Saint Library
February 23patristicUniversal

Polycarp of Smyrna

Bishop and Martyr

Sanctified Life

Approx. 69 AD — February 23, 155 AD

Smyrna, Asia Minor

Also Known As

Apostolic Father of the ChurchThe Living Voice of the Apostles

Patronage

Those with earache,Those with hearing issues,Those with dysentery

"Eighty and six years have I served Him, and He never did me any injury: how then can I blaspheme my King and my Saviour?"

Polycarp of Smyrna stood at the living hinge between the Apostles and the Church they left behind — a bishop who had sat at John the Evangelist's feet and who died at eighty-six refusing to blaspheme the Christ he had served all his life. When the Roman governor offered him freedom at the cost of a single renunciation, Polycarp replied: 'Eighty and six years have I served Him, and He never did me any injury: how then can I blaspheme my King and my Saviour?'

Polycarp of Smyrna
Historical Legacy

Historical Journey

Life Locations

Historical Context
Polycarp of Smyrna was a leading figure of early Christianity and one of the most important bishops of the 2nd century. Born around AD 69 in Smyrna (modern-day İzmir, Turkey), he became a Christian from youth and was instructed directly by the Apostles, particularly St. John the Evangelist. Polycarp served as Bishop of Smyrna for over sixty years, becoming a pillar of apostolic Christianity and a staunch defender of orthodox doctrine against various heretical sects, especially Gnosticism. His most famous surviving work is the Epistle to the Philippians, written around AD 107, which stands as one of the oldest Christian documents outside the New Testament. In this letter, heavily interwoven with Scripture, he counseled the Filipino church on faith, charity, and steadfastness. Around AD 154, in his advanced age, Polycarp traveled to Rome to meet with Pope Anicetus to discuss important ecclesiastical matters, particularly the date of Easter's celebration. Upon his return to Smyrna, he faced persecution during the Christian upheaval. According to the Martyrdom of Polycarp, a detailed early Christian account, he was arrested and brought before the Roman governor. When offered the chance to renounce Christ and save his life, the 86-year-old bishop famously declared: "Eighty and six years have I served Him, and He never did me any injury: how then can I blaspheme my King and my Saviour?" He was martyred by fire and the sword in AD 155, becoming one of the earliest documented Christian martyrs of the post-apostolic period. His steadfast faith and faithful witness inspired countless Christians throughout the centuries.
Canonization: saint
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Historical Depiction

Historical depiction of Polycarp of Smyrna

Wikimedia Commons Source

Tradition

Early ChristianityApostolic Fathers

Titles & Roles

• Bishop• Martyr• Early Christian Father

Works & Prayers

document

Epistle to the Philippians

Written around 107 AD, Polycarp's letter to the church at Philippi is one of the oldest surviving Christian documents outside the New Testament. Dense with scriptural quotation and apostolic authority, it counsels the Philippians on faith, charity, and steadfastness against heresy — preserving the theological voice of a generation that learned the faith directly from the Apostles.

Prayers
"The prayer preserved in the Martyrdom of Polycarp — spoken at the stake in Smyrna in 155 AD, a thanksgiving uttered by an eighty-six-year-old bishop that became one of the most quoted martyrdom prayers in Christian history."

O Lord God Almighty, Father of thy beloved and blessed Son Jesus Christ, by whom we have received the knowledge of thee — God of angels and powers, and of every creature, and of all the righteous who live before thee — I thank thee that thou hast graciously thought me worthy of this day and of this hour, that I should have a part in the number of martyrs, in the cup of thy Christ. May I this day be received among them before thee, as a fat and acceptable sacrifice, as thou thyself hast beforehand prepared and revealed, and now hast fulfilled. I praise thee, I bless thee, I glorify thee, through the everlasting and heavenly High Priest, Jesus Christ, thy beloved Son, through whom, with him, in the Holy Spirit, be glory unto thee, now and for ever. Amen.

Gallery

St Polycarp-ApollinareNuovoRavenna
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St Polycarp-ApollinareNuovoRavenna

Meister_von_San_Apollinare_Nuovo_in_Ravenna_001.jpg: File Upload Bot (Eloquence) derivative work: QuodvultDeus (talk) • 2010-08-13 11:20

Public domain

Mosaic of Saint Polycarp from the Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo in Ravenna, Italy.

Sacred Symbols

Fire and Stake

The bonfire at Smyrna that Polycarp blessed and entered willingly — instrument of his martyrdom that, according to the Martyrdom account, arched around him without consuming him before the sword ended his life

Martyr's Crown

The crown of the victorious athlete repurposed as the emblem of those who completed faith's race — an image used in Polycarp's own Epistle to the Philippians and in the Martyrdom account of his death at the Smyrnaean games

Bishop's Staff

The pastoral staff of the Bishop of Smyrna, representing over sixty years of shepherding the apostolic community through persecution, heresy, and theological controversy

Scroll

The Epistle to the Philippians — Polycarp's surviving letter and one of the oldest Christian documents outside the New Testament, symbol of his role as guardian and transmitter of apostolic teaching

Life Journey

Early Life

Born around 69 AD in Smyrna, Polycarp sat at the feet of the Apostle John himself and became Bishop of Smyrna while the Resurrection was still living memory. He held that charge for over sixty years.

Turning Point

In 155 AD soldiers came during the Smyrnaean games. The eighty-six-year-old refused to flee, answering: 'Eighty and six years have I served Him, and He never did me any injury.'

Legacy

Burned at the stake in Smyrna on February 23, 155 AD — flames arching around him until a soldier's sword ended it. His disciple Irenaeus carried his apostolic witness into Christian doctrine.

Key Moments
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69
69

Born in Smyrna

Born into a Christian family in Smyrna — a major Roman port on the Aegean — at a moment when the Apostles themselves were still alive, placing Polycarp at the very edge of living apostolic memory.

~80
~80

Ordained Bishop

Appointed Bishop of Smyrna while still young, likely with the blessing of the Apostle John, beginning a pastoral tenure of over sixty years that would become a living bridge between the apostolic age and the institutional Church.

107
107

Epistle to the Philippians

Polycarp writes to the church at Philippi, producing one of the earliest surviving Christian documents outside the New Testament — a letter saturated with scriptural quotation and urgent appeals to apostolic teaching against the heresies of the age.

154
154

Journey to Rome

In his eighties, Polycarp traveled from Smyrna to Rome to meet with Pope Anicetus and debate the date of Easter — the Quartodeciman controversy — demonstrating his apostolic authority and the early Church's capacity to navigate profound disagreement without rupture.

155
155

The Arrest

Seized during the violence accompanying the Smyrnaean games, Polycarp refused to flee and was brought before the Roman proconsul, who gave him the choice between cursing Christ and death — a choice the bishop had already made sixty years before.

155
155

Martyrdom by Fire and Sword

Burned at the stake on February 23, 155 AD, at age eighty-six, Polycarp died with his famous declaration on his lips — becoming one of the earliest documented post-apostolic martyrs, and the subject of the oldest complete martyrdom account in Christian literature.

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Reflections & Commentary

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