Publisher's Synopsis
"I can easily describe the places for you where Polycarp used to sit and carry out his discourse. I remember his going out, his coming in, and his general mode of life and personal appearance. . . . He would speak of his friendship with John, and the others who had seen the Lord. . . . Through God's mercy, I was able to listen to such a witness. I treasured his words, not on paper, but in my heart. I am still continually, by God's grace, thinking about these things in my mind." - IRENAEUS
The Second Century A.D. saw relative peace settle on the Roman world, under the strong leadership of emperors Hadrian (117-138), Antoninus Pius (138-161) and Marcus Aurelius (161-180). Aside from the Bar Kokhba revolt (132-136) that saw the destruction of Jerusalem, and skirmishes on the northern borders, the people enjoyed the empire at its peak years. Yet the Christians of the time still remembered the terrible days of the previous century when the emperors Nero and Domitian inflicted persecution against their faith.The events depicted in the Book of Acts did not end in the mid-first century, but continued far into the Second Century, with the hearers of the Apostles teaching the generation that followed them. As Christianity became more established, so too did the general public's fear of it, fuelling slanderous rumours that led to ruling authorities issuing harsh new laws. Christian leaders were made examples of, but that proved to be an example for their faith, as it led onlookers to marvel and then to also believe.
For all the heroism of the saints, the greatest threat to the Church came not from without, but from within. Similar to Simon Magi, the works and influence of the Gnostic teachers began to spread throughout the Roman Empire, producing their own versions of the Gospels. Men such as Marcion, Cerinthus, and Valentinus had their own holy books, their own followers, and their own missionaries. Standing against them were men such as the disciples of the Apostle John, Polycarp and Papias, and the next generation in Justin Martyr of Rome (Dialogue with Trypho), and Irenaeus (Against Heresies) the Bishop of Lugdunum (now modern Lyon, France), originally from Smyrna (modern Izmir, Turkey).
