How did veneration of relics get started?
Scripture scholars say there is no “cult of relics,”— devotion shown to relics — in the Old Testament. Such items are mentioned in the New Testament but are not given too much attention. (Acts 19:12) Church historians say the writings about St. Polycarp (c. 69-155) show Christians in the city of Smyrna (in what is now Turkey) were the first to openly venerate the relics of a saint — their beloved Bishop Polycarp. On the anniversary of his death, members would gather at his grave and pray for his intercession. This was a public and explicit form of devotion. The Christians in Smyrna let everyone know they had a particular attachment to the remains of their friend. And once they had done that, they needed to justify what they were doing. The community stressed the “subordinate character” of the veneration of martyrs. These holy men and women weren’t on a par with Christ. And the respect shown to their relics didn’t match — shouldn’t match, couldn’t match — that shown to God. Rather, St.
