Aedesius

ON SAINT AEDESIUS,

MARTYR AT ALEXANDRIA.

THE YEAR 304

Aedesius, Martyr at Alexandria (St.)

BY G. H.

The sacred tables of the Roman Martyrology begin this day April 8 with the glorious martyrdom of Saint Aedesius in these words: "At Alexandria, of Saint Aedesius the Martyr, Sacred veneration. brother of Blessed Apphianus, who under Maximianus Galerius the Emperor, when he openly rebuked the impious Judge because he was handing over Virgins consecrated to God to pimps; seized by the soldiers, and afflicted with the most cruel tortures, was drowned in the sea for Christ the Lord." We have at length set forth the Acts of the martyrdom of Saint Apphianus on April 2, where we treated at length of the year and day of the martyrdom. Eusebius Pamphili, with whom the said Apphianus had dwelt, in his book On the Martyrs of Palestine chapter 4, describes his glorious combat, completed at Caesarea in Palestine; and in chapter 5 he adds the martyrdom of Ulpian and Aedesius, completed outside Palestine; of Ulpian in the city of Tyre, as we said on April 3, and of Saint Aedesius in the city of Alexandria, concerning whom Eusebius hands down these things:

[2] Aedesius, brother of Saint Apphianus, "After some time Aedesius, the true brother of Apphianus both according to God and according to the flesh, suffered the same things with him. For after innumerable confessions, after long torments of prison and chains, after the sentences of the Governors, he is condemned to the mines, by which he had been condemned to the mines of Palestine; after a life plainly philosophical, which, wearing the philosopher's cloak, he had perpetually led (for he had advanced further than his brother in the disciplines, inasmuch as he had devoted himself to philosophy), finally at Alexandria, when he had seen the Judge, At Alexandria he rebukes the impious Judge, who was holding an inquiry concerning the Christians, raging beyond measure and insulting; and now indeed afflicting grave men with various insults, now surrendering to pimps for every kind of shameful thing women endowed with exceptional chastity, and even Virgins devoted to God, he attempted to do the same thing as his brother. For when these things seemed to him intolerable, with great confidence of spirit he approached the Judge. And when he had overwhelmed him with shame and ignominy both by words and deeds, afterwards bravely enduring manifold torments of tortures, at last cast into the sea, he is thrown into the sea: he perished by the same kind of death as his brother. And these things indeed happened to Aedesius in this manner, though somewhat later in time, as I have already said."

[3] These things Eusebius Pamphili. But the Greeks on the 2nd of April together celebrate Saints Apphianus (whom they almost call Amphianus) and Aedesius, and call them brothers from the mother, whom Eusebius asserts were ὁμοπατρίους, born of the same father. Aloysius Lipomanus in tome VII of the Lives of the Saints published the Acts of both, and concerning Saint Aedesius has these things: "Similar torments, however, afterwards, with not much time intervening, his brother Aedesius underwent. This one, even before his brother had departed to God, devoted himself to philosophy, and learned various arts and disciplines, instructed in various sciences, not only Greek but Roman, and was for a long time a disciple of Pamphilus. And when he had most often professed himself a Christian, and had endured long punishments in prison, he was first condemned to the bronze mines in Palestine. And after this calamity at Alexandria he came upon Hierocles, who was administering all Egypt. When he had noticed him raging against the Martyrs of God with injury, and handing over the holy Virgins of God to pimps, who were contaminating them with every wickedness and lust, He strikes Judge Hierocles: and he could not bear so great iniquity, he undertook a deed similar to his brother's. For filled with divine zeal he proceeds, and confounds Hierocles by words and deeds. For with his own hand he inflicts blows on his face, and casts him prostrate on the ground, and strikes him and admonishes him not to dare to offend the servants of God against the laws of nature. When he had said and done these and many other things, afterwards he stoutly endured the tortures inflicted on his body; until, cast into the sea, he had the same end of life as his brother. And he underwent this combat at Alexandria."

[4] These things the Greeks in the Acts published by Lipomanus, of which such a compendium is extant in the Menologion of Emperor Basil Porphyrogenitus: "Aedesius, condemned to be punished in digging in the bronze mines, He is mentioned in the Menologion of Emperor Basil. was sent to Alexandria: where on a certain day when he had seen the Governor of the city raging fiercely against the Christians, hastening at once he struck him with a rod. Whence, first tormented with many tortures, at length cast into the sea, he happily consummated his martyrdom." Thus there, which are explained a little more fully in the Menaia of the Greeks: and in the Menaia of the Greeks: "Aedesius, however, was sent to Alexandria in Egypt to the bronze mines, when among his hardships he saw the Christians being tortured with punishments by Hierocles; despising his own life, he struck the Prefect with his own hand: for which reason, exposed to many tortures, he himself at last being thrown into the sea, obtained the laurel of martyrdom." Thus there.

Against the aforementioned Hierocles Eusebius wrote a book, published together with his Demonstratio Evangelica at Paris, Hierocles is refuted. in the year 1628 in Greek and Latin, Zenobius Acciaiolus translator: in which he excellently refutes him, because from the history of Philostratus the Lemnian Sophist he had dared to compare Apollonius of Tyana, an infamous magician, to our Savior Jesus Christ. The same man, but with his name suppressed, Lactantius Firmianus attacks for the same cause in book 5 of the Divine Institutes, chapter 3, and very many others. Baronius may be consulted at the year 302, number 58 and following.