Early Christian Saints: St Polycarp

Polycarp was born in 69 AD in Smyrna (modern day Turkey). His parents are unknown, but some commentators suggest they were Christians when he was born, or at least converted soon after his birth.

There is a tale which says he was orphaned and raised by a widow named Kallista. She was guided by an angel to adopt the boy into her Christian household. Whatever the truth maybe, he says he served Christ for 86 years.

Tradition says that he was a direct disciple of John the Apostle. This meant he had firsthand access to the apostolic teachings and accounts of Jesus’ life. Irenaeus, his disciple, recalled Polycarp’s vivid stories of his time with John and others who had seen Jesus.

John ordained Polycarp as Bishop of Smyrna. A role he served for decades, probably over 60 years.

He was renowned for his piety, humility, and steadfast defence of orthodox Christian doctrine against heresies, particularly Gnosticism and Marcionism. His moral authority and teachings helped shape early theology of the Church.

Polycarp’s only surviving work is his Letter to the Philippians, written around 110–135 AD. It is a pastoral letter urging the Philippian church to remain steadfast in faith, practice virtue, and resist false teachings.

It extensively quotes the Apostle Paul, emphasising his authority in the Church, and is one of the earliest texts to cite passages from the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, the Acts of the Apostles, and the letters of Peter and John. This provides evidence of their early circulation.

St Polycarp was strong against heresies, particularly Gnosticism and Marcionism.

Gnosticism is hard to define, as there are many different types over the millennia. The key thread between the beliefs is the dualist idea that the spiritual is good, but the physical is evil. The human soul is a divine spark trapped in a body of flesh. Salvation comes through special knowledge, hidden truths and secret ritual practices. Another significant belief is they understand the physical world was created by a Demiurge. A malevolent being distinct from God. It is usually presented that the Demiurge is the God of the Old Testament, and Christ is the Revealer of the True Divine.

This is incompatible with Christianity. Christians believe they are saved through Christ, not secret knowledge. The Old Testament God and Christ are in the unity of the Triune God, not against each other. Christians see the material world as part of the Creation, and the role of humanity is to act as its steward.

One of the key differences is the doctrine of the resurrection of the body. This is an anathema to Gnosticism, who sees the material world as oppressive. While Christianity understands we are as much our spirits and minds as we are our bodies.

Marcionism was less theologically developed than Gnosticism, but shared the idea that the God of the Old Testament was evil. In contrast, it argued that the God, revealed through the New Testament, was merciful and loving. Marcion produced his own version of the New Testament to support his beliefs, re-editing the Gospel of Luke and St Paul’s epistles to remove Old Testament references.

Allegedly, Polycarp met Marcion in Rome. Irenaeus of Lyon reported this in his work, Against Heresies. The interaction ended with Polycarp stating Marcion was the “Firstborn of Satan”.

Between 154–155 AD, Polycarp traveled to Rome to discuss the Quartodeciman Controversy. The disagreement was whether Easter should be celebrated on 14th Nisan, even if it was a week day, while the other side celebrated it on the Sunday. This was not settled until the Council of Nicaea.

After Polycarp returned to Symrna, a persecution of Christianity began in the Roman Empire. Being aware he was a target for the local authorities, he fled to a farm in the countryside. Here, he prayed for the persecuted Church and Christians. During this time, he received a dream in which he saw his pillow burst into flames. This gave an indication to the saint that he would be martyred.

He was safe at the farmhouse, until a young man was tortured and revealed his secret location.

The authorities sent an armed band of soldiers to capture him. The Martyrdom of St Polycarp, written in 155-160AD, gives the impression this was overkill. He was an old man, and Christians never fought back in these circumstances.

He was eventually taken to the local arena, and asked to sacrifice to the emperor and deny Christ. He responded by saying, “I have served Christ for 86 years, and he has done me no wrong. Why should I deny Him?”

The pro-consul asked him whether he’d renounce his atheism. This may seem a strange question, but their conception of atheism wasn’t the same as ours today. Instead, it meant a person denied the supremacy of the emperor. So when Polycarp responded with, ‘Away with the atheists’, meaning you are the atheists for not believing in Christ, it incensed the pro-consul and he ordered for Polycarp to be burnt alive.

The pyre was made and Polycarp was tied to a stake. The fire was lit, but the flames arched over him, leaving him untouched. The pro-consul became exasperated and called for him to the stabbed. A soldier knifed him in the side, a dove flew out, and Polycarp’s blood quenched the fire.

The fire was relit, with his body cremated. His friends collected his bones, which were treated as ‘more valuable as precious stones’.

His writings helped standardise the New Testament canon, which reinforced the apostolic foundation of Christian doctrine. He worked hard to combat heresy. His life and writings showed a man who has a steadfast faith, was humble, and showed a courage which anyone told should strive for.

For me, I felt challenged by his strength of character, which encouraged me to keep going even when at times, life gets so very hard. Surely, a man to be emulated.