Beyond Gender: Polycarp’s Martyrdom at the Intersection of Old Age and Masculinity

Abstract

This chapter addresses the intersection of gender and old age by analyzing the case of the Martyrdom of Polycarp, in which the Smyrnean martyr goes to his death at an advanced age, all the while displaying a culturally credible form of masculinity. Polycarp is presented as an elite male, quite despite his age, while his virile and virtuous behavior relates to his faith in Christ and is also conceptualized as a form of imitation of the same. In some ways, Polycarp can even be seen as being depicted as going beyond gender in the sense that he appears to be participating prefiguratively in a reality in which common expectations regarding gender and appertaining do no longer apply, or, at least, are no longer dependent on one's physical condition.