St. Apollinaris

St. Apollinaris (Claudius Apollinaris) was bishop of Hierapolis in Phrygia (in modern Turkey) in the second century, and died around 175. He was a prominent figure among the early Christian apologists, the writers who defended the faith with reasoned arguments during the era of Roman persecution, and he was esteemed by later Fathers for his learning and orthodoxy.

According to ancient testimony, he addressed a defense of the Christians to the Emperor Marcus Aurelius, and he also wrote against paganism and against the errors of the Montanists who were then troubling the Church in Asia Minor. Although his writings have almost entirely been lost, his memory was preserved with honor by early Church historians, and he is venerated as a saint and bishop of the early Church.