Polycarp  Jacob GarnesChurch history Mr. Mills  November 9, 2017The life of polycarp is important to know about his because he has an impact on history. You need to learn about the most parts of his life. Polycarp’s early life was a life of slavery, until he was bought. The years when he was a pastor for the church of smyrna he had moments that influenced history. When he was arrested from the time he was martyred he did some very influential thing. After his death he still influenced the history of the view of God.     When he was a child he was sold as a slave to a woman. Callisto was the woman that bought him and she was a wealthy person. She considered him as her son. As he grew older he came to believe that God was his one true savior. Once his mother died he took his inheritance and helped people in need. When his pastor of his church died he was appointed pastor of the church of smyrna. Polycarp stayed there and was the pastor for the church of smyrna many years. During a particular time in his life he was a student and disciple of the apostle John.   Marcus Aurelius was the Emperor of Rome at the time. Aurelius started pecsecutiating christians, altho polycarp was spared for many years, but suffered from harsh precaution. Sadly he did not ovid martyrdom for his whole life. Once the full force of Marsus percussion was unleashed on polycarp in his later years of his ministry. He was arrested but three days before he was the lord showed him the he would ba burnt at the stake. When the soldiers came into his camp his friends insisted that they hide him. But he made clear that in the end he could not be hidden. Once the soldiers found out where he had been taken they started towards him. When polycarp saw them coming he went out to greet them and offered them food. As the soldiers were eating polycarp asked if he could pray before they arrested him, they allowed him to pray for two hours.  When he was done praying they had got a donkey and took him to be tried as someone who was an adversary of the authorized pagan religion.    Once they all arrived, soldiers sat him in a chariot and tried to get him to say the Caesar was god. They also tried to get him to offer a sacrifice to caesar. They attempted to say there is no issue in just doing it once. At first he refused to answer. eventually, after they kept pressuring him to stray away from God Polycarp said, “I shall not do what you would persuade me to.” This statement made the judges very angry. They had thought it would be able to persuade him to break away from his beliefs.They became harsh in their words and actions. The judges were so angry they threw him out of the chariot. Because of this he acquired a serious injury to his thigh. This showing of force caused an angry mob. It became so intense to the point that they were so loud that their curses and jeers no one could hear. (logos resource page) In the middle of the soldiers dragging Polycarp to the place of his execution, a voice spoke from Heaven aloud and clear, which said, “Be strong, Polycarp, and quit thyself like a man.” Record makes clear that while no one saw who spoke to Polycarp, altho many of the believers that were in the crowd clearly heard the voice as well.   The judge ordered polycarp to be put to death. They did a standard burnings at the stake. those who were picked for the purpose of gathering the firewood,gathered the wood as polycarp prayed. As the flame blazed in great fury. (Christian History Institute.com) “The fire shaped itself into the form of an arch, like the sail of a ship when filled with the wind”. The fire encompassed a circle the body of the polycarp. He appeared to not get burned by the flames. (Christian History Institute.com)”Historians say an example of the smell was like  bread that is baked, or like gold and silver glowing in a furnace”. The flames started to create a sweet aroma. They were getting tired of weighting for him to die so the judge ordered a soldier to stab him in the side with a dagger. Article say there was an abundance of blood, so much that it put the fire out and a dove flew out of the flames.   Because of this people started to notice that there’s a reason that someone would die for what they believe in it must be important. The christians wanted the body of polycarp so that they could do with it what they think was right. But they were denied his body for a while but eventually the christians were given his body.  Polycarp lived around 70 A.D and was martyred about 168 A.D. polycarp was born in Smyrna, Turkey. Theodora was polycarp’s mother. Polycarp was a vary influential person in the history of the church. He was one of many martyred for his faith. After his death he still affected the way most looked at the christian religion. Gomes, the sections on polycarp. Church history book, Dan graves, the most important parts of polycarp’s life, https://christianhistoryinstitute.org/study/module/polycarp/ (accessed on november 5, 2017)Pastor David L. Brown, the history of polycarp. Is the main story of his whole life.http://logosresourcepages.org/History/polycarp.htm (accessed on november 5, 2017)       Alexander Roberts, James Donaldson, and A. Cleveland Coxe. what was the life of polycarp like. (2009)http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0102.htm (accessed on november 5, 2017)