Martyrdom of Polycarp 5:1-2

Polycarp’s withdrawal
5 1 Ὁ δὲ θαυμασιώτατος Πολύκαρπος τὸ μὲν πρῶτον ἀκούσας οὐκ ἐταράχθη, ἀλλ’ ἐβούλετο κατὰ πόλιν μένειν· οἱ δὲ πλείους ἔπειθον αὐτὸν ὑπεξελθεῖν. καὶ ὑπεξῆλθεν εἰς ἀγρίδιον οὐ μακρὰν ἀπέχον ἀπὸ τῆς πόλεως, καὶ διέτριβε μετ’ ὀλίγων, νύκτα καὶ ἡμέραν οὐδὲν ἕτερον ποιῶν ἢ προσευχόμενος περὶ πάντων καὶ τῶν κατὰ τὴν οἰκουμένην ἐκκλησιῶν, ὅπερ ἦν σύνηθες αὐτῷ. 2 καὶ προσευχόμενος ἐν ὀπτασιᾳ γέγονεν πρὸ τριῶν ἡμερῶν τοῦ συλληφθῆναι αὐτόν, καὶ εἶδεν τὸ προσκεφάλαιον αὐτοῦ ὑπὸ πυρὸς κατακαιόμενον· και στραφεὶς εἶπεν πρὸς τοὺς σὺν αὐτῷ· Δεῖ με ζῶντα καῆναι.
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Text:
5:1 διέτριβε ] Lake ν-movable   5:2 εἶδεν τὸ ] Lake; Lightf.; εἶδεν Migne.   5:2 καῆναι Lake, Lightf.; καυθῆναι Barocc., Paris, Jac., Vindoh.; Migne frt. κατακαυθῆναι.
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Punctuation: 
5:1 πόλεως, Lake (none), Lightf. comma, Migne colon.   5:1 ἐκκλησιῶν, Lake comma, Lightf. colon, Migne colon.   5:2 αὐτόν, Lake comma, Lightf. comma, Migne colon.   5:2 κατακαιόμενον· Lake colon, Lightf. colon, Migne period.

Polycarp’s Withdrawal
5 1 Now the glorious Polycarp was not dismayed when he first heard the news, and he wanted to stay in the city. The others tried to persuade him to withdraw, and withdraw he did, to a little farm just outside the city. He stayed there with a few friends, doing nothing night and day but praying for all men and for churches throughout the world, just as he usually did. 2 While he was praying, he had a vision three days before his arrest. He saw a pillow burning with fire. He turned and said to those with him, “I must be burned alive.”

5:1 θαυμασιώτατος, adjective "wonderful." Cf. Matthew 21:15.

ἐταράχθη, aor passive ταράσσω "disturb, upset." This form occurs many times in the LXX and NT; Cf. Matthew 2:3, "When King Herod heard this he was disturbed..."

ὑπεξελθεῖν... ὑπεξῆλθεν, both from ὑπεξέχρoμαι "withdraw, get away."

ἀγρίδιον “little farm.” Here and in 6:1; cf. the papyrus collection Sammelbuch 5230,28 (first century). An obvious but remarkably rare word. The term probably coming from the Northwest (Doric) Greek dialect. Although it can mean “village” or “field” it more probably refers here to the villa. The Roman villa was a common estate . Many were very large; a small one like this might still have fifteen hundred acres. A villa often included cultivated fields, meadows, vineyards, a woods, and housing for the many servants who worked there: farmers and hands, shepherds, vine-dressers, millers, bakers, carpenters, masons, smiths, weavers, tanners, tailors, and other workers who rented fields or grazing meadows as tenants. Such estates tended to be independently self-sufficient with limited contact even with the nearby towns.

5:2 συλληφθῆναι articularized infinitive as a noun; "arrest."

προσκεφάλαιον “pillow,” Mark 4:38; Ezekiel 13:18, 20.

κατακαιόμενον, middle participle κατακαίω "burn."

καῆναι aorist passive infinitive καίω, "burn, burn up." The textual variants are unnecessary to understand the text, whichever verb is used.