cf. 4 Macc 17:2

ἐν θυσίᾳ πίονι “be received as a rich sacrifice” Cf. Dan 3:39-40; 4 Macc 1:11.

πρεφανέρωσας “prepared” Cf. Didache 10:5

ὁ ἀψευδὴς καὶ ἀληθινὸς θεός “undeceiving and true God” Cf. John 17:3; Ign Rom 8:2; Apost. Con. 8,18,1

σὲ δοξάζω καὶ περὶ πάντων σὲ αἰνῶ, σὲ εὐλογῶ “I praise…bless…glorify you”    All Biblical, but found in this order first in Apost. Con. 7,47,2; 8,12,27

διὰ τοῦ αἰωνίου καί ἐπουρανίου ἀρχιερέως Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ “Eternal and heavenly high priest Jesus Christ”     Polycarp 12:2; 1 Clement 61:3; Ch. 64; Apost. Con 7,47,2

ἀγαπητοῦ σου παιδός, δι’ οὗ σοὶ σὺν αὐτῷ καὶ πνεύματι ἁγίῳ δόξα καὶ νῦν καὶ εἰς τοὺς μέλλοντας αἰῶνας “Beloved son through whom…forever”   Cf. 2 Cor. 13:14; 1 Clement 65:2.