Now in these times there was distinguished in Asia Polycarp, a companion of the apostles, who had been entrusted with the bishopric of the church at Smyrna by those who had been eyewitnesses and ministers of the Lord.
In his day there was known Papias, himself also bishop of the diocese at Hierapolis, and Ignatius, still even now famous among very many, who was allotted the bishopric of Antioch as the second in the succession from Peter.
This man, then, making his journey through Asia under the most careful watch of his guards, strengthened the dioceses in each city where he stayed by his discourses and exhortations; and above all he warned them most earnestly to be on guard against the heresies that had then first sprung up and were gaining ground, and urged them to hold fast to the tradition of the apostles, which—for the sake of security—he now deemed it necessary to set forth also in writing, attesting it.
Thus indeed, having come to Smyrna where Polycarp was, he wrote one epistle to the church at Ephesus, making mention of its shepherd Onesimus; and another to the church at Magnesia on the Maeander, where again he made mention of the bishop Damas; and yet another to the church at Tralles, whose ruler at that time he records to have been Polybius.
Besides these he also wrote to the church of the Romans, to which he extended an appeal that they should not, by begging him off from martyrdom, rob him of the hope for which he longed; from which it is fitting to set forth even a very few words for the demonstration of what has been said.
He writes, then, word for word: 'From Syria as far as Rome I fight with wild beasts, by land and by sea, by night and by day, bound to ten leopards, that is, a company of soldiers, who, even when treated well, become worse. But amid their wrongdoings I am the more made a disciple; yet not on this account am I justified.'
'May I have the benefit of the wild beasts that are made ready for me; and I pray that they may be found swift for me; whom I will even coax to devour me swiftly, not as they did with some, whom they did not touch out of fear. And even if of their own accord they should be unwilling, I will force them.'
'Bear with me. I know what is profitable for me. Now I begin to be a disciple. May nothing of things seen or unseen envy me, that I may attain to Jesus Christ. Let fire and cross, and packs of wild beasts, scatterings of bones, manglings of limbs, grindings of the whole body, the torments of the devil come upon me, only that I may attain to Jesus Christ.'
These things, then, he set forth from the aforesaid city to the churches mentioned. And when he had now passed beyond Smyrna, he again held converse by writing, from Troas, with those in Philadelphia and with the church of the Smyrnaeans, and in particular with Polycarp who presided over it; and recognizing him very well as an apostolic man, he commits to him, as a true and good shepherd, the flock at Antioch, asking him to take diligent thought for its care.
And the same man, writing to the Smyrnaeans, has made use of words from I know not what source, recounting some such things as these concerning Christ: 'But I know and believe him to be in the flesh even after the resurrection. And when he came to those about Peter, he said to them, “Take, handle me and see, that I am not a bodiless demon”; and immediately they touched him and believed.'
Irenaeus too knows of his martyrdom, and makes mention of his epistles, saying thus: 'As one of ours said, when he was condemned to the wild beasts on account of his witness toward God, “I am God's wheat, and I am ground by the teeth of the wild beasts, that I may be found pure bread.”'
And Polycarp too makes mention of these very things in his epistle to the Philippians which is in circulation, saying to them in these very words: 'I beseech you all, then, to obey and to practise all endurance, which you saw with your own eyes not only in the blessed Ignatius and Rufus and Zosimus, but also in others from among yourselves, and in Paul himself and the rest of the apostles—being persuaded that all these did not run in vain, but in faith and righteousness, and that they are in the place due to them with the Lord, with whom also they suffered. For they did not love this present age, but him who died for us and was raised by God for our sakes.'
And next he adds: 'Both you and Ignatius wrote to me, that if anyone should go to Syria, he might carry there also the letters from you. This I will do, if I get a suitable opportunity—either I myself, or the one whom I send to be an ambassador on your behalf also.'
'The epistles of Ignatius that were sent to us by him, and as many others as we had with us, we have sent to you, just as you charged; these are appended to this epistle, and from them you will be able to be greatly profited. For they contain faith and endurance and all edification that pertains to our Lord.' And such are the matters concerning Ignatius. After him Heros succeeded to the bishopric of Antioch.