Polycarp

Polycarp who lived between 70 and 155 A.D was a disciple of St. John. Since he studied under one of Jesus' disciples, he heard firsthand accounts of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection.  From a young age Polycarp embraced Christianity and as Bishop of Smyrna he became one of the most important Christian leaders of the early church. Along with Clement of Rome and Ignatius of Antioch, he was considered one of the Apostolic Fathers (meaning he was of the generation that had personal contact with the 12 Apostles) and was one of the first Christians whose writing survives. Called "Letter to the Philippians", it is described as follows:

There is also a forceful epistle written by Polycarp to the Philippians, from which those who wish to do so, and are anxious about their salvation, can learn the character of his faith, and the preaching of the truth^.

It is believed he wrote a number of letters but the one referenced is the only one that exists. During his lifetime there were a variety of teachings about the sayings of Jesus. Because of his proximity to St. John the Evangelist, he was called upon to pronounce whether the teachings were genuine to the Apostolic Doctrine.

After decades of serving as Bishop, Polycarp was arrested at the age of eighty-six. To save his life he had only to say that Caesar was Lord and to denounce Christ. He refused. "Eighty-six years I have served Christ, and He never did me any wrong. How can I blaspheme my King who saved me? Bring forth what thou wilt!" Because he stayed true to his Christian faith, Polycarp was burned alive. Legend has it that the fire made a wall around the martyr's body and did not burn him. A soldier stabbed him to death.