Polycarp was the bishop of Smyrna in the early second century and a disciple of the apostle John, making him a direct link to the first generation of Christians. He was martyred by burning around AD 155.

What were Polycarp's last words?

When ordered to curse Christ to save his life, Polycarp answered, according to the eyewitness Martyrdom of Polycarp, 'Eighty and six years have I served Him, and He hath done me no wrong. How then can I blaspheme my King who saved me?'

Last words of the faithful

Polycarp of Smyrna

Died about AD 155 · burned at the stake

Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna and a disciple of the apostle John, was burned at the stake around AD 155. Ordered to curse Christ to live, he refused with the words recorded in the Martyrdom of Polycarp: he had served Christ eighty-six years, and Christ had never wronged him.

The last words

“Eighty and six years have I served Him, and He hath done me no wrong. How then can I blaspheme my King who saved me?”Polycarp of Smyrna

Source: the Martyrdom of Polycarp, an eyewitness letter from the church at Smyrna, written soon after his death (about AD 155-160).

The story behind them

Polycarp was an old man, in his eighties, and a living link to the first generation: he had sat under the teaching of the apostle John himself. When the persecution came for him, the Roman proconsul, perhaps out of respect for his age, tried to make it easy. Just curse Christ, he said, and swear by Caesar, and you go free. One sentence and you live.

The eyewitness letter from his own church preserves the answer, and it has echoed for eighteen centuries. He would not trade a lifetime of faithfulness for a moment of safety: 'Eighty and six years have I served Him, and He hath done me no wrong. How then can I blaspheme my King who saved me?' They burned him. The letter says the fire arched around him like a sail and would not consume him as expected, so a soldier was ordered to stab him. He died counting not what Christ had cost him, but what Christ had never done to him.

Eighty-six years, and never once wronged by the King he refused to deny.

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What they died for, you can meet

None of these people died for an idea. They died holding onto a Person, convinced that death was not the end because he had already walked out of a tomb. The Living Bread is a quiet place to meet that same Jesus, read the Gospels for yourself, and ask your honest questions.

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Jesus Christ is Lord.

Frequently asked questions

Who was Polycarp?: Polycarp was the bishop of Smyrna in the early second century and a disciple of the apostle John, making him a direct link to the first generation of Christians. He was martyred by burning around AD 155.
What were Polycarp's last words?: When ordered to curse Christ to save his life, Polycarp answered, according to the eyewitness Martyrdom of Polycarp, 'Eighty and six years have I served Him, and He hath done me no wrong. How then can I blaspheme my King who saved me?'

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