Polycarp

Christian bishop of Smyrna

  • Fame57.1
  • Momentum0.1
  • Wikipedia30.7K
Source-basedStable
Lived 69–155, aged 86Turkey
  • Wikipedia
    55 languages
    Cross-language footprint
  • Era
    69–155
    Aged 86
Summary
Updated 2026-06-09

A second-century bishop who died tied to a stake in Smyrna—first burned, then stabbed when the flames wouldn't take. The account of his execution became one of early Christianity's foundational martyr texts.

Biography

About

Born in AD 69, Polycarp learned directly from John the Apostle, one of the twelve who knew Jesus, and was later ordained bishop of Smyrna by John himself. Church historians Irenaeus and Tertullian both traced this lineage, placing Polycarp among the three chief Apostolic Fathers alongside Clement of Rome and Ignatius of Antioch—figures who bridged the apostles and the institutional church. In 155, at roughly eighty-six years old, he was arrested and sentenced to burning. When the fire failed to consume him, according to the Martyrdom of Polycarp, he was stabbed to death. The manner of his deat…

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Fame
Stable
57.1
Composite of search demand, mentions, audience & graph footprint.
Score components
Momentum0.1
Historical25.1
Source confidence60.0
Completeness70.0
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Sources

  • Wikidata
    wikidata · wikidata.org
    High confidence
  • Wikipedia
    wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org
    High confidence
  • Pantheon 2.0
    database · pantheon.world
    High confidence