Editing Polycarp (section)

===Martyrdom===
[[File:Izmir St Polycarp Church Icon Miraculously Extinguishing Smyrna Fire.JPG|thumb|220px|Polycarp miraculously extinguishing the fire burning the city of [[Smyrna]]]]
In the ''Martyrdom'', Polycarp is recorded as saying on the day of his death: "Eighty and six years I have served Him, and He has done me no wrong." This could indicate either that he was then eighty-six years old<ref>Staniforth, Maxwell, trans. ''Early Christian Writings'' London: Penguin Books (1987): 115.</ref> or that he had lived eighty-six years after his conversion.<ref name="Wace"/> Polycarp goes on to say: "How then can I blaspheme my King and Savior? You threaten me with a fire that burns for a season, and after a little while is quenched; but you are ignorant of the fire of [[everlasting punishment]] that is prepared for the wicked."<ref name=SHMI /> Polycarp was [[burned at the stake]] and pierced with a spear for refusing to burn incense to the [[Roman emperor]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Polycarp – Martyrdom|url=http://www.polycarp.net/|publisher=Polycarp.net}}</ref> On his farewell, he said: "I bless you, Father, for judging me worthy of this hour, so that in the company of the martyrs I may share the cup of Christ."<ref name=SHMI />

The date of Polycarp's death is in dispute. [[Eusebius of Caesarea|Eusebius]] dates it to the reign of [[Marcus Aurelius]], c. 166–167. However, a post-Eusebian addition to the ''Martyrdom of Polycarp'', dates his death to Saturday, 23 February, in the [[proconsul]]ship of [[Lucius Statius Quadratus]], c. 155 or 156. These earlier dates better fit the tradition of his association with Ignatius and John the Evangelist.

The ''Martyrdom of Polycarp'' states that Polycarp was taken on the Sabbath and killed on "the [[Holy Saturday|Great Sabbath]]". English patristic scholar [[William Cave]] (1637–1713) believed that this was evidence that the Smyrnaeans under Polycarp observed the seventh-day Sabbath, i.e. assembled on [[Saturday]]s.<ref>William Cave, ''Primitive Christianity: or the Religion of the Ancient Christians in the First Ages of the Gospel''. 1840, revised edition by H. Cary. Oxford, London, p. 84–85).</ref> [[J. B. Lightfoot]] records as a common interpretation of the expression "the Great Sabbath" to refer to [[Passover|Pesach]] or another Jewish festival.<ref>J. B. Lightfoot, ''Apostolic Fathers. Part II. S. Ignatius. S. Polycarp.'' Vol. 1, p. 610-611.</ref> This is contradicted by the [[Hebrew calendar|standard Jewish calendar]], under which Nisan 14, the date of the Pesach, can fall no earlier than late March and hence at least a month after the traditional date of Polycarp's death 23 February. Hence, Lightfoot understood the expression in reference to the [[Purim]] festival, celebrated a month before Pesach,<ref>J. B. Lightfoot, ''Apostolic Fathers. Part II. S. Ignatius. S. Polycarp.'' Vol. 1, p. 713.</ref> while other scholars suggest that at the time the Jewish calendar had not yet been standardized, and that this day, both Jews and Christians celebrated [[Passover|Pesach]] and a ([[Quartodeciman]]) [[Christian observance of Passover|Christian Passover]], respectively.<ref>August Strobel, Ursprung und Geschichte der frühchristlichen Osterkalenders, Berlin: Akademie-Verlag, 1977, pp. 247–248</ref>