Library › Martyrdom of Polycarp
Martyrdom of Polycarp
Lake, Loeb 1913
Chapter 6
His betrayal
And when the searching for him persisted he went to another farm; and those who were searching for him came up at once, and when they did not find him, they arrested young slaves,1 and one of them confessed under torture.
For it was indeed impossible for him to remain hid, since those who betrayed him were of his own house, and the police captain who had been allotted the very name, being called Herod,2 hastened to bring him to the arena that he might fulfil his appointed lot by becoming a partaker of Christ, while they who betrayed him should undergo the same punishment as Judas.
Notes
- Literally “children,” but constantly used for slaves; the South African use of “boy” is an almost exact parallel.
- The writer desires to bring out the points of resemblance to the Passion of Christ. The coincidences are remarkable, but none are in themselves at all improbable.