ABSTRACT
The so-called Martyrdom of Polycarp (Mart. Pol.) is an account of the martyrdom of Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna, along with eleven other Christians. It was recorded in letter form and sent from Polycarp's church at Smyrna in Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey) to a Christian community at Philomelium, also in Asia Minor. It has been called ‘the first of the martyr acts,’ 1 and its influence on other ancient martyrdoms and on the modern study of ancient Christianity is large.
