SAINT BUCOLUS OF SMYRNA

February 19 (6) the Church celebrates the memory of saint Bucolus of Smyrna. Bucolus was an early Christian saint and bishop. In the memory of the Church the saint remains as a good shepherd, in the image of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Church of Smyrna is of apostolic origin. The early Christian writer and Father of the Church Irenaeus of Lyons (130–202), himself a native of Smyrna, testifies that the founder of the Christian community of the city was Evangelist John. His disciple was the holy martyr Polycarp (69-158). Saint Bucolus was from their circle. Perhaps he was a wandering bishop and preached Christianity in Asia Minor. He also may have been Polycarp’s successor. Very little information about his life has been preserved.

Bucolus was one of the very few early Christian bishops whose life did not end in martyrdom. Tradition says that at his resting place a myrtle tree grew, from which the sick received healing.

The era of Saint Bucolus is a time when New Testament story, which formally seemed to end with the Descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles on the Day of Pentecost and the beginning of worldwide preaching, in fact, smoothly flowed or, better yet, filled the history of the world. The gospel became its soul. “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but are not able to kill the soul but fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell,” says the Lord in the Gospel (Matthew 10:28). The church will spread and will seem to disappear into history when Christians are expelled or killed. There is no salvation outside the world.

Today, Smyrna is modern Turkish Izmir. The Orthodox Christian presence in the city ended in September 1922, when, following the defeat of the Greek armies in the Greco-Turkish War of 1919–1922, the Christian city was completely burned. Then 347 Orthodox priests and the bishop of the city, Chrysostom, were killed. This was the Great Fire of Smyrna. Historical evidence has been preserved of how the victors watched the death of the city from a distance and perceived it as a personal triumph. The only building that survived was the Church of St. Bucolus.

The Church of Smyrna is mentioned in the Apocalypse (Rev. 2:8). The tree for healing the sick is also an apocalyptic image and symbol. In Heavenly Jerusalem, according to Revelation, “in the midst of its street, on both sides of the river, is the tree of life, bearing fruit twelve times, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree for the healing of the nations” (Rev. 22:2). “I’ll bury a grape seed in the warm ground and call my friends,” wrote the poet Bulat Okudzhava (1924–1997). The memory of Saint Bucolus, who left us a tree of consolation as a farewell, is an invitation to Heavenly Jerusalem.