St. Polycarp

A disciple of John the Apostle and bishop of Smyrna for fifty years, Polycarp is the great bridge between the apostles and the patristic age. Burned at the stake at eighty-six for refusing to curse Christ — "Eighty-six years I have served him, and he has done me no wrong; how then can I blaspheme my king who has saved me?" — his Letter to the Philippians and the Martyrdom of Polycarp are foundational early Christian texts.

According to Irenaeus, who had heard him preach as a boy, Polycarp was appointed bishop of Smyrna by apostles who had known the Lord. He traveled to Rome to confer with Pope Anicetus on the dating of Easter, and though they disagreed, they parted in peace — a model of unity in legitimate diversity that the early Church treasured.

The account of his martyrdom, written by the community of Smyrna, is the oldest surviving narrative of a Christian martyrdom outside the New Testament. It records that when the flames were lit, they arched around him like a sail and would not consume his body, so that he had to be dispatched with a dagger. His memory anchors the Church's confidence that the faith received from the apostles has been handed down without interruption.