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Polycarp is regarded as a saint and Church Father in the Eastern Orthodox Church, Roman Catholic Church, Oriental Orthodox Churches, Lutheranism, and Anglicanism. Both Irenaeus and Tertullian say that Polycarp had been a disciple of John the Apostle , one of Jesus's disciples .
There is also a forceful epistle written by Polycarp to the Philippians, from which those who wish to do so, and are anxious about their salvation, can learn the character of his faith, and the preaching of the truth. [5] The epistle is one of a number believed to have been written by Polycarp, but is the only extant document. [6]
Polycarp (/ ˈ p ɒ l i k ɑːr p /; Greek: Πολύκαρπος, Polýkarpos; Latin: Polycarpus; AD 69 – 155) was a Christian bishop of Smyrna. [2] According to the Martyrdom of Polycarp, he died a martyr, bound and burned at the stake, then stabbed when the fire failed to consume his body. [3]
Polycarp was martyred, the next bishop of Smyrna was Papirius. Papirius was later succeeded by Camerius, [4] Smyrna was also the place of martyrdom of Saint Pionius, during the reign of Decius. [5] Already from the early Christian years Smyrna was an autocephalous archbishopric as part of the wider Metropolis of Ephesus.
The Epistle of Ignatius to Polycarp (often abbreviated Ign. Poly.) is an epistle attributed to Ignatius of Antioch, a second-century bishop of Antioch, and addressed to Polycarp, the bishop of Smyrna. Its narrative frame tells that it was written during Ignatius' transport from Antioch to his execution in Rome. [1]
The back (west) window was made in Germany in 1895. The front (east) window was made in 1904 by Charles Kempe and includes a small panel showing Ignatius of Antioch on his way to martyrdom, being greeted in Smyrna by St. Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna, who kisses the martyr's chains.
Saint Ignatius of Antioch visited Smyrna and later wrote letters to its bishop, Polycarp. A mob of Jews and pagans abetted the martyrdom of Polycarp in AD 153. [11] Saint Irenaeus, who heard Polycarp as a boy, was probably a native of Smyrna. [11] Another famous resident of the same period was Aelius Aristides. [13]
Polycarp declines, and the officials attempt to burn him alive. However, the fire miraculously avoids him in a circle, merely giving him a heavenly glow. Instead, Polycarp is stabbed; his blood goes everywhere, extinguishing the fire. The Jews influence the governor to burn the body so as to remove all evidence and avoid his body becoming a shrine.