Fast Facts on the Early Church Father, Polycarp of Smyrna
by grace ye are saved,
not of works,' but by the will of God through Jesus Christ . . . If we please
Him in this present world, we shall receive also the future world, according as
He has promised to us that He will raise us again from the dead, and that if we
live worthily of Him, 'we shall also reign together with Him,' provided only we
believe . . .[1]
(What Polycarp lived his life and his theology by)
For 86 years I have
served Jesus Christ and he has never abandoned me. How could I curse my blessed
king and savior?[2]
(In response to being asked to curse Christ and live. There is discussion
if this means he was 86 years old or that it was 86 years ago that he became a
Christian which would mean he was older than 86. Either way he was an older
believer)
Hear me declare with
boldness, I am a Christian.[3]
(In response to being asked to acknowledge the spirit of the emperor. A
recognition of pagan gods and religion)
Bishop of Smyrna,
correspondent of Ignatius
Smyrna was a seaport city about 35
miles north of Ephesus. It has been described as the most beautiful of the
seven cities. Today it is called Izmir, Turkey. Scripture does not give us any
information concerning the founding of this church, nor is it mentioned in the
book of Acts.[5] It
is believed that this church was founded during Paul’s journey in Ephesus (Acts
19:10).
Polycarp led the church in Smyrna
with wisdom and authority, having been appointed to leadership by men who were
witnesses to the Lord. Frequently called on to settle disputes or correct false
teaching since his teaching had been formulated directly from the mouth of an
apostle. Other leaders of the early church valued his insight as well as they
might considering his experience. At one point Polycarp visited Rome. During
the visit the sitting bishop deferred to him as when to celebrate the Lord’s
Supper. This demonstrated with what respect Polycarp was held.
Ignatius, bishop of Antioch and
eventual martyr (108 AD, possibly 140 AD, scarce documents make the
determination difficult) was imprisoned and transported to Rome in about the
year A.D. 108, wrote letters to several of the ancient Churches. He also wrote
a personal letter to his friend and fellow bishop, Polycarp of Smyrna. Unfortunately the original letters and
contemporary copies have been lost to antiquity. For the full content of the
letter visit http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0110.htm.
Ignatius wrote to Polycarp imparting
wisdom to him in several categories. These included: How a bishop should behave,
the duties of married Christian couples, care of widows, and the Christian
communities in general.
Denounced Marcion as
“Son of Satan”
Polycarp’s strictly adhered
to the teachings of the apostles. This would become greatly demonstrated during
his visit to Rome, most likely in 154 or 155. The heretic Marcion[6]
had led many astray by his efforts to separate the church from its Jewish
roots. Polycarp’s persuasive and doctrinally founded teaching turned a large
number of the Marcionites (and also from Gnosticism) from their errors. When
Marcion saw him he went up to Polycarp, looked him right in the eye, and said,
“Do you know who I am?” Marcion was known for intimidating his opponents,
however in this case he met someone who would not back down. He looked him
right back in the eye and quickly retorted, “Yes, I know you very well, you
firstborn son of the devil.”
Told that John fled
baths where he saw Cerinthus
Is this story reliable?
Where would Polycarp receive such information concerning the apostle John?
According to early church fathers Irenaeus and Tertullian Polycarp was a
disciple of the apostle John. We discover in the writings of the
early-third-century theologian Tertullian that, according to “original
records,” it was the apostle John himself who ordained Polycarp to that office.[7]
The teachings and beliefs of Polycarp would have been founded by the apostle
John. During the 86 years that Polycarp walked this earth he proclaimed and
exhorted that knowledge handed down to him from John the Apostle who spoke what
he learned from Jesus Christ. Polycarp would then pass it on to his own
disciples. His teaching and his walk in this life was exemplified and
demonstrated by those teachings. He would stand firm in his beliefs, as did
many of his disciples, though it would lead to his martyrdom.
Rounded up as a
leader of “the atheists” (non-believer in the Roman gods)
Persecution had broken out against Christians in Smyrna.
Believers were burned, gored, fed to animals and had their heads removed from
their bodies. Persecution was not a constant for the first three centuries of
the church but it was a reality that needed to be recognized.
On a Friday afternoon Polycarp was resting upstairs in a
country home. They Romans came in like a posse, fully armed as if they were
arresting a dangerous criminal much like when they came and arrested Christ. Friends
wanted to sneak him out, but he refused, saying, "God's will be
done." (At this point in church history martyrdom had not taken on the
belief of an automatic ticket to heaven. Martyrdom was not to be seeked out but
if it happened be faithful to the end).
The story is told that Polycarp welcomed his captors. He
spoke with them as if they were long lost, though wayward, friends. Polycarp
ordered that food and drink be served while he made his one request: one hour
to pray before they took him away. If this story is more than legend did the
officers overhear his prayers, did they begin to have second thoughts? What a
wonderful witness to those who had come to take him away. Never had they heard
or experienced anyone asking for prayer as a request or invite them in for a
meal.
Supposedly flames
refused him; when speared, his blood extinguished the flames
Polycarp was burned at the stake
and pierced with a spear for refusing to burn incense to the Roman Emperor. On
his farewell, he said: "I bless you, Father, for judging me worthy of this
hour, so that in the company of the martyrs I may share the cup of
Christ."
The date of Polycarp's death is in
dispute. Eusebius dates it to the reign of Marcus Aurelius, c. 166–167.
However, a post-Eusebian addition to the Martyrdom of Polycarp, the
authenticity of which has not been established, dates his death to Saturday,
February 23, in the proconsulship of Lucius Statius Quadratus, c. 155 or 156.
These earlier dates better fit the tradition of his association with Ignatius
and John the Evangelist.[8]
There are various traditions
associated with his death. These should be taken as traditions as the
information on Polycarp is very scarce:
- The guards realized they had no nails or rope to affix him to the post. In response Polycarp assured them that no restraint was necessary—that Jesus would empower him to bear the flames.
- One account says that the flames would not touch his body. Instead they arched over his head.
- Another story tells that when the guards realized that Polycarp could not be burned, they stabbed him with a spear—and the blood that ran down extinguished the flames.
[1] https://www.azquotes.com/quote/602899
[2] https://www.azquotes.com/quote/1333913
[3] https://www.azquotes.com/quote/773058
[4] http://disseminary.org/hoopoe/pubs/cards/Polycarp1.jpg
[5] https://bible.org/seriespage/3-smyrna-suffering-church
[6]
One of Marcion’s big lies that he was teaching is that the God of the Old
Testament the creator God of the Old Testament was not a true God or He was a
lesser God.
[7] In
chapter 32 of his Prescription Against
Heretics
[8] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polycarp.
Though I do not recommend Wikipedia for research this is a very good summation
of Polycarp’s death.
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