Polycarp
BIOGRAPHY
Polycarp (Greek: Πολύκαρπος, Polýkarpos; Latin: Polycarpus; AD 69 – 155) was the Christian bishop of Smyrna. According to the Martyrdom of Polycarp, he died a martyr's death, bound and burned at the stake, and was subsequently stabbed when the flames failed to consume his body.
Polycarp is venerated as a saint and Church Father by the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Roman Catholic Church, the Oriental Orthodox Churches, Lutheranism, and Anglicanism.
Both Irenaeus and Tertullian attest that Polycarp had been a disciple of John the Apostle, one of Jesus’s closest followers. In On Illustrious Men, Jerome also affirms that Polycarp was a disciple of John, who had appointed him as bishop of Smyrna. Polycarp is considered one of the three principal Apostolic Fathers, alongside Clement of Rome and Ignatius of Antioch.