[A] See the Martyrium Sanctorum Justini, &c., in the works of Justinus, ed.  Otto, vol. ii. 559.  “Junius Rusticus Praefectus Urbi erat sub imperatoribus M. Aurelio et L. Vero, id quod liquet ex Themistii Orat. xxxiv Dindorf. p. 451, et ex quodam illorum rescripto, Dig. 49. 1.  I, Sec. 2” (Otto).  The rescript contains the words “Junium Rusticum amicum nostrum Praefectum Urbi.”  The Martyrium of Justinus and others is written in Greek.  It begins, “In the time of the wicked defenders of idolatry impious edicts were published against the pious Christians both in cities and country places, for the purpose of compelling them to make offerings to vain idols.  Accordingly the holy men (Justinus, Chariton, a woman Charito, Paeon, Liberianus, and others) were brought before Rusticus, the praefect of Rome.”

The Martyrium gives the examination of the accused by Rusticus.  All of them professed to be Christians.  Justinus was asked if he expected to ascend into heaven and to receive a reward for his sufferings, if he was condemned to death.  He answered that he did not expect:  he was certain of it.  Finally, the test of obedience was proposed to the prisoners; they were required to sacrifice to the gods.  All refused, and Rusticus pronounced the sentence, which was that those who refused to sacrifice to the gods and obey the emperor’s order should be whipped and beheaded according to the law.  The martyrs were then led to the usual place of execution and beheaded.  Some of the faithful secretly carried off the bodies and deposited them in a fit place.

The persecution in which Polycarp suffered at Smyrna belongs to the time of M. Antoninus.  The evidence for it is the letter of the church of Smyrna to the churches of Philomelium and the other Christian churches, and it is preserved by Eusebius (E.H. iv. 15).  But the critics do not agree about the time of Polycarp’s death, differing in the two extremes to the amount of twelve years.  The circumstances of Polycarp’s martyrdom were accompanied by miracles, one of which Eusebius (iv. 15) has omitted, but it appears in the oldest Latin version of the letter, which Usher published, and it is supposed that this version was made not long after the time of Eusebius.  The notice at the end of the letter states that it was transcribed by Caius from the copy of Irenaeus, the disciple of Polycarp, then transcribed by Socrates at Corinth; “after which I Pionius again wrote it out from the copy above mentioned, having searched it out by the revelation of Polycarp, who directed me to it,” &c.  The story of Polycarp’s martyrdom is embellished with miraculous circumstances which some modern writers on ecclesiastical history take the liberty of omitting.[A]