ON ST. ANTONINUS, MARTYR
His cult among the Greeks; is the martyr of the same name to be distinguished from today's?
Antoninus, martyr among the Greeks (S.)
J. P.
In various sacred Calendars of the Greeks the memory of this Martyr Antoninus or Antonius is woven in today. The great printed Menæa record thus: His memory is announced in the Greek Calendars; his eulogy. On the same day (the IX of August), the contest of the holy martyr Antonius, who was an Alexandrian. There follows a small eulogy of him, in which among other things it is narrated that he was found unharmed in the midst of the fire, the flame not hurting him even so much as a hair. The excerpts which we have from the Ambrosian Menæa: The contest of the holy martyr Antoninus, who was an Alexandrian. The eulogy agrees with the preceding, the same names being subscribed, namely of both the Turin codices and of Sirmond; which is an argument that in those documents too our Martyr is treated of. Brief is that in the Menology which, Cardinal Sirleto being the interpreter, was published by Henry Canisius: On the same day, the birthday of the holy martyr Antonius of Alexandria; who, for the confession of Christ being cast into a furnace of fire, commending his spirit to God, was crowned with the crown of martyrdom. The Synaxarium from the Menology collected by the order of the emperor Basil commemorates our holy Champion on the VIII day of this month, and attends him with the following eulogy, which from the Greek text, printed at the end of the first volume of this month of August, I thus interpret into Latin: Antoninus the martyr of Christ drew his birth indeed from the city of Alexandria; but he was a Christian, and religious, and moreover fearing God. For this cause, being seized by the idolaters, brought before the governor, and questioned, he confessed Christ. And so, hung upon a wooden frame, he was violently scraped, and by the lictors, and also by the soldiers who stood about the governor, he was pressed to deny Christ, that he might be freed from the torment.
But he rather with a loud voice proclaimed Christ the true God; and the idols and their worshippers he assailed with reproaches and mockeries. And when the torments had long been endured, he was punished by a sentence of fire. And so, after he had prayed, and had taught the bystanders to acknowledge Christ alone as God, being cast into the furnace he delivered his blessed soul to God.
[2] [Is the Saint of the same name on the 14th of February to be distinguished from today's?] At the XIV day of February treatment was made with us of the Martyrs of Alexandria, among whom is one by the name of Antonius; who nevertheless seems to be distinguished from today's, on account of the plainly different punishment by which he is said to have completed his martyrdom: for today's suffered in a furnace by fire, whereas the other, sunk in the sea, consummated his course through water. There is added to this, that this latter has others joined to him, while ours is announced alone. For the rest, the things which the eulogy above recorded of him are very obscure, so that from them it cannot even be hammered out at what time or in what place he suffered.