Storytime Tapestry Newsletter

The newsletter devoted to spreading love and cultural awareness around the world

Christian Meditations – A Chris Hansen Column

February 17, 2008

You met Chris, now you can read more of his work:

Courage Of The Ancient Ones – Part 6

                    by

                     Chris Hansen

Author of:

“Secret of the Psalms,”

Amazingly accurate prophecies about Jesus written centuries in advance.

“Revelation Revisited,”

John is under arrest by the Roman empire.  While he is in exile, he gets the surprise of his life!  The glorified Jesus shows up!  John’s story is redramatized for today’s audience who may not be familiar with the Bible.

“Grandfather’s Journal.”

A touching illustrated book for children and adults.  A young boy who is terrified of death and bored with church reads his grandfather’s last journal entries.  The boy discovers the sweet hope that the resurrection of Jesus provides.  The boy learns to “Smile on the inside too.”

www.xlibris.com and local bookstores and 1-888-795-4274

This series of short stories looks back at some very courageous Christians.  These Christians were far more than mere footnotes in church history.  They were real people with incredible courage in the face of unspeakable brutality!  This kind of courage needs to be remembered and emulated.  This kind of brutality, though unspeakable, needs to be spoken.  They were and still are our brothers and our sisters in Christ.  They are a great cloud of witnesses who surround us and encourage us to finish our race.  May their great courage be ours too.  May God help us to be heroes too.  The world still needs heroes like them.  These stories are based on historical records left to us by Eusebius.  Where appropriate a certain amount of imagination is used.  Even so, the basic facts are definitely nonfiction!

Part 5 ended with a very tense scene in which a young 15-year-old boy had to make the decision of his life-probably the last decision he would ever make.  Germanicus carried the weight of his enthusiastic Christian faith on his young shoulders.  Now, he was facing down a powerful Roman official.  What would Germanicus do?  What was in store for Polycarp’s small and devoted flock?

  A hush fell over the people as they strained to hear what was said down in the arena.  “Germanicus!  You are still young!  We are inclined to show thee mercy!  You are full of the vigor of life!  Don’t throw it all away for this Christ!  He was executed as a common criminal.  Don’t sacrifice for him!  How can he be Lord if he is dead?  Caesar lives!  Sacrifice to Caesar!  Caesar is Lord!  There is no need for you to join this Christ in his death.  You are not yet guilty of any crime.  Spare yourself young man!”  Well, what would his decision be!  Germanicus almost thought he saw affection in the eyes of the proconsul.  He saw blood lust in the faces of the crowd!  He turned and saw hunger in the eyes of the animal standing behind him.  In his heart, he saw the eyes of Christ!  Suddenly, Germanicus knew what he must do.  He said nothing-for fear he might talk himself out of what he must do.  Instead, he turned quickly and ran with all his might toward the beast!  He seized the beast, which was still chained.  In its terror, the beast gave a frightful roar as it sprang to attack Germanicus!  The crowd gave a yell of astonishment as the roar of the beast was drowned out by the roar of the crowd!  Then the crowd grew silent again as Germanicus fell dead in a pool of his own blood!  Then, from somewhere in the mob, a chant began to rise and pass from one to the other.  It swelled into a mighty wave of sound!  “Away with the godless!  Fetch Polycarp!”  This they shouted over and over again.

“Oh Polycarp! It was terrible!”  One of the beloved bishop’s servants was recounting the day’s horrors for him.  The sun was slowly setting now.  Polycarp was preparing for his evening meal.  He was old and moved more slowly now.  One of his beloved servants was helping him take off his shoes.  This had almost become a holy ritual.  The beloved bishop had trouble reaching his feet now.  Servants would compete for the chance to minister to this beloved elder.  Polycarp frowned as he listened to the stories about the latest horrors at the games.  “It was truly a thing to fear!”  The servant continued.  “I saw a man beaten until …” The servant could barely finish.  Polycarp gave him a quizzical look.  “Until, … until his inner secret parts could be seen!  Then, Germanicus was asked to deny Christ.  He showed great courage!  He ran toward the beast.  It was over quickly!  Then, I heard the crowd call for you!  They said, over and over, “Away with the godless.  Fetch Polycarp!  Away with the godless! Fetch Polycarp!”  Then they called Quintus to come forward.  I can hardly bring myself to tell you what happened next!”  Polycarp gave his servant a comforting look.  This only made it worse.  “It did not go well.  Quintus heard the savage scourging.  He saw the man die slowly as his inner parts were exposed.  He heard the savage beasts roar!  Leopards, bears, lions, well, I could see him turn white with fear!  Then, Quintus faced the worst torture of all!  He turned his back on Christ.  He denied him!”  Polycarp’s gaze fell as he said slowly; “I would rather die once for Christ than to die a thousand times denying him!  I truly pity him now.  He will live, but he will have no joy in living!  I shudder to think what he must now face when he meets Christ!”

Quintus was from Frygia.  His name, Quintus tells us that he was a slave.  Quintus means fifth one.  Slaves were often numbered in this way-Primus, (first) Segundus, (second) Tersius, (third, Quartus, (fourth) and then, Quintus, Sextus, Septimus Octavius and so on.

Frygia, (Asia Minor, had a rich history in Christ.  Paul and Silas and the beloved Timothy had visited this region often.  Christians met together for wonderful times of fellowship and communion where the death of Christ was commemorated.  These congregations were composed of rich and poor, free and slave, men and women, children and elders.  No one was excluded except for gross sin.  Slaves like Quintus knew that they would be welcomed just like anyone else.  In the Roman and Greek world, slaves were nothing more than tools to be used.  No one cared what he or she thought or how he or she felt!  But in these meetings, sometimes held in early morning, sometimes held late into the night, slaves were loved and valuable.  Masters were encouraged to treat slaves like brothers.  Slaves were encouraged to treat their masters with kindness rather than contempt.  When persecution came, master and slave would both meet secretly and, yes, sometimes lay down their lives for one another in Christ!  Quintus was all too aware of this willingness to die!  Why had he lost his courage?  Why couldn’t he make the good confession when his time came?  Quintus would agonize over this over and over again.  Surely, this kind of agony would be worse than anything the games might do to him.  The games, the games!  They lasted days-but this agony of denial-this would last a lifetime!

The servant’s eyes filled with tears.  “Polycarp, you must flee!  If Quintus can lose his courage, then …” Polycarp said quietly, “You are worried that I will lose mine too.  I know, I know.  I never would have guessed that Quintus would deny Him!  We must forgive him.  The roar of the crowd, the roar of the beasts, the screams of the tortured, who knows what a man will do!  Do not be afraid.  I am old now.  Where can I run?  I have known this day would come for me.  If I fear anything I fear disappointing Christ.  I would sooner face the fires of this world than face Him!  I am too old and set in my ways to turn my back now.”  The servant begged, “We know that you have courage!  That is why we don’t want to lose you!  We do not fear that you will deny Christ.  We fear that you will not deny Him!  After what I saw today, I can’t bear the thought of …” The servant just couldn’t bring himself to speak of the tortures they might inflict on the beloved Polycarp!

Polycarp thought for a long moment.  Finally he said, “Well, perhaps it would be wise to avoid arrest for your sake.  But I mustn’t go too far away.  I must stay nearby my beloved congregation.  It wouldn’t due for me to just hand myself over to them.  Still, I do want to stay close by in case I am needed.” 

Servants began to talk excitedly.  They all tried to decide where Polycarp might be hidden for his safety.  They wanted to fulfill his wish to be near, yet safe too.  Finally they decided on a safe farmhouse close by.  They knew the farmer to be a just man who would not betray them all.  It was good that the elder didn’t have to travel too far.  So they made him comfortable in his carriage and traveled by night, by the light of the moon and stars. 

Polycarp and some close friends spent the next few days in prayer together.  They prayed that the Lord would grant both peace and strength for the coming trial.  Time would soon prove just how much that peace and that strength would be needed!

Three days before the end came, something very strange happened to Polycarp.  He and his friends prayed very late into the night.  Everyone could see that the beloved bishop was getting very tired.  Reluctantly, they ended their time in prayer for his sake.  They gently helped the elder bishop into bed.  They tenderly removed his shoes as usual.  Then, they quietly left him to get some sleep.  The small house grew silent as the hours of the night slipped by toward morning.  Suddenly, everyone heard Polycarp cry out in his sleep!  It was not a loud cry of terror, but rather, a soft moan of distress.  The beloved bishop began to stir and breathe rapidly.  His friends rushed in and stood by him.  Was he all right?  Had the moment of his departure come?  “Sir, are you alright?” they all wanted to know.  Polycarp regained his composure and told them what had happened.  “I have had a vision,” he began.  “As I slept, I was sure that my pillow had burst into flames!  I am sure it was a vision from God!  My dream was so real, I thought it was really happening-that’s how it is with visions you know.  They seem absolutely real until they pass.  It is God’s will that I die by fire.”  They all began to weep for this holy man.  They believed the bishop had seen something truly from God.  So they pleaded with the bishop all the more earnestly to flee to a place of greater safety.  “Please, sir, if it must be that you die by fire, does it have to be tonight?  Can’t you stay with us just a little longer?”  Once again, the bishop considered their plea.  Finally he decided to get ready once again to move to yet another place of safety. 

After Polycarp had gone, the servants who were left behind to tend the farmhouse removed all traces that anyone but the owner had ever been there.  If anyone came looking for Polycarp there would be no way to find him.  One night, there was a knock at the door.  “Open in the name of Caesar!” the voice demanded.  Of course, the servants opened the door as if they had nothing to hide.  The officer made his demands clear very quickly.  “We know that Polycarp is somewhere nearby.  The people at the games want to see Polycarp!  They wish to be entertained!  The proconsul has decided to grant their request.  Where is he!”  “? We don’t know where he is,” the servants responded meekly.  “We know who he is and we have met him, but we have no idea where he is.”  The servants were quickly separated by soldiers and taken to separate rooms to be interrogated.  One of the servants said bravely, “Even if I knew where he was, I certainly wouldn’t tell you!”  The soldier savagely grabbed the servant’s arm and broke the bone with a sickening crunch!  The servant let out a pitiful scream!  The soldier said softly, “I can do so much more to you!  This is only the beginning!  Tell me what I want to know!”  The poor servant screamed in agony, but he would not betray his beloved Polycarp!

  Alas!  The other servant was not so brave as the pressure mounted.  The soldiers could see that he was beginning to crack under pressure.  Worst of all, the servant could hear his companion in the next room screaming as he too was enduring some unspeakable torture! 

“Have you ever been to the games?” the soldier said savagely.  The servant said nothing.  “Well, let me tell you about them.  I saw a woman tortured for six days before she finally died!  Six days!  Would you like to sit in the iron chair?  It’s really not so bad that is, until they slowly lower it into the flames!  Then, just before you die, they take the chair out and give you a chance to regain your strength so they can do it again and again!  This can go on for hours or even days!  Perhaps you would prefer to have burning pitch dropped on your skin, drop by drop by drop.  This way, we can make you beg for death!  And, we can decide how long it takes!  Tiny drops of boiling pitch can take days to kill you!”  The soldier knew that he had almost won.  To ensure his victory, however, he took a piece of iron out of the hearth and slammed the red-hot iron against the cheek of the servant!  By this time, the poor servant was turning, first green, and then white!  The soldier continued.  “Perhaps you would prefer the griddle, or hot copper plates!”  Suddenly, the poor servant could stand it no longer.  “Alright!” the servant said with tears, “I’ll tell you what I know!”

One morning, a trusted servant from the farmhouse where Polycarp had stayed before made his way to the new hiding place.  “Sir,” the servant said excitedly, “The soldiers tortured us!  I’m sorry to say, one of the servants could not stand the pain.  He told them what they wanted to know!”  “We must flee once again!” another said.  Polycarp raised his hand for calm and said firmly, “No!  No, No.  Enough!  No more running away.  My time has come to submit to the will of God.  How many more dear brothers and sisters must endure torture?  More tortures by the soldiers can only delay what must happen.  They will come soon.  I want you all to prepare a nice mid day meal for us all-even our enemies.  That is what the master would want us to do.  You know, He could have escaped if He had chosen to do so.  It is time!”  They all embraced the beloved bishop, and then they did as he had commanded.  The servants busied themselves preparing a last meal.

Now the sun had risen to its full height in the sky.  The table was prepared.  Polycarp knew that God had set a table in the very presence of his enemies.  Polycarp was upstairs in prayer.  Then, he heard the commotion downstairs.  He heard the footsteps of soldiers, the knock at the door, the voices of servants and the voices of soldiers.  His time had come at last.  Polycarp made his way slowly downstairs to greet his “guests”!

“Good sirs,” Polycarp said cheerfully, and even with a bit of humor, “How thoughtful of you to come all this way to escort me to the proconsul!”  The soldiers laughed nervously.  “Come gentleman,” the bishop continued, “come and dine with me this noon until it is time to go.  I am happy to have you as my guests.  Feel free to enjoy one last meal with me before I go to be with Jesus.”  The soldiers moved toward the table, finely set.  They moved slowly and glanced at one another and frowned.  They whispered so Polycarp could not hear.  “Why all this fuss over an old man!  He is no practitioner of sedition!  He is even kind to his enemies.”  Another sneered, “Polycarp worships this Jesus, a man, as if he were a god!  Why is that such a crime?  Does not Caesar himself command that he too be worshipped?  Is he not a mere man?”  Another soldier glared at them as if to signal that they had said enough!  They could all see the hypocrisy!  Polycarp was in trouble merely for worshipping the wrong man!  Jews and Christians were being killed by the thousands merely for refusing to worship Caesar as if he were divine!  This refusal infuriated the crowds.  The crowds were motivated to hatred by a number of things: First of all, these Christians dared to suggest that all other gods but theirs were false!  How dare they!  The crowds also feared that the gods might send some terrible disaster upon their country if the gods were not worshipped in a way pleasing to them.  So the Christians, with this pernicious worship might truly bring down the wrath of the gods!  This is what the crowds truly thought.  Secondly, These Christians dared to preach that they would rise from death with their Christ!  Well then, the crowds reasoned, throw them to the beasts!  How can they rise from death if their bodies are destroyed?  There wouldn’t be anything to resurrect!  This is how the mocking at the games would go.  Polycarp knew that this is what he would face before sunset.

Polycarp glanced at each of the soldiers who had come for him.  He could see reluctance in their faces.  He said to them, “Eat as much as you like.  You will need your strength.  I know you are anxious to take me.  Only, grant me this one thing.  Grant me an hour of prayer before I go.”  The soldiers couldn’t refuse this elderly saint!  As they ate, Polycarp prayed for person after person.  He prayed for both small and great alike with great passion.  The soldiers were moved to tears as they ate and listened.  No one said a word during the meal. 

When the hour was concluded, they escorted the elderly saint outside.  They placed him on a donkey and rode toward the great city.  Polycarp remembered the stories John had told about a time when Jesus had ridden into another great city in triumph.  Alas!  Polycarp too would be welcomed!  But this was not a welcome of triumph, which the crowds would offer him.  It was a ride to his execution, he knew.  Now it happened that it was a holy Sabbath day for the Jews, and it was an unholy day of games for the Gentiles.  Jews rested on this holy day, and so did the non-Jews, but alas, there was no rest for the Christians!

The escort and Polycarp were met at the city outskirts by a very comfortable and ornate carriage.  There were two finely dressed officials riding in the carriage.  One was named Herod, the head of the secret police, and the other was evidently his assistant.  How appropriate that this official should be named after such a wicked man as the evil king Herod!  The soldiers helped Polycarp down from the donkey and then into the carriage.  Then, the soldiers rode quickly toward the grand stadium to announce to the crowds, “Polycarp has been arrested!”  Meanwhile, the carriage rode slowly toward the coliseum.  As they rode, the official tried to persuade Polycarp to change his mind:

“What harm is there in saying, “Lord Caesar,” and sacrificing?  You will be safe then.”  The Romans and Greeks just couldn’t understand why a Christian couldn’t give Caesar this little tribute and then go and worship whatever god or gods these Christians might wish.  All one has to do, so the reasoning went, is to sacrifice to Caesar, and then, go and worship whatever you like!  Why make such a fuss!  You will be safe, Polycarp thought.  Safe!  What could be safe about denying Christ!  After a long moment, Polycarp spoke.  His voice was kind but very resolute.  “I have no intention of taking your advice.”  They were still a short distance from the coliseum.  The official grew angry and ordered the carriage to stop.  Both officials seized Polycarp roughly and thrust him from the carriage!  All pretense and politeness was obviously over!  Polycarp scraped his leg rather badly as he nearly fell out of the carriage.  Evidently, there was no respect for the elderly either! 

Even though the elderly saint was in some discomfort, still he strode toward the stadium as if he were walking cheerily toward a picnic!  The officials were astonished!  Polycarp knew that he would soon be with his beloved Master.  The announcement by the soldiers must have been made by now:  “Polycarp has been arrested!”  The announcement must have had its effect because, as Polycarp walked along, he heard fifty thousand people or more chanting, “Polycarp!  Polycarp!  Polycarp!”  The noise of the crowd grew louder and louder as they approached the stadium.  “Polycarp!  Polycarp!”  Just then, Polycarp heard a voice from heaven, which was even louder than the crowd.  The voice said, “Be strong Polycarp and play the man!”  Eusebius assures us that many in the crowd claimed to have heard the voice speak to the bishop.  Others could not or would not hear the voice, either because of the noise of the mob, or because of their lack of faith. 

Polycarp was escorted up to the dias where the proconsul sat in regal splendor.  The crowd grew quiet.  Their entertainment for the afternoon had begun!  Now Caesar had introduced a number of conflicting decrees over the years, some which seemed to express tolerance toward Christians, and others, which seemed to show contempt for them.  However, in these outlying provinces, officials felt free to decide for themselves.  Besides, these Christians were bad for business.  If the people stopped worshipping the gods, then who would buy the idols?  How would the craftsmen make a living?  Then, how would the craftsmen pay their taxes to Caesar!