ON ST. EUDOCIA, MARTYR,
IN PERSIA.
Under Sapor.
Her cult and eulogy among the Greeks. Whether she is the same as St. Ia, or different.
Eudocia, Martyr, in Persia (St.)
J. P.
[1] I find two namesakes of today's Eudocia crowned with martyrdom in our Work; The tables of the Greeks announce this Martyr, one indeed on the day XXXI of January, page 1081, joined to other Egyptian Martyrs under Diocletian; the other at the day 1 of March, page 8, of Heliopolis under Trajan: concerning whom the Roman Martyrology then speaks; both distinct from today's Saint: in whose public cult various Greek calendars agree on this day, namely their great Menæa published in print, the Menology edited by Canisius from the translation of Cardinal Sirleto, the Typicon of St. Sabas, not to mention others. The said Menæa, with which Sirleto agrees almost word for word, announce her thus on this day: The bringing of the relics of our holy mother and martyr Eudocia. The little verses appended in the same place I render thus:
"What fragrance is this? This body of Eudocia comes breathing forth the graces of the athletes. The lady Eudocia was brought, dead, about the fourth [day]."
What fragrance is this? The body of Eudocia comes From a sacred triumph, fragrant with the gifts of grace. The fourth [day] bore the body of venerable Eudocia.
[2] There follows in the same place her eulogy; which would that it set forth as distinctly the other circumstances of her martyrdom as it graphically exhibits her punishments! It runs thus from the version of our Manuscript of Rader: The holy martyr Eudocia was Roman by race, yet sprung from the East, and being captured by the Persians she came into the region of the Persians. She, most skilled in the sacred Letters, exhorted all the captives to virtue, and was celebrated there by the mouth of all, being familiar even with Persian women; of whom she led not a few to the knowledge of the true God. Accused on this account, she was beaten with ox-sinews, and, cast into prison, spent two months there. Then, drawn back to the tribunal of the judges, since she persisted in the Christian faith, she was beaten with rods until her flesh, torn loose, flowed down, and the lictors were drenched with blood. Cast back again into prison, only after the sixth month she is again brought forth and condemned. And so the lictors split reeds, and fitted them to the stature of her body, and, having bound and stripped her, they wove the reeds about her, and, tightened with thin cords of broom, inserted them into all the members of her body, and those brutal men drew one after the other so violently that they tore the Martyr's flesh with immense pain. Then, having hung her up and encircled her whole body with ship's ropes, they dragged her over rough beams, and crushed all her bones. And when they saw her now half dead and failing in voice, they at last tore her head from her neck. Thus far the text: whence it follows that she seems to have consummated her martyrdom at the time of the persecution stirred up under Sapor, king of the Persians; concerning which consult what is said on this day about St. Ia, martyr, number 4.
[3] Whether Eudocia is to be distinguished from St. Ia. You will ask whether St. Eudocia is the same as St. Ia, who is treated by us on this day, or different from her. For their identity these things make: that the Acts of St. Ia contain so many things which savor of the eulogy of Eudocia just produced, that it appears altogether likely that the one was drawn from the other, as will become clear if anyone compares them together. I incline nevertheless to that opinion which asserts that the one is distinguished from the other. First, because their names are distinguished. Second, because in the Greek calendars they are reported on the same day as two persons. Third, because it could easily have happened that that Eudocia, brought from Persia to Constantinople either as unknown and anonymous, received her name there at that time, or was brought there under this name; the substance of the narrative of St. Ia's martyrdom being applied to our St. Eudocia, honored assuredly with another's Acts, since perhaps she lacked her own. What if perhaps she was one of the Companions of St. Ia, of whom mention is made in her announcements? Whatever be the case with these conjectures, on account of what I have just said I have judged that St. Eudocia the martyr is to be distinguished from St. Ia the martyr.