‍Historical Spotlights

The ancient city of Smyrna is divided between two locations. The original, now known as “Old Smyrna,” was founded in the eleventh century B.C.E., though a settlement preceded it for more than two millennia prior to that date. Following a catastrophic earthquake that destroyed the city, “New Smyrna” relocated a couple of kilometers southwest after Alexander the Great commissioned its construction in the fourth century B.C.E. The fortress he built can still be seen today. Smyrna had great notoriety in the ancient world; for instance, many believed Smyrna to be the birthplace of Homer, author of The Iliad and The Odyssey. Although six other cities lay claim to the ancient poet, many scholars believe Smyrna is his hometown. Separated by only 60 kilometers, an hour’s drive by car, one can easily imagine the rivalry between Smyrna and Ephesus for prestige in Asia Minor. Though power switched hands over many years, Smyrna, along with its neighbors, came under the rule of the Roman Empire in 195 B.C.E. Marcus Aurelius rebuilt the city a final time in 178 A.D. after another earthquake destroyed it. In the modern-day city of Izmir, the covered marketplace stands on the same grounds where Marcus Aurelius rebuilt the agora (marketplace), quite possibly making it one of the oldest continuously used markets in the world.

Smyrna in Christian History

A significant Jewish population set the cultural and religious groundwork for the Apostle Paul to spread the Christian gospel. Like much of the Aegean, we can assume Paul’s ministry, which started in Ephesus, evangelized Smyrna. But the city rose in importance after the time of the apostles. John’s Revelation is the only place in scripture that mentions it. Writing his apocalyptic letter to Christians in Smyrna during a time of persecution, he reminds them of the promise of resurrection and escape from the second death. Believers in Smyrna most likely suffered persecution for decades.

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Polycarp (A.D. 69-155) was the Bishop of Smyrna until he was burned at the stake and then stabbed to death when fire did not finish the job. Multiple church fathers (Irenaeus, Tertullian, and Jerome) all refer to Polycarp as a disciple of John, even being ordained by the apostle. From Smyrna, Ignatius summoned church leaders throughout Asia Minor to come and visit with him as he was being taken to Rome for execution. Ignatius wrote many of his letters to the churches of Asia Minor from Smyrna, also addressing Polycarp and the city’s Christian community.

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Throughout his life, Polycarp seems to have taken to heart the letters from John and Ignatius. We see his willingness to remain “faithful unto death” in his remarks to those responsible for burning him at the stake (see quote below). Because of the bishop’s close relationship with the Apostle John, the Christian church at large highly regarded his understanding and teaching of scripture and doctrine. He helped the church on a path of orthodoxy when heretics like Marcion and the Gnostic Valentinus were running rampant. While serving as bishop of Smyrna, Polycarp wrote his “Letter to the Philippians,” a document of utmost importance, not only for its sound doctrine and encouragement, but also because Polycarp makes many references to New Testament books, furthering the field of textual criticism and an understanding of how the New Testament canon was formed. According to tradition, the church father Irenaeus heard Polycarp speak when he was a young man. Irenaeus probably grew up in a Christian home in Smyrna, perhaps the first church father to have come to faith as a child.