Polycarp
Polycarp of Smyrna | |
|---|---|
Mosaic of Saint Polycarp inside the monastery of Hosios Loukas | |
| Church Father Bishop of Smyrna and Hieromartyr | |
| Born | AD 69 |
| Died | AD 155 (aged 85–86) Smyrna, Roman Empire |
| Venerated in | Eastern Orthodox Church Roman Catholic Church Oriental Orthodox Church Church of the East Lutheranism Anglicanism |
| Major shrine | Sant'Ambrogio della Massima, Rome |
| Feast | 23 February (formerly 26 January) |
| Attributes | Wearing the pallium, holding a book representing his Epistle to the Philippians |
| Patronage | Earache sufferers |
| Influences | Clement of Rome, John the Apostle |
| Influenced | Irenaeus |
| Major works | Epistle of Polycarp to the Philippians |
Polycarp (/ˈpɒlikɑːrp/; Greek: Πολύκαρπος, Polýkarpos; Latin: Polycarpus; 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 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. 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.