St. Polycarp of Smyrna
(C.69/70 - 155/56 AD)
Historical Note
Like St. Ignatius of Antioch, St. Polycarp of Smyrna was also a disciple of
St. John the Apostle and was conversant with many who had beheld Christ:
“He was instructed by Apostles, and had had familiar intercourse with
many who had seen Christ” (St. Irenaeus of Lyons, Against Heresies 3, 3,
4, 180 AD). This is the same Polycarp to whom St. Ignatius addressed one
of his epistles.
We know some details of the life of St. Polycarp through his pupil St.
Irenaeus of Lyons. St. Polycarp was born of Christian parents and hence
was a believer in Christ from his childhood. He was considered a father
figure in the Church of Asia Minor. Tertullian states that it was St. John
who appointed him to the see of Smyrna (The Demurrer Against the
Heretics 32, C. 199 AD). Some months before his arrest, St. Polycarp
visited Rome and met Pope Anicetus to discuss their differences regarding
the time for observing Easter. They agreed to disagree and parted amicably
after co-celebrating Mass.
St. Polycarp died a martyr’s death with eleven other Christians at the age of
eighty-six in 155 AD after being exposed to wild beasts, fire and a knife,
the knife being thrust only after the flames miraculously did not consume
him: “I myself saw him in my early years, for he lived a long time and was
very old indeed when he laid down his life by a glorious and most splendid
martyrdom” (St. Irenaeus of Lyons, Against Heresies, Ibid.). St. Polycarp’s
long life links the teachers and theologians of the mid-second century to the
Apostolic founders of the Church.
St. Polycarp wrote many letters, however, all that remains extant is his
Letter to the Philippians, which is actually a composite of two letters
written C. 110 AD and 135 AD respectively. The Philippians had expressed
a desire to receive spiritual advice from St. Polycarp so he responded with
earnest warnings against the love of money and the Docetist heresy. In
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