, an apostolic father of the Christian church, was born in the reign
, an apostolic father of the Christian church,
was born in the reign of Nero, probably at Smyrna, a city
of Ionia in Asia Minor, where he was educated at the expence of Calisto, a noble matron of great piety and charity. In his younger years he is said to be instructed in
the Christian faith by Bucolus, bishop of that place but
others consider it as certain that he was a disciple of St.
John the Evangelist, and familiarly conversed with others
of the apostles. At a proper age, Bucolus ordained him a
deacon and catechist of his church; and, upon the death of
that prelate, he succeeded him in the bishopric. To this
he was consecrated by St. John who also, according to
archbishop Usher, directed his “Apocalyptical Epistle,
”
among six others, to him, under the title of the “Angel of
the Church of Smyrna,
” where, many years after the
apostle’s death, he was also visited by St. Ignatius. Ignatius recommended his own see of Antioch to the care and
si>perintendance of Polycarp, and afterwards sent an epistle
to the church of Smyrna from Troas, A. C. 107 when
Polycarp is supposed to have written his “Epistle to the
Philippians,
” a translation of which is preserved by Dr.
Cave.