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Polycarp (; , Polýkarpos; ; AD 69 155) was a Christian bishop of Smyrna. According to the Martyrdom of Polycarp, he died a Christian martyr, bound and burned at the stake, then stabbed when the fire failed to consume his body. Polycarp is regarded as a saint and Church Fathers in the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Catholic Church, Oriental Orthodox Churches, Lutheranism, and Anglicanism.
Both IrenaeusIrenaeus, Adversus Haereses III.3 and TertullianTertullian, De praescriptione hereticorum 32.2 say that Polycarp had been a disciple of John the Apostle, one of Jesus's disciples. In On Illustrious Men, Jerome similarly writes that Polycarp was a disciple of John the Apostle, who had ordained him as a bishop of Smyrna. Polycarp is regarded as one of three chief Apostolic Fathers, along with Clement of Rome and Ignatius of Antioch.
Some scholars (e.g., Hans von Campenhausen) attribute the pastoral epistlesthe biblical books 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, and the Epistle to Titusto Polycarp. Since the text of those books includes attribution to Paul, this theory regarding Polycarp's authorship places the books in the category of pseudepigrapha.
Ignatius addressed a letter to Polycarp and mentions him in his letters to the Ephesians and to the Magnesians.Irenaeus, V.xxxiii. Polycarp's epistle to the Philippians gives us some insights to the early usage of early Christian texts from the quotes used within his letter.That Ancient Faith, How Polycarp (And Others) Show The Early Use Of The New Testament Irenaeus regarded the memory of Polycarp as a link to the apostolic past. In his letter to Florinus, a fellow student of Polycarp, Irenaeus relates how and when he became a Christian:
In particular, Irenaeus had heard the account of Polycarp's discussion with John and with others who had seen Jesus. Irenaeus reports that Polycarp was converted to Christianity by apostles, was consecrated a presbyter, and communicated with many who had seen Jesus. He writes that he had had the good fortune, when young, to know Polycarp, who was then far advanced in years. Liguori, Alphonsus. "St. Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna", Victories of the Martyrs, (Eugene Grimm, ed.), New York, Benziger Brothers, 1888, p. 66
The date of Polycarp's death is in dispute. Eusebius dates it to the reign of Marcus Aurelius, c. 166–167. However, a post-Eusebian addition to the Martyrdom of Polycarp dates his death to Saturday, 23 February, during the of Lucius Statius Quadratus, c. 155 or 156. These earlier dates better fit the tradition of his association with Ignatius and John the Apostle.
The Martyrdom of Polycarp states that Polycarp was taken on the Sabbath and killed on "the Holy Saturday". English patristic scholar William Cave wrote that this was evidence that the Smyrnaeans under Polycarp observed the seventh-day Sabbath (i.e. assembled on Saturdays).William Cave, Primitive Christianity: or the Religion of the Ancient Christians in the First Ages of the Gospel. 1840, revised edition by H. Cary. Oxford, London, p. 84–85). J. B. Lightfoot records as a common interpretation of the expression "the Great Sabbath" to refer to Passover or another Jewish festival.J. B. Lightfoot, Apostolic Fathers. Part II. S. Ignatius. S. Polycarp. Vol. 1, p. 610-611. This is contradicted by the Hebrew calendar, under which the 14th of Nisan (the date of Passover) can fall no earlier than late March and hence at least a month after the traditional date of Polycarp's death 23 February. Hence, Lightfoot understood the expression in reference to the Purim festival, celebrated a month before Passover.J. B. Lightfoot, Apostolic Fathers. Part II. S. Ignatius. S. Polycarp. Vol. 1, p. 713. Other scholars suggest that at the time the Jewish calendar had not yet been standardized, and that this day, Jews and Christians celebrated Passover and a Quartodecimanism, respectively.August Strobel, Ursprung und Geschichte der frühchristlichen Osterkalenders, Berlin: Akademie-Verlag, 1977, pp. 247–248
According to Eusebius, Polycrates of Ephesus cited the example of Polycarp in defense of local practices during the Quartodecimanism.
Irenaeus, who as a young man had heard Polycarp preach, described him asIrenaeus, Adversus Haereses III.3.4 "a man who was of much greater weight, and a more steadfast witness of truth, than Valentinius, and Marcion, and the rest of the heresy." Polycarp lived in an age after the deaths of the apostles, when a variety of interpretations of the sayings of Jesus were being preached. His role was to authenticate orthodox teachings through his connection with the apostle John: "a high value was attached to the witness Polycarp could give as to the genuine tradition of old apostolic doctrine", Henry Wace, Dictionary of Christian Biography and Literature to the End of the Sixth Century A.D., with an Account of the Principal Sects and Heresies, s.v. "Polycarpus, bishop of Smyrna". "his testimony condemning as offensive novelties the figments of the heretical teachers". Irenaeus states (iii. 3) that on Polycarp's visit to Rome, his testimony converted many disciples of Marcion and Valentinus.
Relics of Polycarp are under the main altar of the church of Sant'Ambrogio della Massima. (1998). 9783629008305, Pattloch Verlag. ISBN 9783629008305 The right arm of St. Polycarp had been kept at the Monastery of the Dormition of the Theotokos-Saint Polycarp, in Ampelakiotissa near Nafpaktos, Greece, for over 500 years. It was stolen on 14 March 2013 and never recovered; however, a fragment, taken from the arm on a previous occasion, was discovered and returned to the monastery on 14 July 2019.
In the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and Greek Catholic Churches, the feast day of Saint Polycarp is 23 February. In the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar, the feast day has the liturgical rank of obligatory memorial, but if the memorial is within the season of Lent that year, it is reduced in rank to a commemoration. In the Coptic Orthodox Church, his feast day is on 29 Amshir (8 March in the Gregorian calendar). Polycarp is remembered in the Church of England with a Lesser Festival on 23 February. He is also honored in the Lutheranism on 23 February. (2026). 9780758612175, Concordia Publishing House. ISBN 9780758612175
Polycarp in his letter calls Jesus the "son of God" and the "eternal high priest" and that "to him all heavenly and earthly things were subjected, whom every breath worships, who comes as a judge of the living and the dead". He also highlighted the sinlessness of Jesus, defended the doctrine of the Incarnation and the death of Christ on the cross, and clearly opposed docetism. Polycarp outright denied the teachings of Marcion, claiming he was the firstborn of Satan. Polycarp's statements in the Martyrdom of Polycarp also appear to have Trinity theology.
What we know of Polycarp's eschatology is largely confined to the affirmation of the resurrection of the dead and Christ's Second Coming as a judge. Polycarp was perhaps a Premillennialism; Polycarp's student Irenaeus was a premillennialist along with his associate Papias, which suggests that Polycarp also held similar views.
Polycarp refers to multiple books of the New Testament as scripture, including: Matthew, Acts, 1 John, Philippians, Jude, 1 Peter, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Romans and others. Polycarp also quotes the deuterocanonical book of Tobit; however, from his manner of quotation it is not possible to know how much authority he afforded it.
Polycarp's letter to the Philippians only mentions presbyters and deacons, which indicates the church at Philippi was led by a plurality of "elder-bishops", which would imply a different ecclesiastical polity than what is found in Ignatius of Antioch's letters. Against this, according to Steinhauser, the letter does not offer concrete evidence that the Philippian church viewed presbyters and bishops as synonyms, though still admitting that the letter still raises questions about the polity of the Early Church. Steinhauser hypothesized that there was possibly a temporary vacancy in the Philippian church.
Polycarp was a Quartodecimanism. According to Eusebius, Polycarp claimed that he celebrated Easter on the 14th of Nisan with John the Apostle. Polycarp appears to make heresy a more serious issue than immorality. Polycarp calls immoral people to repent but called the false teachers "firstborn of Satan."
Polycarp stated, "I have served him Christ eighty-six years and in no way has he dealt unjustly with me." Proponents of infant baptism have argued that this quote shows Polycarp being Infant baptism, the argument being that if Polycarp was a servant of Christ for 86 years, he would have been a servant of Christ from infancy, suggesting infant baptism. However, Credobaptists such as Schoedel William have offered a different interpretation of the words of Polycarp, stating that the quote is ambiguous as regards baptism, and that Polycarp can be understood as meaning by paraphrasing: "I have always served Jesus and I am not going to cease even at the age of 86."
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