Saint Polycarp is a disciple of the Apostle John. Polycarp was born in the town of Smear in modern Turkey. He was the bishop of the town of Smyrna. It is believed that he was ordained bishop by the Apostle John.
It was a time when the devil used various tricks to turn Christians away from their faith. Despite the news that he had decided to arrest Polycarp, who lived in the town of Smear, he reluctantly agreed to stay in the city. However, at the loving insistence of the Christians, the saint retreated to a village.
The soldiers went to the village where he was staying in search of the saint. He could have escaped from there, but he moved closer to the enemy, saying that God’s will be done. The authorities did not want to kill the barren and elderly Polycarp. They said to him, “Abandon Christ.”
Polycarp said, “Eighty and six years I have served Him, and He has done me no wrong.” This could indicate that he had lived eighty-six years after his conversion. Polycarp goes on to say: “How then can I blaspheme my King and Savior? You threaten me with a fire that burns for a season, and after a little while is quenched, but you are ignorant of the fire of everlasting punishment that is prepared for the wicked.” 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, 166–167. However, a post-Eusebian addition to the Martyrdom of Polycarp, dates his death to Saturday, February 23, in the proconsulship of Lucius Statius Quadratus, 155 or 156. These earlier dates better fit the tradition of his association with Ignatius and John the Evangelist.