The Martyrdom of Polycarp (c. 155)
The oldest surviving account of a Christian martyrdom outside the New Testament.
📖 Read it free
Polycarp was the elderly bishop of Smyrna, in what is now Turkey, and is said to have known the Apostle John. Around the year 155 he was arrested and ordered to curse Christ to save his life.
Advertisement
His reply has echoed for nearly two thousand years: “Eighty and six years have I served Him, and He never did me any injury: how then can I blaspheme my King and my Saviour?” This letter, written by his church to other Christian communities, describes his arrest and death and became a model for honoring the martyrs.
Part of the Boston Made Reader’s special collection Courage, Conscience & Service. Every book and document here is free to read.
Latest stories
View allOct 9, 2026Boston Made Reader Now Carries Every Story in the Network — Free, With No LoginEvery article from across the Boston Made network, plus complete books and free Bible, religious and inclusion studies,…Sep 30, 2026The AI Buildout Has Left the GPUThe AI economy is now a physical infrastructure story about power, cooling, fiber, regional capacity, and the people…Sep 29, 2026The Infrastructure of Power: AI, the Atlantic Alliance, and the Next EconomyAI infrastructure is reshaping the industrial economy. An evidence-led editorial on chips, energy, capital, King Charles III and…Sep 23, 2026Keystone on the Grand Strand: What Myrtle Beach Businesses Can LearnMyrtle Beach runs on small businesses. Here is how to find, and protect, the keystone in yours.Sep 22, 2026The Keystone Pipeline, ExplainedWhat the Keystone Pipeline is, who owns it, what went wrong in 2022, and why Keystone XL keeps…Sep 21, 2026Why “Keystone”? Arches, Pipelines and Software StacksA keystone is the wedge-shaped stone at the top of an arch. Remove it and the arch falls.…