Saint Polycarp: a Link on a Golden Chain

Today is the memorial of the blessed martyr Saint Polycarp¹. Burned alive and then beheaded in the city of Rome for the crime of being a Christian bishop, he was a disciple of Saint John the Apostle.

In fact, he was ordained bishop of Smyrna by Saint John.

He wrote many letters, though only one has survived the centuries, his Epistle to the Philippians. A brief passage:

Stand fast, therefore, in this conduct and follow the example of the Lord, ‘firm and unchangeable in faith, lovers of the brotherhood, loving each other, united in truth,’ helping each other with the mildness of the Lord, despising no man.

(Saint Polycarp, Letter to the Philippians)

He suffered martyrdom at age 86. Here’s what the Roman Martyrology has to say:

This Day, the Twenty-Sixth Day of January

At Smyrna, the birthday of Saint Polycarp, a disciple of the Apostle Saint John, who consecrated him bishop of that city and Primate of all Asia. Afterwards, under Marcus Antoninus and Lucius Aurelius Commodus, whilst the proconsul was sitting in judgment, and all the people in the amphitheatre were clamoring against him, he was condemned to the flames. But as he received no injury from them, he was transpierced with a sword, and thus received the crown of martyrdom. With him suffered in the same city twelve others from Philadelphia.

While very little of Saint Polycarp’s writings survived, we do have quite a lot written about him by his contemporaries. We also have a letter written to him. And here’s where it gets interesting, because that letter was written by Saint Irenæus of Lyons.

And Saint Irenæus was ordained by Saint Polycarp.

Other than at Rome, this is the earliest and clearest evidence we have of Apostolic Succession – the uninterrupted progression of Tradition and Holy Orders from Christ, through the Apostles, through the bishops of the Church to the present moment of the present day.

And that’s kind of neat.

God of all creation,
who were pleased to give the Bishop Saint Polycarp
a place in the company of the Martyrs,
grant, through his intercession,
that, sharing with him in the chalice of Christ,
we may rise through the Holy Spirit to eternal life.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.

Amen.

1. In all of the older calendars, it was back on January 26, the day of his martyrdom. Why’d they change it? No idea.