ON THE HOLY ROMAN MARTYRS,
THE CLXV SOLDIERS. LIKEWISE ON CLAUDIUS, SEVERUS, CRESCENTIO, AND ROMANUS.
Under Aurelian.
CommentaryThe CLXV Soldiers, Martyrs at Rome (SS.) — Claudius, Martyr at Rome (St.)
Severus, Martyr at Rome (St.)
Crescentio, Martyr at Rome (St.)
Romanus, Martyr at Rome (St.)
BY J. P.
Here you have a twofold class of holy Martyrs. Of the first I shall speak first, The cult of the 165 Soldiers from the sacred Calendars: and then of the second. Of its ancient cult it is established from the Hieronymian transcripts in Florentini at the day VI of August; where to SS. Lawrence and Hippolytus the CLXV Soldiers are subjoined. It is established likewise from the old or little Roman Martyrology, which to the announcement of St. Lawrence on this day X adds this: And of CLXV Soldiers. Ado, after his manner following that exemplar, thus subjoins to the Laurentian Acts: On the same day at Rome, of CLXV Soldiers: which Usuard also transcribed into his Martyrology. As for Notker, when he writes, At Rome, of one hundred and forty-five Soldiers, I suspect that he did not so much depart from Ado, his guide, as that it happened by the fault of a copyist that, by the transposition of one numeral, he read CXLV written for CLXV. Our martyr Soldiers also Peter de Natalibus wove into his Catalogue, book 7, chapter 44. Lastly the present Roman Martyrology thus prescribes them to be read in the Church on this day: Likewise at Rome, the passion of the holy one hundred and sixty-five Soldiers, martyrs, under the emperor Aurelian. These things are confirmed in the Ecclesiastical Annals of Baronius at the year 275, number 4, in these words: Moreover it is established that sixty-five Soldiers also, being informed against for Christianity, were ordered to be led outside the Salarian gate, and there obtained the crown of martyrdom on the fourth of the Ides of August. Of the public cult therefore of those Martyrs it is abundantly clear. Now let us weigh certain difficulties concerning them.
[2] The contest of our Champions was said in the Roman Martyrology and in Baronius to have happened under the emperor Aurelian, the time of the martyrdom. who ruled from the year 270 to 275. Other sacred Calendars, which we have recited, name neither him nor any other emperor. From the fact that in the above announcements, as also expressly in Ado, according to those things which I shall presently say from him concerning the second class of Martyrs, they are joined immediately to St. Lawrence, it seems indeed to follow that they underwent martyrdom on the same day as he; but from this it is not concluded that it happened in the same year; for otherwise it would have to be carried back to the times of Aurelian. The day alone, therefore, which was the same for those Soldiers and for St. Lawrence in suffering, may have sufficed for their being announced together on that same day, whatever be the case with a differing year of death or emperor. We therefore, with the Roman Martyrology and Baronius, connect the contest of our Soldiers with the reign of Valerian; concerning which note of time, however, we should be made more certain if some indication of it had been expressed by the ancient Martyrologists.
[3] Nor indeed do the Champions whom we here give seem able to be confounded with the XLVI soldiers Those Martyrs do not seem to be confounded with others. and the other CXX Martyrs who are recorded in the Acts of St. Lawrence in Surius: for although some things are common to both these bands of Martyrs, namely Rome as the arena of martyrdom, almost the same number, if you join the Surian ones together, and the Salarian gate; yet the little Roman Martyrology separates these from today's, saying at the day XXV of October: At Rome on the Salarian Way, of XLVI Soldiers, who, baptized by Pope Dionysius, were beheaded by the order of Claudius. Ado also and Usuard distinguish them at the said day: to whom add Baronius in the Annals at the year 269, number 6 (where he exhibits them from the Acts of St. Lawrence), and the present Roman Martyrology; with which they may be treated at the XXV of October.
[4] Concerning the other class of Martyrs, of which I had given notice above that I should treat, these few things occur to be recorded. Ado, after he had announced the CLXV Soldiers, adds this: Then suffered Claudius, Severus, Crescentio, and Romanus, Some things concerning the 4 Martyrs on the very day on which blessed Lawrence suffered, after the third day from the passion of St. Sixtus. On this day Notker also has them; but not Usuard, otherwise a faithful follower of Ado. In Anastasius the Librarian, in St. Sixtus II, they are found thus: There suffered also blessed Lawrence, his archdeacon, on the fourth of the Ides of August, and Claudius the subdeacon, and Severus the priest, and Crescentius the lector, and Romanus the doorkeeper. In the Hieronymian transcripts published by Florentini, after the announcement of Felicissimus on the Appian Way, there is subjoined, and elsewhere of Crescentio, as may there be seen at the day X of August. In the Roman Martyrology at the day XVII of September this is set down: At Rome, of the holy martyrs Narcissus and Crescentio; from the Acts of St. Lawrence, as is there said in the notes; of whom the latter is thus recorded in the summary of the Acts of that same holy Levite in Ado: There was in the same house (of Narcissus) a blind man, by name Crescentio, who began
to beg the blessed deacon that he would lay his hand upon his eyes. Then blessed Lawrence, weeping, said: Our Lord Jesus Christ, who opened the eyes of the man born blind, may He Himself enlighten thee: and, the sign of the cross being made, his eyes were opened.
[5] Is this one then the same as the former? But this man is called blind, that one a lector. We answer that these things do not so conflict but that they may be reconciled: for whether blindness befell him when he was already a lector; or whether at some time before the martyrdom of St. Lawrence, being then not yet a lector, he was cured of blindness and thereafter promoted to the office of lector; nothing on this side will hinder one and the same Saint from being understood. But whether he was one or two, we have no certain knowledge from elsewhere. Romanus with the title of soldier was given by us with the Roman Martyrology on the day IX of this month: whom Ado distinguishes from today's; for to today's he does not add the title of soldier, as we saw above; which he assigns to yesterday's, as may be seen at the day IX of this month. Besides this, today's Martyr in Anastasius, just cited, is called a doorkeeper. If these things be true, the one is to be distinguished from the other.
[6] observations are given. Concerning the time in which this second class of our four Athletes was wreathed with the crown of martyrdom, I observe these few things. Granting what I said above, that the first class of the CLXV Soldiers, according to Baronius and the Roman Martyrology, suffered under Valerian; and taking together the announcement of Ado, by which he immediately subjoins to them, Then suffered Claudius, Severus, Crescentio, and Romanus, on the very day on which blessed Lawrence, etc.; it follows that, by force of the adverb "then," the contest both of these four and of those soldiers seems to belong to the times of Aurelian.