IN CHURCH HISTORY. 5 1 



that apostle's spirit The saintly character of 

 Polycarp won for him the especial reverence of the 

 disciples. His name appears in great prominence 

 (n his efforts to settle a controversy which arose 

 between the Christians of the West and those of 

 the East as to the time of keeping Easter. Al- 

 though the controversy was not settled by their 

 adopting the same time, yet the wisdom and piety 

 of the Bishop checked much of the bitterness, and 

 taught them to tolerate differences of opinion, 

 thus pieserving the peace of the Church. His 

 efforts were also blessed in checking the spread of 

 heresies. During the persecutions he was ever a 

 help and strength- to the distressed disciples. 

 Finally, when himself a very aged man, he fell a 

 victim to the fury of his adversaries, the heathen, 

 and was put to death in a. d. 167. He was 

 burnt to death. He will always be remembered 

 by the noble words he spoke when commanded 

 by the proconsul to deny his Lord, and thus 

 escape death. "Sixty and eight years," said he, 

 "have I served Him, and He has never failed 

 me : and shall I now deny Him ?" 



Iren^eus. — A disciple of Polycarp was Irenaeus, 

 the Bishop of Lyons. He was born in Smyrna, 

 accompanied Polycarp upon his visit to Rome, 

 and finally settled in Lyons, where he was elevated 

 to the Episcopate. His writings are particularly 

 important to us because of his enumeration of the 



