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Apostolic & Patristic · Saint
St Polycarp of Smyrna
Bishop of Smyrna
Apostolic FatherChurch FatherMartyr
c. 69 – c. 155
unknown
Ordained
unknown
Consecrated Bishop
Smyrna
Diocese
Turkey
Country
The Life
St Polycarp was Bishop of Smyrna in Asia Minor and a disciple of St John the Apostle, a direct link between the apostolic age and the later Church. St Irenaeus, who heard him in youth, is a key witness to his life.
In old age he travelled to Rome to discuss the dating of Easter with Pope Anicetus. He was burned and then stabbed during a persecution at Smyrna; the 'Martyrdom of Polycarp' is the earliest surviving account of a Christian martyrdom outside the New Testament.
Notable Actions
- Disciple of the Apostles and principal living link to St John
- Wrote the surviving Epistle to the Philippians
- Conferred with Pope Anicetus over the dating of Easter (c. 154-155)
- Confronted the heretic Marcion, reportedly calling him 'the firstborn of Satan'
- Martyred by fire and sword at Smyrna (c. 155)
Eighty and six years have I served Him, and He has done me no wrong: how then can I blaspheme my King and my Saviour?
Martyrdom of Polycarp, ch. 9Portrait: PravoslavnyChristianin / Wikimedia Commons