The Martyrdom of Polycarp, written as a circular letter from the church of Smyrna to the church of Philomelium, is the earliest surviving account of a Christian martyrdom outside the New Testament. It describes the arrest, trial, and execution of the aged bishop Polycarp, probably in AD 155 or 156. The text established many of the literary conventions of later martyrdom accounts and is notable for its theological reflection on martyrdom as an imitation of Christ's passion. It also provides the earliest evidence for the Christian veneration of martyrs' remains. This edition follows the text of Kirsopp Lake (Loeb Classical Library, 1912).
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