Saint Polycarp
Bishop of Smyrna, a living link between the apostles' age and the Church Fathers
- Rank
- Saint
- Kind
- Bishop, Martyr
- Life
- ~69 – ~155
- Era
- 2nd century
- Feast
- 23 February
- Countries
- Türkiye
Life story
Polycarp was bishop of Smyrna, a great port city on the Aegean coast, today Izmir in Turkey. Irenaeus, who heard him preach as a boy, reports that Polycarp was taught by apostles and spoke with people who had seen the Lord. Scholars still debate how far that detail can be pressed, but he certainly belonged to the generation just after the apostles. Ignatius of Antioch, on his way to Rome as a prisoner around 107, stopped at Smyrna and afterwards wrote a letter to Polycarp personally.
One letter of Polycarp to the Christians of Philippi survives, in which he encourages them to remain steady in faith and upright in life. Around 155 he travelled to Rome to meet Pope Anicetus about the date for keeping Easter. They did not reach agreement but stayed in communion. According to Irenaeus he also opposed false teachings of his time with great energy.
The Martyrdom of Polycarp, a document written by the Smyrna community soon after the event, says he was arrested during a local persecution. The proconsul urged him to swear by the emperor and deny Christ to be freed, but he refused, saying he had served Christ for many years. He was put to death in the city stadium on 23 February, usually dated to 155 or 156. Details of how he died differ slightly between manuscripts, but the community kept his remains and marked the day each year.
Works and witness
- Bishop of Smyrna, of the generation right after the apostles
- Received a personal letter from Ignatius of Antioch on his way to Rome
- One letter of his to the Philippians has survived
- Around 155 visited Pope Anicetus in Rome about the date of Easter
- Refused to renounce Christ and was executed at Smyrna in the mid-second century
Saints from the same country
References
- Martyrdom of Polycarp
- Polycarp of Smyrna, Letter to the Philippians
- Irenaeus of Lyon, Adversus haereses
Written by Anawim from documented history. Some details about ancient saints rest on tradition and are marked as such.