Saint Polycarp

Polycarp is one of the last links in a very short chain: he was a direct disciple of John the Apostle. Whoever listened to him was listening to someone who had listened to someone who was there. He was born in Smyrna in the second half of the first century and became its bishop under the emperor Trajan. He was one of the most respected pastors of his time, and the Church of Asia chose him as its representative for a delicate mission: going to Rome to discuss the date of Easter with Pope Anicetus. Polycarp and the bishops of Asia followed the Quartodeciman observance, meaning they celebrated Easter on the fourteenth of Nisan, and Rome did it differently. He went, they discussed, and neither of them gave in; but they parted in communion. It’s worth noting: you can fail to reach an agreement and still remain brothers. Of his many writings only one has come down to us: the Letter to the Philippians, written between 107 and 140. It’s not much, but it’s precious, because those lines tell us a good deal about how the first Christians lived and what they believed. He was also the teacher of Irenaeus of Lyon, who later wrote about his life. He died a martyr in Smyrna around 156. The account of his death, the *Martyrdom of Polycarp*, was sent as a circular letter to another community, and it is one of the oldest texts of its kind that we have. If your name is Polycarp, today is your name day — and it’s so rare that whoever bears it surely has a family story to tell. A man who served as a bridge between those who had seen and those who never would. It’s the job of anyone who tells something to those who come after.