Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna and a hearer of the apostles, is burned and stabbed rather than curse Christ; the church's earliest martyrdom account outside the New Testament preserves his death.
Tagged: Persecution Christian
The Event
- Date
- c. 155 (approximate)
- Era
- Patristic; Standard ecumenical periodization
- Location
- Smyrna
- Traditions
- Christianity
- Key figures
- Polycarp
- Key texts
- The Martyrdom of Polycarp
Primary Sources
- The Martyrdom of Polycarp
Secondary Sources
- Chadwick, The Early Church (Penguin, 1967)
- Frend, The Rise of Christianity (Fortress, 1984)
Provenance: HIST-0008; confidence 0.85; accessed 2026-10-26.
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