“Be Strong, Polycarp” 9.1 But as Polycarp entered into the stadium, there was a voice from heaven, 1 “Be strong, Polycarp, and ⌊be a man⌋! 2 3 And no one saw who had spoken, 4 but those of ⌊our people⌋ 5 who were present heard the voice. And then, when he was brought forward, there was a great uproar upon hearing that Polycarp had been arrested. 2 Therefore when he was brought forward the proconsul asked him if he was Polycarp, and when he admitted it, the proconsul tried to persuade him to recant,