Nielsen’s Nook

Translation

2 Therefore, after this the whole crowd, astonished [1] at the nobility of the God-loved and God-fearing Christian people, cried out, “Sweep [2] the atheists [3] away! Let Polycarp be sought out!”

[1] θαυμάσαν (θαυμάζω) is a common verb, often found in the Gospels in the context of the crowd’s amazement with Jesus’ words or deeds. As in the case of the Gospels, the crowd’s cries of amazement on Palm Sunday turned to astonished shouts on Good Friday, “Crucify him!” The wonder of “nobility” is that it simultaneously inspires and provokes the contradicted elements in fallen humanity.

[2] The imperative force of αἴρω here connotes the desire for the forceful removing of Germanikos and all Christians, who had forcefully dragged (different word) the wild animal onto himself. In Lk 11:22 we find τὴν πανοπλίαν αὐτοῦ αἴρει ([The stronger] forcibly removes [the weaker's] armor). Matt 24:39 uses this word in describing how the Flood came and swept away the unsuspecting. Crowds have great behavioral parallel with floods, hence my choice to use “sweep away” here.

[3] Strangely enough, Christians were regarded as atheists during the time of Polycarp because they refused to worship the many gods of the Roman pantheon, namely the emperor Caesar; the consequence of which was to be thrown to wild animals and torn to pieces for the amusement of the Roman populous.