Acacius was a a Christian who took the time to learn and think seriously about the stories of the Roman gods and goddesses and who, when challenged by one of the Roman consuls (during a time when Christians were being especially persecuted) talked with him knowingly about why he chose Jesus to worship over Apollo.

What is unique about their dialogue, which has been preserved over the centuries, is that this was not one of those “Oh, I worship the Living God while you worship idols of wood and stone” arguments. Acacius recognized that he could not “show” his god any more than Martian (that was the consul’s name, not his planet of origin) could produce Apollo. Yet he did not denigrate Martian’s beliefs as being any more superstitious-seeming than his own.

Acacius asked Martian why he would choose to worship a god (Apollo) who was unsuccessful in heterosexual love (Daphne) and who ended up killing his gay lover (Hyacinth) accidentally. Acacius further underscored that the then-current Roman prohibition on homosexuality made Apollo an even more unlikely god for a good, law-abiding Roman to follow. In this way, Acacius engaged the imagination of Martian, who queried him further about what made Jesus so worship-worthy. Acacius gave Martian his reasons.

Here’s the thing: Martian was not converted to Christianity! But both he and, later, Emperor Decius were so impressed by the respectfulness and constancy of Acacius that, far from punishing him for his faith, they directed him to go about his business, proclaim his Christian views, and lead his life as he best saw fit.

The story of Acacius is in stark contrast to that of many of those saints (usually martyred) who either dismissed the religions of others out-of-hand or for whom taking a stand was more important than making a human connection. Acacius also offers a glimpse into a different kind of saint–one who thinks for himself, is well-read, is unafraid to converse with those with whom he disagrees, and has a quick wit and, even, a sense of humor.