St. Polycarp of Smyrna
Eighty and Six Years
From the Letter to the Philippians and the Martyrdom of Polycarp
The disciple of John
Editor's note
Polycarp of Smyrna is one of the small handful of figures who form the visible bridge between the apostolic generation and the Church of the Fathers. He was born about the year sixty-nine, sat at the feet of the Apostle John in his old age at Ephesus, and was made bishop of Smyrna in Asia Minor. His own disciple, in turn, was Irenaeus of Lyons, who as an old man could still describe Polycarp's appearance, his manner of preaching, and the way he spoke of those who had seen the Lord.
He shepherded the church of Smyrna for upwards of sixty years, through the lifetimes of nearly every Christian generation between the death of the apostles and the rise of the second-century Fathers. He gave hospitality to Ignatius of Antioch on his road to Rome, received four of his letters, and afterwards wrote his own short letter to the Philippians, gathering and forwarding the letters of Ignatius to them as well.
Irenaeus relates that Polycarp travelled in his very old age to Rome to discuss the date of Pascha with Pope Anicetus. They could not agree, but they parted in peace, and Anicetus yielded to Polycarp the place of honor at the Eucharist, as to one whose hands had been blessed by an apostle's hands.
Counsels to the Philippians
Editor's note
The Letter to the Philippians is the only writing of Polycarp's that has survived. It is short, pastoral, and full of the temper of a man whose mind has been formed by long familiarity with the apostles. He is writing to a young church recovering from a scandal among its presbyters, and he turns again and again to the same fundamental note: stand fast in faith, in the love of God and neighbor, and in the example of those who have gone before.
Polycarp urges his readers to be 'sober unto prayer,' to persevere in fasting, to be merciful in judgment, to remember that all who have not confessed Jesus Christ to be come in the flesh are antichrist, and to pray for those who persecute them.
He bids the presbyters be 'compassionate, merciful to all, turning back those that have gone astray, visiting all the sick, not neglecting widow or orphan or poor man, but ever providing for that which is honourable in the sight of God and of men.' He warns against the love of money and the false teachers who pervert the oracles of the Lord to their own lusts.
The martyrdom
Editor's note
Polycarp's martyrdom is the earliest detailed account of a Christian death outside the New Testament, written as an encyclical by the church of Smyrna to the church of Philomelium within months of the event. The text fixes the date around the year one hundred and fifty-five and gives the scene in vivid colors. The aged bishop was taken in a country house outside the city, set on an ass, brought into the stadium, and given the chance to swear by the genius of the emperor and revile Christ. His answer has been remembered ever since.
When the proconsul pressed him to deny Christ in order to save his life, Polycarp answered: 'Fourscore and six years have I been His servant, and He hath done me no wrong. How then can I blaspheme my King who saved me?'
He was condemned to be burned. As the fire was kindled around him, he prayed aloud, blessing the Father and his beloved Son, and giving thanks that he had been counted worthy to share in the cup of Christ. When the fire would not consume him, an executioner stabbed him with a dagger, and his blood put out the flames. The church of Smyrna gathered his bones as more precious than jewels and laid them in a fitting place, that they might gather there each year to celebrate the birthday of his martyrdom.