Apollinaris of Ravenna is a Syrian saint, whom the Roman Martyrology describes as “a bishop who, according to tradition, while spreading among the nations the unsearchable riches of Christ, led his flock as a good shepherd and honored the Church of Classis near Ravenna by a glorious martyrdom.”
The facts about Apollinaris, the bishop of Hierapolis in Phrygia in the second century, are very limited.
Scholars such as Jerome and Theodore have stated wrote that Apollinaris was a theologian and author of many invaluable works. . The holy books were written to point out the irrationality of many false theories that were prevalent among the people.
At that time, Emperor Marcus Aurelius defeated the Quadrians because of the prayers of the Christians. That was the success. In the battle with the Quadri, the emperor’s army was surrounded by enemies. There was a scarcity of water. A significant portion of the soldiers were Christians. As soon as they fell to their knees and prayed for rain, the sky became cloudy and it rained. The emperor was able to defeat his enemies completely as the thirsty soldiers retaliated strongly.
Around 175, Apollinaris wrote an apologetic book for Christians and dedicated it to the emperor. The book emphasized the importance and usefulness of prayer and appealed to the emperor to end religious persecution. As a result, the emperor granted Christians religious freedom and proclaimed the death penalty for those who condemned them for their faith. However, religious persecution continued as the emperor’s advisory council took a negative stance. Many Christians were persecuted. Many were killed.
Apollinaris is known as a courageous pastor who fought for the Christian faith and temporarily issued a royal decree in favor of Christians.