Church History · About AD 155

Polycarp: 86 Years I Have Served Him

Polycarp, the elderly bishop of Smyrna and a student of the apostle John, refused to curse Christ and was burned alive about AD 155. The Martyrdom of Polycarp is the oldest account of a Christian martyr outside the New Testament.

Read it in the Bible: Revelation 2:8-11 Acts 20:7 Philippians 1:21

About AD 155, Polycarp, the bishop of Smyrna, was arrested, told to curse Christ, and burned alive when he refused. He was an old man who had learned the faith from the apostle John. His answer to the Roman governor became one of the most famous lines in church history. The letter that tells his story, the Martyrdom of Polycarp, is the oldest account of a Christian martyr we have outside the New Testament.

Who Was Polycarp of Smyrna?

Polycarp was born around AD 69 and led the church in Smyrna, a rich port city that is now Izmir in Turkey. Irenaeus, who heard Polycarp preach when Irenaeus was a boy, says Polycarp had been taught by the apostles and had talked with people who had seen the Lord. Irenaeus specifically remembered Polycarp telling stories about John.

That makes Polycarp a living bridge. John knew Jesus. Polycarp knew John. Irenaeus knew Polycarp. That is only three handshakes from Jesus to a writer at the end of the second century.

Smyrna is one of the seven churches in Revelation, and Jesus had a word for it that Polycarp lived out.

Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison to test you, and you will suffer tribulation for ten days. Be faithful even unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. Revelation 2:10

What Happened at Polycarp's Martyrdom?

During a wave of local persecution, a crowd in Smyrna demanded that Polycarp be found. Friends hid him on a farm, but a servant was forced to reveal where he was. When the police arrived, the old bishop came down, ordered food for them, and asked for an hour to pray. He prayed for two.

In the stadium, the governor tried to save face for everyone. He told Polycarp to swear by the fortune of Caesar, say Away with the atheists, and curse Christ. Romans called Christians atheists because they would not worship the Roman gods. Polycarp gave his famous reply. In the classic English translation it reads:

Eighty and six years have I served Him, and He never did me any injury: how then can I blaspheme my King and my Saviour? Martyrdom of Polycarp 9

The governor threatened him with wild beasts and then with fire. Polycarp told him the fire he threatened burned for an hour, but the fire of coming judgment does not go out. The account says that when the pile was lit, the flames curved around him like a sail and did not touch him, so an executioner stabbed him. Christians later gathered his bones and met each year on the day he died.

When Did Polycarp Die?

Most scholars date his death to February 23, AD 155 or 156. A few argue for a later date, around 167, based on the historian Eusebius. The 86 years he mentions probably count from his birth or his baptism. Either way, he was an old man who had followed Jesus for a lifetime.

What Is the Martyrdom of Polycarp?

It is a letter from the church in Smyrna to another church, written soon after his death. It is the earliest Christian writing about a martyr outside the Bible, and it set the pattern for many later stories of martyrs. It also shows early believers honoring the anniversary of a martyr's death, which became an important custom in the church.

Polycarp also wrote his own letter to the church in Philippi, which still survives. It is full of quotes from the New Testament, especially Paul and 1 Peter. That tells us those books were already being read and trusted early in the second century.

What Did Justin Martyr Say About Sunday Worship?

Around the same time, a Christian teacher in Rome named Justin wrote a defense of the faith addressed to the emperor, called the First Apology, about AD 155 to 157. In chapter 67 he describes what Christians did on Sunday. In the classic English translation it begins:

And on the day called Sunday, all who live in cities or in the country gather together to one place, and the memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read, as long as time permits. Justin Martyr, First Apology 67

After the reading, the leader preached, the church prayed, and they shared bread and wine with thanksgiving. Gifts were collected for orphans, widows, the sick and strangers. Justin said they met on Sunday because it was the first day, when God made the world and when Jesus rose from the dead. The memoirs of the apostles is his name for the Gospels.

That pattern looks a lot like church today: Scripture, sermon, prayer, communion and an offering. The New Testament already shows believers gathering on the first day.

On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Acts 20:7

Justin himself was beheaded in Rome about AD 165, which is why he is called Justin Martyr.

Why Polycarp Still Matters Today

Polycarp shows us that the first Christians did not believe Jesus was just a good teacher. He called Jesus his King and his Savior, and he would not take it back even to save his life. His faith was not a new invention. It came straight from John, who had leaned on Jesus at the Last Supper.

Most of us will never face a stadium and a fire. But we all face smaller moments when it would be easier to go quiet about Jesus. Polycarp's 86 years remind us that Jesus is faithful, and that a long life of trusting Him is worth more than anything the world can threaten.

For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. Philippians 1:21

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Questions People Ask

Who was Polycarp?

Polycarp was the bishop of Smyrna, in what is now Turkey, and a student of the apostle John. He was born around AD 69 and was burned as a martyr about AD 155. His student Irenaeus passed his memories of John on to the next generation.

What were Polycarp's last words?

When told to curse Christ, he answered, Eighty and six years have I served Him, and He never did me any injury: how then can I blaspheme my King and my Saviour? He also prayed a prayer of thanks before the fire was lit. These words come from the Martyrdom of Polycarp, written by his church soon after his death.

When did Polycarp die?

Most scholars date his death to February 23, AD 155 or 156. A minority place it around AD 167. The church still remembers him on February 23.

What did Justin Martyr say about early Christian worship?

In his First Apology, about AD 155, Justin said Christians met on Sunday, read the Gospels and the prophets, heard a sermon, prayed, shared communion and collected gifts for the needy. He said they met on Sunday because Jesus rose on that day.

Sources

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