Polycarp (AD 69 – 155) was a Christian presbyter of Smyrna. According to the Martyrdom of Polycarp, he died a martyr, bound and burned at the stake, then stabbed when the fire failed to consume his body. Polycarp is regarded as a saint and Church Father in the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Catholic, Anglican and Lutheran churches. His name means "much fruit" in Greek. Both Irenaeus and Tertullian[3] record that Polycarp had been a disciple of the Apostle John. In Illustrious Men.17, Jerome writes that Polycarp was a disciple of John and that John had ordained him as a presbyter of Smyrna. Polycarp is regarded as one of three chief Apostolic Fathers, along with Clement of Rome and Ignatius of Antioch.