Polycarp (ca,69-155) Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Polycarp (ca,69-155) - Research Paper Example The Catholic literature identifies the fundamental texts from which information about the life and works of Polycarp are to be found, and they are the following: St. Ignatius epistles; the Epistle to the Philippians by Polycarp; details of Polycarps martyrdom, as detailed in the Letter to the Smyrnaeans; and various St. Irenaeus text passages. It is noteworthy that the original letters to the seven Asian churches includes Smyrna, in Turkey, as one of those original churches, rooting Polycarp and his church in the center of that movement in history to Revelations, indicating the degree to which Polycarp and his church was persecuted by the political and religious establishment of the time (Knight 2009; Kiefer 2014). The text The Martyrdom of Polycarp in particular narrates of the suffering and death of Polycarp in defense of the faith. He was put on the stake and there burned, and finally stabbed to death. He died at age 86, in 156 AD, and was stabbed to death when the fire at the stake failed to kill him. This is the first fully documented account of a martyrdom in the early church. Polycarp is also noteworthy for being a direct disciple of one of the original disciples of Jesus, in John the Apostle, and it was from John that Polycarp was granted the authority to head the Christian church in Smyrna, where he was given the title of bishop. It was St. Jerome who narrated this. These latter details were put on record by Tertulian, as well as by Irenaeus. The extent of his influence is reflected in the way Polycarp has come to be considered a saint not just within the Catholic church, but also in the various Orthodox churches, among the Lutheran congregations, and among Anglicans (Knight 2009; Cat holic Online 2013; Franciscan Media Copyright 2012). One gets a sense of the importance of Polycarps life and times in the way he had been a faithful first-hand witness