ON ST. NUMIDICUS AND SEVERAL OTHER
AFRICAN MARTYRS
From St. Cyprian, letter 35, elsewhere 40.
Third century.
CommentaryNumidicus, Martyr, in Africa (S.)
His Companions, Martyrs, in Africa
BY THE AUTHOR J. B. S.
Here we place in the class of Martyrs the famous priest St. Numidicus, praised by St. Cyprian, Passed over in the ancient calendars not only as a confessor of the faith, but as a Martyr and one who truly suffered martyrdom, although he did not lay down his life in the glorious contest, as will presently be demonstrated from the letter of St. Cyprian, from which alone, namely, whatever can be said of this whole class must be sought. How many in number those holy Athletes were is nowhere expressed, nor is the place of the passion established, nor the tyrant under whom they consummated it, St. Cyprian naming none, although from the order of events it is clear enough that the persecution of Decius rather than of Valerian is indicated, even by the witness of Baronius himself in the Annals, whatever inserted the name of the latter into the Roman Martyrology, by which indeed they have been entered in the sacred Calendars under this formula: In Africa, the commemoration of very many holy Martyrs who, in the persecution of Valerian, being exhorted by St. Numidicus, were cast into the fire and obtained the palm of martyrdom. But Numidicus himself, although he had been cast with the others upon the pyre and buried with stones, was nevertheless dug out by his daughter, and, found half alive, was healed, and afterwards, on account of his virtue, merited to be co-opted by blessed Cyprian as a priest of the church of Carthage.
[2] he found a praiser That they were unknown to all the ancient or classic Martyrologies, and indeed to the fuller Usuards, you will easily gather from our edition, so that Molanus alone seems to have been the first who among his secondary supplements recorded them in this way: The birthday of the holy Numidicus, priest and martyr, with many others, of whom Cyprian in the letter to the deacons, priests, and people of Carthage. This man I should believe shone before Galesinius, when on this day too he wrote thus: In Africa, of St. Numidicus the priest and of many other Martyrs, whom blessed Cyprian the martyr praises in the letter written to the church of Carthage. This man at least I judge that Baronius saw, although in his notes he cites no one except St. Cyprian in these words: Their remarkable contests, undertaken and consummated with unconquered spirit, Numidicus the most valiant president of the games exhorting them, St. Cyprian writes of in letter 35, who also treats of Numidicus again in letter 40 of Pamelius's edition. Behold now that very letter of St. Cyprian.
[3] St. Cyprian, We follow the edition of Pamelius, who sets before it this summary, to be examined below. He announces, he says, to the clergy and people that Numidicus has been ordained a priest by him, commending his dignity in a few words. The title is: Cyprian to the priests and deacons and the whole people, his dearest and most longed-for brethren, greeting. It begins: It was needful to announce to you, dearest brethren, what pertains to the common joy and to the greatest glory of our church. For know that we have been admonished and instructed by divine condescension, that Numidicus the priest be enrolled in the number of the priests of Carthage, and sit with us among the clergy, illustrious with the most brilliant light of confession, and sublime with the honor of virtue and of faith, who by his exhortation sent before him a copious number of Martyrs slain by stones and flames; and who beheld with joy his wife, clinging to his side, burned together with the rest (or rather, I should say, preserved).
[4] He himself, half burnt and buried under stones, and left for dead, from which his martyrdom appears. while afterwards his daughter with the anxious observance of piety was seeking the corpse of her father, was found half alive, and drawn out, and revived, and remained behind, against his will, from the companions whom he himself had sent before. But the cause of his remaining, as we see, was this, that the Lord might join him to our clergy, and might adorn with glorious priests the company of our presbytery, made desolate by the lapse of certain men. And he shall indeed be promoted, when God shall permit, to a more ample place of his religion, when in the Lord's protection we shall have come into your presence. Meanwhile let what is shown be done, that we may receive with thanksgiving this gift of God, hoping from the mercy of the Lord for a good many ornaments of this kind, so that, the strength of his Church being restored, he may make men so meek and humble to flourish in the honor of our assembly. I wish you, dearest and most longed-for brethren, ever to fare well.
[5] Was he also ordained a priest by him? Further, that St. Numidicus was enrolled in the clergy of the church of Carthage appears from letter 38 of the same Pamelian edition, whose title is this: Cyprian to his colleagues Caldonius and Herculanus, and likewise to his fellow-priests Rogatianus and Numidicus, greeting. He joins the same man again to Rogatianus in the following letter 39; and he praises both more emphatically in letter 40, asserting them to be priests and confessors, and illustrious with the glory of the divine condescension. There is one thing which in the letter recited above is disputed against Pamelius, namely, whether from it be sufficiently gathered what he says in the summary prefixed, that Cyprian announces to the clergy and people that Numidicus has been ordained a priest by him. On which words Baronius in the Annals at the year of Christ 253, number 95, thus accurately observes: But we do not think that he (Numidicus) was only then ordained a priest by Cyprian (which others report), but that, since he was already a priest of some other church, after so illustrious a martyrdom endured, Cyprian judged him worthy of that honor, that he should exercise the priesthood in the church of Carthage, the chief of all Africa. For those words persuade to this: that Numidicus the priest be enrolled in the number of the priests of Carthage. But of a new ordination of him there is not even a word. And let it suffice here to have noted these things, rightly observed by Baronius.