Polycarp: A Martyr Who Bore Much Fruit
In the providence of God, a person’s name sometimes accurately reflects the meaning of his life. Such is the case with Polycarp, the 2nd-century bishop and martyr. Polycarp is a Greek name that means many (poly) fruits (carp), and in light of scripture, this is an especially appropriate name. Jesus himself said:
Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit (polun carpon).
John 12:24
In his faithful discipleship to Christ, even unto death, Polycarp planted seeds that would bear fruit for centuries to come. He was a living link to the apostles, a defender of the scriptures, a martyr after the example of Christ, and the prototype for the calendar of the saints.
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Link to the Apostles
Polycarp is typically categorized as an “Apostolic Father,” as one of the Church leaders in the generation after the apostles. But even amongst his generation, Polycarp was a uniquely compelling link to the apostles.
This owes to his early birth, around 69 or 70AD, his discipleship under the Apostle John, his correspondence with Ignatius, his many decades of service as Bishop of Smyrna, his teaching of Irenaeus, and his widely publicized martyrdom around 155AD. In other words, part of the Polycarp’s fruitfulness was a function of his nine-decade-long life and ministry. As Polycarp stated at his martyrdom:
For eighty-six years I have been his servant, and he has done me no wrong. How can I blaspheme my King who saved me?
Martyrdom of Polycarp, 9.3
Christian leaders typically overestimate the ministry impact of one year but underestimate the ministry impact of ten. Expand the timeframe to a century of faithfulness, and just imagine what God will do!
In the case of Polycarp, the Church has prized him as a bridge from the apostles and as a faithful teacher of the faith to subsequent generations. Irenaeus, for example, traced his own spiritual lineage through Polycarp, describing how Polycarp intentionally passed on the apostolic witness of John:
I can even describe the place where the Blessed Polycarp used to sit and discourse—his going out, too, and his coming in—his general mode of life and personal appearance, together with the discourses which he delivered to the people; also how he would speak of his familiar intercourse with John, and with the rest of those who had seen the Lord; and how he would call their words to remembrance.
Fragments, 2
Defense of the Scriptures
In contrast to his mentor John and his student Irenaeus, Polycarp is not considered a major theologian. We possess only one surviving writing by Polycarp, his letter to the Philippians, which consists largely of practical instruction in Christian living. Consult a history of Christian theology, and you will not find much discussion of Polycarp.
What Polycarp did do was to faithfully interpret, apply, and lift up the authority of the scriptures. His letter to the Philippians is chock full of quotations from the gospels, the book of Acts, and the letters of Paul and Peter. And in that same letter Polycarp elevated the importance of studying and applying these scriptures:
Neither I nor anyone like me can keep pace with the wisdom of the blessed and glorious Paul. When he was with you in the presence of the people at that time, he accurately and reliably taught the word concerning the truth. And when he was absent he wrote you letters; if you study them carefully, you will be able to build yourselves up in the faith that has been given to you, which is the mother of us all.
Polycarp to the Philippians, 3.2-3
Polycarp also deplored the heresies that denigrated the scriptures or pit them against each other. He opposed Marcion, a teacher who rejected the Old Testament and restricted the New Testament canon. Irenaeus recounts a short meeting between Marcion and Polycarp, including Polycarp’s pungent reply:
Polycarp himself replied to Marcion, who met him on one occasion, and said, “
Against Heresies, III.3Do you know me?” “I do know you, the first-born of Satan.“
Polycarp’s contemporaries saw his devotion to the scriptures and revered him for his steadfast faith. Ignatius praised Polycarp for having a “godly mind, which is grounded, as it were, upon an unmovable rock,” and therefore exclaimed, “My praise exceeds all bounds” (Ignatius to Polycarp, 1). Polycarp would remain steadfast to the end.
A Martyr after the Example of Christ
Beyond the New Testament, “The Martyrdom of Polycarp” is the first written record of a Christian martyr. Beginning a few days before his death, the text brings out many details that mirror the final week in the life of Christ. Polycarp predicts his death, withdraws from the city, and takes two hours for prayer. A band of police then arrests him, leads him back into the city on a donkey, and brings him before the governor and a crowd in a stadium. At that point, he finally has an opportunity to speak:
The proconsul asked if he were Polycarp. And when he confessed that he was, the proconsul tried to persuade him to recant, saying, “Have respect for you age,” and other such things as they are accustomed to say: “Swear by the genius of Caesar; repent; say ‘Away with the atheists.'”
Martyrdom of Polycarp, 9.2
The Romans called the Christians “atheists” because they refused to worship the Roman Gods. Polycarp’s response revealed both his wit and his faith:
So Polycarp solemnly looked at the whole crowd of lawless heathen who were in the stadium, motioned toward them with his hand, and then (groaning as he looked up to heaven) said “Aways with the atheists!…If you vainly suppose that I will swear by the genius of Caesar, as you request, and pretend not to know who I am, listen carefully: I am a Christian.”
Martyrdom of Polycarp, 9-10
When the proconsul threatened Polycarp with fire, Polycarp remained steadfast, like Igantius’ “unmovable rock.” And he was a teacher of the gospel to the end:
You threaten with a fire that burns only briefly and after only a little while is extinguished, for you are ignorant of the fire of the coming judgment and eternal punishment, which is reserved for the ungodly. But why do you delay? Come, do what you wish.
Martyrdom of Polycarp, 11
True to the example of Christ, before being burned and stabbed, Polycarp offered a final prayer to the Lord:
O Lord God Almighty… I bless you because you have considered me worthy of this day and hour, so that I might receive a place among the number of the martyrs in the cup of your Christ, to the resurrection to eternal life, both of soul and of body, in the incorruptibility of the Holy Spirit…
Prototype of the Calendar of the Saints
Of the many fruits of Polycarp, perhaps the most significant over the long term was the devotion of the church in Smyrna to remember their martyred bishop. Their practice became the model and prototype for the calendar of the saints.
After the burning, all that remained of Polycarp’s body was his bones, but these they collected and treated with great reverence.
Later on we took up his bones, which are more valuable than precious stones and finer than refined gold, and deposited them in a suitable place.
Martyrdom of Polycarp, 18.2
While some might see devotion to the bones of a departed saint as superstition, such behavior makes sense in light of the resurrection. “Can these bones live?” God asks in Ezekiel (Ezekiel 37:3). Both for Ezekiel and those in Christ, the answer is a resounding YES!
Moreover, the bones of a departed saint encourage the church in the example of steadfast faith. And so the church of Smyrna made a habit of gathering annually at the tomb of Polycarp:
There, when we gather together as we are able, with joy and gladness, the Lord will permit us to celebrate the birthday of his martyrdom in commemoration of those who have already fought in the contest and also for the training and preparation of those who will do so in the future.
Martyrdom of Polycarp, 18.3
Polycarp thereby became the first Christian martyr celebrated annually on the anniversary of his death. He was the prototype of the calendar of the saints.
On Fixed and Moveable Feasts
If you keep the church year, you will quickly realize that the calendar operates in two modes: with fixed and moveable feasts. The Feast of Polycarp, for example, is fixed on February 23rd and is celebrated on the day every year. Following the example of Polycarp, the Church always celebrates saints on a fixed day in the solar (calendar) year, typically their day of death.
Easter, by contrast, is a moveable feast, landing on a different date each year. This is because Easter is tied to the festival of Passover, which is calculated according to the variable lunar calendar. And because Easter changes with the moon’s cycles, so do all the feasts whose dates are specified in relation to Easter, such as Ash Wednesday, Palm Sunday, Ascension, and Pentecost.
In this context, we can see that Polycarp’s legacy was especially important for establishing within Christianity a pattern of fixed feasts according to the solar calendar. If not for Polycarp, our calendar might still function entirely according to the moon’s cycles.
Conclusion: Fellow Disciples
After Polycarp’s martyrdom, the authorities initially resisted giving his body to the Christians, fearing that they would “abandon the crucified one and begin to worship this man” (Martyrdom, 17.2). And indeed, it is a common concern, sometimes justified and sometimes not, that Christian devotion to the saints crosses over into improper idolatry.
But the response of the church of Smyrna precisely addresses this concern and offers to all Christians a guiding principle for the proper use of the saints:
They did not know that we will never be able to abandon the Christ who suffered for the salvation of the whole world of those who are saved, the blameless on behalf of sinners, or to worship anyone else. For we worship this one, who is the Son of God, but the martyrs we love as disciples and imitators of the Lord, as they deserve on account of their matchless devotion to their own King and Teacher. May we also become their partners and fellow disciples!
Martyrdom of Polycarp, 17.2-3
Image: Church Icon at St Polycarp’s Roman Catholic Church of Polycarp miraculously extinguishing fire of the city of Smyrna (Izmir, Turkey). Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. Digital Editing by Jacob Davis.
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Anglicans celebrate feast days for saints to honor exemplary Christian lives, rooted in biblical teachings on imitation. This practice evolved from early church commemorations of martyrs like Polycarp. While Reformation efforts simplified the calendar, Anglicans now recognize both historical and contemporary figures, maintaining focus on Christ as the central figure in worship.
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