Victor the Bishop

ON SAINTS VICTOR THE BISHOP, FELIX, ALEXANDER, AND PAPIAS, MARTYRS WHO SUFFERED AT ROME.

Victor, Martyr who suffered at Rome (St.)

Felix, Martyr who suffered at Rome (St.)

Alexander, Martyr who suffered at Rome (St.)

Papias, Martyr who suffered at Rome (St.)

By G. H.

The third class of Martyrs in the very often praised Epternach copy of the Hieronymian Martyrology is set forth in these words: "At Rome, of Victor the Bishop, Sacred cult in ancient calendars Felix, Alexander, Papias." In three other copies of the same Hieronymian Martyrology, namely the Lucca, the Blumian, and the Corbie printed at Paris, a little more fully is read: "At Rome, the deposition of Saint Victor the Bishop, Felix, Alexander, Papias." The very ancient manuscripts—the Vatican of the Church of Saint Peter, another Roman one of Cardinal Barberini and of the Duke of Altemps, the Cassinese in Lombard script, and the Reichenau or Augia-dives near Constance in Swabia—with the last omitted, deliver this: "At Rome, the deposition of Victor the Bishop, Felix, Alexander." With Alexander also omitted, the rest is contained in the Rheinau manuscript. But the manuscript of the Queen of Sweden, also printed by Holstenius, has only this: "At Rome, of Saint Victor the Bishop." But "At Rome, of Victor" is read in the Augsburg manuscript of Saint Ulric and the Parisian of Labbé. In the manuscript of Saint Cyriacus, often praised by Baronius in the Notes to the Martyrology, it is found: "Of the protection of Victor the Bishop," perhaps through the fault of the copyists, and it should be written "the deposition of Victor the Bishop," as it is read in the manuscripts of Arras, Tournai, and Saint Sabinus in the territory of Tarbes. In the Trier manuscript of Saint Martin also, without combat, Victor the Bishop, and in the Aachen, Victor is recalled. And these are the more ancient Martyrologies composed either before the times of Usuard and Ado, or certainly without knowledge of them. Again on April 21 in four copies of the Hieronymian Martyrology these things are found: "And elsewhere, of Victor, Papias, Felix." Which, with the last omitted, are delivered in the Reichenau manuscript. Concerning these we doubt whether they are the same who are more accurately referred to on this day.

[4] In this whole work we give many Bishops crowned with martyrdom at Rome, Nicomedia, Alexandria, Whether Saint Victor was elsewhere a Bishop and led to Rome and Carthage, who were not Bishops of those cities but were led to them from elsewhere. Thus on April 18 we gave a class of 14 Martyrs from four copies of the said Hieronymian Martyrology, with this beginning: "At Rome, the natal day of Saints Eleutherius the Bishop and Anthia his mother." Who would not judge this to be Saint Eleutherius, the 14th Pontiff of Rome, if the Acts did not exist from which it is established that he was Bishop of Aeca in Apulia and was led to Rome for the sake of martyrdom? To Saint Eleutherius the Pope succeeded Saint Victor, whom the ancient Catalogues of Popes compiled in the 6th and 7th centuries, and augmented by Anastasius the Librarian, along with the Pontifical Book, ancient Breviaries and various Martyrologies, hand down as buried beside the body of Blessed Peter on the 5th day before the Kalends of August, and his cult hitherto constantly perseveres on the said July 28. All these things being compared with the Martyrologies mentioned above, it seems not improbable that Victor the Bishop, who on this day suffered martyrdom at Rome with his companions, was led from elsewhere in order to suffer there.

[3] Meanwhile, some half-learned person might have arisen who, having found a Victor Bishop and Martyr at Rome, immediately thinking nothing further, judged him to be Roman Pontiff: Saint Victor Pope referred to by some and the opinion pleased Usuard, who thus writes under this day: "At Rome, the natal day of Saint Victor the Pope, who after Blessed Peter ruled the Church as fifteenth for ten years, and under the Emperor Severus was crowned with martyrdom." Similar things have Ado, Notker, the Author of the martyrology falsely ascribed to Bede, and by these he is wrongly called the thirteenth after Blessed Peter. Moreover, he ruled the Church about twelve years, as we establish elsewhere from the death of Saint Eleutherius, and from the Consuls Commodus V and Glabrio, under whom he began, and Lateranus and Rufinus, under whom he finished his Pontificate. The very ancient Martyrology, which exists written out in the monastery of Saint Savin of Lavedan in the Pyrenees (whence Saussay, page 1248, had and published extracts pertaining to Gaul), speaks thus: "On the same day, April 20, the deposition of Saint Victor the Bishop, and the passion of Saint Donatus the Martyr"; of which words the first part is also read in the old manuscript of the Vatican church of Saint Peter, and "at Rome" is added, so that there also a Roman Bishop seems to be understood, concerning whose martyrdom the more ancient Catalogues are silent; the latter part seems to pertain to Saint Donata, also having suffered at Rome, of whom presently below: who in the Corbie manuscript is also called Donatus.