Translation and Commentary on The Martyrdom of Polycarp §19.1
Translation
1 Such is the story of the blessed Polycarp, [1] who was the twelfth martyr in Smyrna along with those from Philadelphia. He is alone remembered by everyone such that he is spoken of in all places even by the heathen. [2] He not only had become an outstanding teacher, but also a prominent [3] martyr, whose martyrdom all longed to imitate since it was according to the gospel of Christ.
[1] Τοιαῦτα τὰ κατὰ τὸν μακάριον Πολύκαρπον lit. Such things are the things according to the blessed Polycarp.
[2] While ἔθνος in NT and OT times referred to those who were not Jewish, in the Early Church the term is absorbed to mean those who are not part of the Church. Traditionally, ἔθνος, used in plural forms has been translated collectively into English as “heathen” or “pagan.” While pagan implies polytheistic worship, heathen does not necessarily have a religious connotation apart from the implication that the heathen are not part of the Church. Thus, heathen is used here.
[3] ἔξοχος prominent (BAGD, 279) and the NRSV translates it as “extraordinary” in 3 Maccabees 5:31.
