St. Apollonius the Apologist

Apollonius is one of the martyrs whose intelligence remains almost as vivid as his courage. A man of rank in Rome, he was denounced as a Christian and called before the authorities to answer for his faith. The surviving account is strong enough to preserve not only the fact of his martyrdom, but something of his manner. He does more than refuse sacrifice. He argues calmly, speaking of revelation, the emptiness of idols, and the moral seriousness of Christian life with the kind of clarity that made him dangerous to men who wanted simple submission.

That is part of what gives the life its sharpness. Apollonius could not be dismissed as ignorance or fanaticism. He was a cultivated Christian who understood what he believed and why he would die for it. His defense did not save him, but it made the witness more impressive. He endures in memory as a martyr whose learned composure only deepened the force of his sacrifice.