CONCERNING ST. APPHIANUS, BROTHER OF ST. AEDESIUS THE MARTYR,
Martyr at Caesarea in Palestine,
UNDER MAXIMINUS.
PrefaceApphianus, Martyr, at Caesarea in Palestine (St.)
G. H.
[1] Three places are celebrated as being illustrated by the birth, studies and martyrdom
of St. Apphianus: of these the city
of Palestine, Caesarea, the arena of his martyrdom,
stands out. Caesarea the Arena of Martyrdom. It is, after Jerusalem, the chief city,
and metropolis of Palestina Prima,
and an Archiepiscopal See, and, as is indicated below, is situated on the
sea-coast. The second city, ennobled by the studies and pious
education of St. Apphianus, is Berytus, itself the chief
Episcopal city in Phoenicia under the Patriarchate of Antioch, Berytus of his studies, situated near the sea.
In the third place — that in which he began his life — some
difficulty arises. The region of Lydia is assigned in the Greek Menaea,
but Lycia is named in Eusebius below, a region of Asia
on the Mediterranean Sea not far from the island of Rhodes. the city of his birth, Pagae of Lycia,
Concerning this city Eusebius has, Ἔι
τις
ἄρα
Παγὰς
ἐπίσταται
τῆς
Λυκίας
οὐκ
ἄσημον
πόλιν. If anyone, therefore, knows Pagae,
a not-obscure city of Lycia. But in other MSS.
these words ἄρα and Παγὰς are combined into one, and it is called
Ἀραπαγὰς, and by contraction Ἁρπαγὰς and Ἁραγὰς.
But no such places are found either in Lycia or in Lydia,
and yet it was no obscure city. Henricus Valesius,
in his Annotations on this passage, fixed his eyes
on the Episcopal city of Lycia, Araxa, which is not unacceptable.
What if we should say whether Araxa or Patara? that the word Παγὰς has been altered, and Patara,
an Episcopal city of Lycia, is to be understood — once famous
for an oracle of Apollo? This is situated on the coast of the Pamphylian sea,
near the mouths of the river Xanthus, whence navigation was easy
both to Berytus and to Caesarea. And let this suffice concerning the places.
[2] Acts from Eusebius. We give the Acts of St. Apphianus from the Ecclesiastical History of Eusebius
Pamphili, who describes them in the book On the Martyrs of Palestine,
chapter 4, or (as others reckon) book 8 of the History, chapter
14. He was an eye-witness of these events — indeed, he lived with St. Apphianus
in the same house. abridgments among the Greeks on 2 April. From these Acts various abridgments
are read in the Greek Menology of Emperor Basil, and
another of Cardinal Sirletus, and in other Menaea and Synaxaria,
both printed and handwritten. Similar are the Acts
extracted from a Venetian MS., rendered into Latin by Francisco Zino, and
wrongly edited under the name of Metaphrastes by Aloysius Lipomanus.
Some errors have crept into these abridgments, the chief
of which is that he is said to have been trained in the sacred letters
at Caesarea or Berytus by St. Pamphilus the Martyr. These Greeks seem
to have carefully taken care lest St. Apphianus should be said to have been instructed
by Eusebius Pamphili, who afterwards
fell into heresy. He is moreover called by Metaphrastes and others Amphianus, not Apphianus,
perhaps having been led into error because another
Martyr, Amphianus, is venerated on this day, who suffered in Africa, of whom and
of his companions we shall presently treat, chiefly from the ancient Latin Martyrologies. referred to by the ancient Latins; April.
[3] Our Martyr St. Apphianus has a celebrated cultus
in nearly all the Latin fasti, but on the fifth day of this
month of April, on which four ancient copies
of the Hieronymian Martyrology refer him; likewise Usuard, Ado, Notker,
the Author of the Martyrology printed under the name of Bede, Bellinus,
Grevenus, Maurolycus, Molanus, Canisius, with the Martyrologies of very many
Churches in MS., and almost everywhere with this phrase:
At Caesarea of Lycia and of St. Amphianus. Where the connecting conjunction
seems to have been transposed, and it ought to be read thus: At Caesarea
and Lycia of St. Amphianus — because in both places due veneration
was of old paid to him. The Greeks refer his memory to this day,
and join with him the martyrdom of his brother Aedesius, preceded by this distich:
Τὸν
Ἀμφιανὸν
ὁρῶν
λαβόντα
στέφος,
Ἕσπευδεν
Αἰδέστος
θανεῖν
προθύμως.
Beholding the crown won by his brother Amphianus,
Aedesius hastened to die with him.
[4] But Aedesius did not suffer in the same place as his brother, so that he could have been
kindled by his example; nor at the same time: by the Greeks today together with his brother. but probably
two or three years before him, so that he ought rather to be said to have stirred his own mind by the fame of his
own martyrdom, in order to seek an equal
laurel over idolatry. And these indeed the Greeks having
imitated, Galesinius and Baronius referred to the present
day II April; and with the same called him Amphianus:
but Aedesius the aforesaid Recognizor of the Roman Martyrology
postponed to the day VIII April (on which we too shall
treat of him), and there called him the brother of Apphianus — which reading
We prefer to retain from Eusebius, so that thus he may be more conveniently distinguished
from the African Martyr Amphianus, about to be presented shortly with his other companions.
[5] For indicating the year and day of martyrdom, the war is indicated below
no. 3 raised against the Christians by Maximinus
in the third year of Diocletian's persecution, whose first year,
by the testimony of the same Eusebius in the same book On the Martyrs of Palestine chap.
2, began in the year XIX of Diocletian in the month Xanthicus, with
edicts issued when the day of the saving Passion was imminent.
That year was CCCIII in which Pascha was celebrated XVIII April.
But the execution does not seem to have been carried out immediately throughout the whole
Empire, and therefore in the third year of the said persecution it seems possible to include
the beginning of the month of April of the year CCCVI, whether he suffered in 306 on a Friday
when by the seventh cycle of the sun and with the Dominical letter F Friday, in Greek
ἡμέρα
παρασκευῆς, as required below, fell on the fifth day
of April, the 6th on April 5? as in the ancient Latin Martyrologies is celebrated
the martyrdom of St. Apphianus. But the fifth day
of April seems to correspond to the second day of the month of Xanthicus with
the Caesareans and others nearby in Palestine.
[6] We treated on February XXVI the Life of St. Porphyry,
ordained Bishop of Gaza by John Archbishop of Caesarea;
in which Life, written by his disciple Mark,
no. 21, the months of the Gazaeans in January are said to precede the Roman days
by five days, and therefore, because of only twenty-eight
days numbered in the Roman February, they may be believed
to precede by only three days in the month of April for the same
Gazaeans, and in their metropolis Caesarea: and thus Friday,
indicated by Eusebius, whether in the year 308 April 2? with the second day of the month Xanthicus
and the fifth day of our April would very well agree: but then that
πρὸ
τεσσάρων
Νώννων
Ἀπριλλίων, on the fourth day before
the nones of April, as a gloss by later persons ignorantly
inserted, would have to be either expunged or altered. But in order that
Friday should fall on the second day of April, we should have to wait
until the year CCCVIII, which would be not the third
year, but the fifth of the persecution of Diocletian. These things
to learned men we have wished to propose for further investigation.
ACTS OF THE MARTYRDOM.
Authored by Eusebius as eye-witness.
Apphianus, Martyr, at Caesarea in Palestine (St.)
BY EUSEBIUS
[1] Maximinus Caesar, from the time when he was raised
to the Empire, as one who wished to display the marks of his innate hatred toward God, In the cruel persecution of Maximinus,
and of his innate impiety, pressed upon the persecution
of our people more violently than the preceding princes. When therefore all
were gravely disturbed and were scattered hither and thither,
and each one labored with every means to escape
the danger, and the greatest tumult
had occupied all the Provinces; by what discourse can we
worthily expound the ardor of divine love
and the full confidence in confession of the blessed and
truly innocent little lamb, the Martyr Apphianus?
He indeed at the gates of the
city of Caesarea offered to all its inhabitants an admirable example of sincere piety
toward the true God for all to behold, St. Apphianus suffered at Caesarea, and that not yet twenty years old.
And formerly indeed, when for the sake of secular studies,
being born of most wealthy parents, he had spent
much time at Berytus; imbued with the studies and piety of Berytus, it is incredible
to say in what way, in that city, having trampled down the
desires of youth, suffering himself to be corrupted neither by the vigor of body,
nor by the company of companions,
he embraced modesty; living honorably, soberly and piously according to the precept
of Christianity, moderating and chastising
his own manners. But if it is fitting also to mention his country,
and to adorn that city, from which
such a noble champion of our religion arose, with the praise it deserves, born in Lycia: I indeed will do so most willingly.
If therefore anyone knows Pagae, a not-obscure city of
Lycia, from there the noble youth was sprung.
[2] Who indeed having returned afterwards from the studies of Berytus,
when his father held the chief place in the household,
nevertheless himself refused to dwell with his father and kinsmen; leaving his parents
because they refused to lead life according to the precepts of divine religion.
But inspired by a certain divine spirit, and out of innate love of Philosophy,
or rather of heavenly and true wisdom,
despising the vain glory of this world and the pleasures of the body, and worldly glory,
secretly he fled from home. And not even
concerning the daily expense of living was he anxious,
because of the hope and confidence which he had placed in God;
with the Holy Spirit going before and, as it were, leading him by the hand,
he arrived at Caesarea, where the crown of Martyrdom
awaited him. dwells at Caesarea with Eusebius: There, dwelling with us,
when from the reading of sacred letters, as much as could be done
in that very brief time, he had gathered fruit for himself,
and had strengthened himself with suitable exercise of stricter abstinence,
at length he was made illustrious by such an end, which
whoever received by sight, can in no way fail
to have been astonished at the same time. But whoever received it only by hearing,
must needs admire the youth's
confidence, liberty, constancy, and above all
the boldness of his counsel and purpose: which indeed
are the most certain proofs of zeal for divine religion and of a certain divine spirit.
[3] the persecution raging there, For when Maximinus had stirred up a second war against us,
in the third year of the persecution
of Diocletian; and through all provinces the tyrant's edicts
had been sent, by which the Rulers were ordered
to see to it that all the inhabitants of all cities should
publicly sacrifice to the gods; and when heralds throughout all
Caesarea summoned all heads of families to the temples of the
demons by order of the President; and besides
the military Tribunes were calling each by name from a roll;
with all Christians everywhere being shaken
by an inexplicable whirlwind of evils, this man
whom we named above, with no one taking counsel,
secretly from us who dwelt in the same house,
secretly from the whole cohort of soldiers who stood around
the President, approached Urbanus, then by chance pouring a libation,
undaunted: admonishes the President to desist from idolatry: and with confident mind,
having seized his right hand, he at once forced him
to stop the sacrifice: soon like a most prudent
admonisher with a certain divine gravity
he began to urge him to desist from error: indeed
that it was absurd, that men, having set aside the power of the true and only
God, should offer sacred things to images and to demons.
This, as is likely, the most courageous
youth was doing, by a certain divine power
(which had impelled him to this) — all things, so to speak,
crying out and proclaiming through this deed,
that so far from the Christians (those indeed worthy of that name)
being ever led away from the worship of the divine power
which they had once imbibed; rather by threats,
and the tortures which are wont to follow threats,
they were so superior to these, that they still speak the more
freely henceforth, and with frank and
fearless voice proclaim the truth, and even exhort
their persecutors themselves, if it be possible, that
casting off the error of impiety, they may recognize Him
who alone is God.
[4] After these things the above-mentioned youth, torn with blows, is cast into prison: in the present instance
indeed (as one who had perpetrated so audacious a deed),
by the soldiers who attended the President, was torn as though by
wild beasts, and having most bravely endured innumerable blows
on his whole body, was cast into prison.
Where, when he had remained for the space of a day and a night with his feet stretched
in the stocks, on the following day he is brought to judgment.
Then, being compelled by the Judge to sacrifice to the gods,
he declared an invincible constancy of mind against
hardships and however dreadful pains;
with his sides furrowed not once, but again and
again, to the very bones and entrails; and with so many
blows of leaded scourges struck on his face and neck,
that with his face bruised and swollen, amidst dreadful torments unconquered, not even by those
who knew him best was he recognized. But
when he yielded in no way to such great pains,
the torturers, by order of the President, wrapping linen soaked in oil
around his feet, then set fire beneath it.
With this done, what pains the most blessed Martyr
suffered, cannot, I think, be expressed by any discourse.
For the fire, his flesh being consumed, penetrated
even to the bones, so that all the
moisture of his body, liquefied like wax, flowed forth drop by drop.
But not overcome even by these tortures, although
the adversaries were already conquered and despairing in mind on account of his portentous
fortitude, again he is thrust into chains. is cast into the sea: Then on the third day
following, being brought before the Judge, and having professed
the same constancy of faith although half-dead,
he was plunged into the depths of the sea.
[5] But the things which immediately followed may perhaps seem
incredible to those, if I should relate them, who did not see
these things with their own eyes. But although I understand that this is
without doubt going to happen, I can in no way
fail to commit the deed to the memory of posterity:
for almost all
the inhabitants of the city of Caesarea have been witnesses of this miracle.
No age certainly failed to be present at the spectacle
of so astounding a thing. After, therefore, they had submerged that
most holy and most blessed young man in the midst of the sea into the deepest which suddenly shaken with a storm,
whirlpool, as it seemed to them;
suddenly such a motion and such a crash shook not only
the sea, but also the whole heaven, that the earth also
and the very city of Caesarea was shaken by that motion.
Also at the same moment of time, in which
that sudden and marvellous earthquake had occurred,
the body of the divine Martyr, inasmuch as the sea-waves
could not contain it, the body is carried to the shore. was cast up by them before the gates
of the city. Such was the end of the admirable
Apphianus, on the second day of the month Xanthicus,
which is the fourth day before the Nones of April, on Friday.