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The prestige he possessed as the friend and successor of [[Eusebius of Caesarea]] coupled with his great intellectual ability, singled him out as the spokesman and guiding spirit among the Arians, even before their first great leader, [[Eusebius of Nicomedia]], died in 342. In 341, Acacius attended the council of Antioch,<ref>Sozomen, ''Historia Ecclesiastica'', iii. 5.</ref> where in the presence of the emperor [[Constantius II]] "the Golden [[Basilica]]" was dedicated by a group of ninety bishops, he subscribed to the ambiguous creeds then drawn up from which the term [[Homoousion]] and all mention of "substance" were excluded. For this, he and other bishops of the Eusebian party were [[deposition|deposed]] at the [[Council of Sardica]] in 347. Then, refusing to acquiesce in the sentence passed upon them, he and the excommunicated bishops withdrew to Philippopolis, where he, in turn, helped to secure a sentence of [[excommunication]] and deposition against his judges, including Bishop Julius of Rome and Bp. Hosius of Cordoba. The penalties that were inflicted on him at the hands of the Nicene party did nothing to diminish his prestige. St. [[Jerome]] tells us that his esteem with Constantius II was so great during all these years that when Bishop Liberius of Rome was deposed in 357 and driven into exile, Acacius was able to secure the antipope Felix in his place.

Acacius and his followers did not wait for the sentence of deposition. They immediately traveled to Constantinople and to place their complaints before Constantius. Acacius soon gained his ear. A new council was speedily called at Constantinople, of which Acacius was its soul.<ref>Philostorgius iv. 12.</ref> Through his efforts the Council was brought to accept the Confession of Rimini. Completing their triumph, he and [[Eudoxius of Antioch]], then bishop of Constantinople, used their whole influence to bring the edicts of the [[First Ecumenical Council|Council of Nicea]], and all mention of the Homoousion, into disuse and oblivion.<ref>Sozomen iv. 26.</ref> On his return to the East in 361, Acacius and his followers consecrated new bishops to the sees that were vacant. Among these, [[Meletius of Antioch|Meletius]] was placed in the see of Antioch. When the imperial throne was filled by the Nicene friendly emperor Jovian, Acacius with his friends suddenly changed their views, and voluntarily accepted the [[Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed|creed of Nicea]] in 363.<ref>Socrates Scholasticus|Socrates iii. 25.</ref> On the accession in 364 of the Arian Emperor Valens, however, Acacius quickly returned to Arianism and made common cause with [[Eudoxius of Antioch]].<ref>Socrates iv. 2.</ref> But he found no support with the council of Macedonian bishops at Lampsacus, as his deposition at Seleucia was confirmed. He died in 366.

He was a bishop of great learning, a patron of studies, who enriched with parchments the library at Caesarea founded by [[Eusebius of Caesarea]].<ref>Jerome, ''Epistula ad Marcellam'', 141.</ref> He wrote, among other works, a treatise in seventeen books on the ''[[Ecclesiastes]]'', as well as six books or essays of ''Miscellanies'' (in Greek: σύμμικτα ζητηματα) on various subjects. He also wrote on the life of Eusebius. All this work is lost other than Epiphanius of Salamis' preservation of a considerable fragment of Acacius' Aντιλογια against Marcellus of Ancyra in his ''Panarion''.

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*[[Wikipedia:Acacius_of_Caesarea]]

*Neander, August; [http://www.hti.umich.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?type=simple;ALLSELECTED=1;sid=f7822bef596dc35f41612804846ea115;xc=1;g=moagrp;rgn=full%20text;q1=Neander;cite1=Neander;cite1restrict=author;c=moa;c=moajrnl;view=toc;subview=short;sort=occur;start=1;size=25;idno=AJG3643.0002.001;cc=moa ''General history of the Christian religion and church''], Joseph Torrey (translator), Boston, (1853-54)