Today, February 23, we celebrate St. Polycarp of Smyrna

Polycarp was a Christian bishop of Smyrna. He died a martyr, bound and burned at the stake, then stabbed when the fire failed to consume his body, per the Martyrdom of Polycarp. Polycarp is regarded as a saint and Church Father in the Catholic Church.

Both Irenaeus and Tertullian say that Polycarp had been a disciple of John the Apostle. In On Illustrious Men, St. Jerome writes that Polycarp was a disciple of John the Apostle and that John had ordained him as a bishop of Smyrna. The saint is regarded as one of three chief Apostolic Fathers, along with Clement of Rome and Ignatius of Antioch.

The sole surviving work attributed to Polycarp is the Epistle of Polycarp to the Philippians, a mosaic of references to the Greek Scriptures, which, along with an account of Martyrdom of Polycarp, forms part of the collection of writings called the Apostolic Fathers.

According to the Martyrdom, Polycarp is recorded as saying on the day of his death: “Eighty and six years I have served Him, and He has done me no wrong.” This could indicate that he was then eighty-six years old, or that he had lived eighty-six years after his conversion. He goes on to say: “How then can I blaspheme my King and Savior? You threaten me with a fire that burns for a season, and after a little while is quenched; but you are ignorant of the fire of everlasting punishment that is prepared for the wicked.” He was burned at the stake and pierced with a spear for refusing to burn incense to the Roman emperor. On his farewell, Polycarp said: “I bless you, Father, for judging me worthy of this hour, so that in the company of the martyrs I may share the cup of Christ.”

The date of St. Polycarp’s death remains in dispute, but 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, February 23, in the proconsulship of Lucius Statius Quadratus, c. 155 or 156. These earlier dates better fit the tradition of his association with St. Ignatius and John the Evangelist.

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It is said that relics of St. Polycarp are venerated in Rome, in the church of Sant’Ambrogio della Massima.

Polycarp is remembered in the Church of England with a Lesser Festival on February 23.