Skip to content
Polycarp

File:Polycarp_of_Smyrna2.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

EntityQ192371· pop 62· linked from 2,554 articles

Also known as Polycarp of Smyrna, Bishop Polycarp, Bishop Polycarp of Smyrna

Polycarp (; , Polýkarpos; ; AD 69 155) was a Christian bishop of Smyrna. 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. Polycarp is regarded as a saint and Church Father in the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Catholic Church, Oriental Orthodox Churches, Lutheranism, and Anglicanism.

AI overview

Polycarp was a Christian bishop of the ancient city of Smyrna who lived from around AD 69 to 155 and is believed to have died as a martyr by burning and stabbing. He is venerated as a saint and important early Church Father across multiple Christian denominations, including the Eastern Orthodox, Catholic, Oriental Orthodox, Lutheran, and Anglican churches.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Person · Open Library

Works
41

Top works

  • The two epistles of Clement to the Corinthians, The epistle of Polycarp to the Philippians, The teaching of the twelve apostles
  • The Famous epistles of Saint Polycarp and Saint Ignatius, disciples to the holy Evangelist and Apostle Saint John
  • Writings of Ignatius and Polycarp
  • The Apostolic Fathers : A Revised Text With Introductions, Notes, Dissertations, and Translations Volume 2
  • Polycarp's Letter to the Philippians & His Martyrdom

via Open Library + Wikidata

Listeners · Last.fm

Listeners
52
Total plays
577

<a href="https://www.last.fm/music/Polycarp">Read more on Last.fm</a>

via Last.fm · Polycarp

Quotes

  • I have greatly rejoiced with you in our Lord Jesus Christ, because ye have followed the example of true love [as displayed by God], and have accompanied, as became you, those who were bound in chains, the fitting ornaments of saints, and which are indeed the diadems of the true elect of God and our Lord; and because the strong root of your faith, spoken of in days long gone by, endureth even until now, and bringeth forth fruit to our Lord Jesus Christ, who for our sins suffered even unto death.
  • The deacons be blameless before the face of His righteousness, as being the servants of God and Christ.
  • Let the presbyters be compassionate and merciful to all, bringing back those that wander, visiting all the sick, and not neglecting the widow, the orphan, or the poor.
  • Whosoever does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh, is antichrist.
  • Pray for all the saints. Pray also for kings, and potentates, and princes, and for those that persecute and hate you, and for the enemies of the cross, that your fruit may be manifest to all, and that ye may be perfect in Him.
  • We have written to you, brethren, as to what relates to the martyrs, and especially to the blessed Polycarp, who put an end to the persecution, having, as it were, set a seal upon it by his martyrdom.

via Wikiquote · CC BY-SA

Key facts

Saint.honorific_prefix
Saint
Saint.name
Polycarp of Smyrna
Saint.image
Polycarp of Smyrna2.jpg
Saint.caption
Orthodox fresco of Polycarp.
Saint.birth_date
AD 69
Saint.death_date
AD 155 (aged 85–86)
Saint.feast_day
23 February (formerly 26 January)
Saint.venerated_in
Eastern Orthodox ChurchCatholic ChurchOriental Orthodox ChurchesChurch of the EastLutheranismAnglicanism
Saint.death_place
Smyrna, Roman Empire
Saint.titles
Church FatherBishop of Smyrna and Hieromartyr
Saint.major_works
Epistle of Polycarp to the Philippians
Saint.attributes
Wearing the pallium, holding a book representing his Epistle to the Philippians
Saint.patronage
Earache sufferers
Saint.major_shrine
Sant'Ambrogio della Massima, Rome
Saint.influences
Clement of Rome, John the Apostle
Saint.influenced
Irenaeus

via Wikipedia infobox

Wikidata facts

Image
Burghers michael saintpolycarp.jpg
Show 5 more facts
Commons category
Polycarp of Smyrna
date of birth
0070-00-00
date of death
0155-00-00
name in native language
Πολύκαρπος Σμύρνος
Commons Creator page
Polycarp of Smyrna
Sources (2)

via Wikidata · CC0

Works in European collections

1 object attributed to Polycarp, held across European museums, libraries & archives · via Europeana

~14 min read

Article

12 sections
Contents
  • Surviving writings and early accounts
  • Life
  • Link to the Apostles and Jesus
  • New Testament
  • Visit to Anicetus
  • Martyrdom
  • Importance
  • Veneration and commemoration
  • Theology
  • See also
  • References
  • External links

Polycarp (; , Polýkarpos; ; AD 69 155) was a Christian bishop of Smyrna. 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. Polycarp is regarded as a saint and Church Father in the Eastern Orthodox Church, the 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. 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.

Gallery (16)

Connections

Categories