Born in 69 A.D. and died in 155 A.D., Polycarp was raised Christian and elected Bishop of the Church at Smyrna. Not a very learned man; simple, but very much in love with the person of Jesus Christ and a friend of St. John the Evangelist, Polycarp defended Jesus’ humanity and divinity fighting against the Docetists and the Gnostics. Most remembered for his martyrdom, his death gives witness to Jesus human nature. Taken to Rome, Polycarp was condemned for his faith before a Roman audience.
As Jesus died on the cross, Jesus asks the Father for unity in the Church. As a Father of the Church, Polycarp spread the gospel of Jesus Christ, defended the Church in apologetic writing, and fought the many heresies of the first six centuries of Christianity
As Jesus died on the cross, Jesus asks the Father for unity in the Church. As a Father of the Church, Polycarp spread the gospel of Jesus Christ, defended the Church in apologetic writing, and fought the many heresies of the first six centuries of Christianity