Polycarp was an old man, the bishop of Smyrna, and tradition says he had been taught by the apostle John. Sometime in the second century, Roman authorities came to arrest him. He could have run, but he said, “The will of God be done.” When the officers arrived, he ordered food and drink set out for them and asked for an hour to pray. He prayed for two hours. In the stadium, the proconsul urged him to swear by Caesar, curse Christ, and go free. Polycarp answered, “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?” He was burned at the stake.
