ON ST. PORPHYRIUS
IN ITALY,
About the end of the third century.
SYLLOGE.
His cultus certain, his martyrdom uncertain; besides this one there was no other; the tutor of St. Venantius.
Porphyrius, in Italy (St.)
BY P. D.
The most ancient cultus of St. Porphyrius is gathered from the old Roman Martyrology published in print by Rosweyde, The Saint's ancient cultus, in which at this day he is thus marked: Of Porphyrius, a man of God. This announcement Ado enlarged, saying: On the same day, of B. Porphyrius, a man of God, who instructed St. Agapitus the martyr in the faith and doctrine of Christ. Ado was followed both by the author of the Plantin Bede and by Usuard; and also by Baronius in the modern Roman Martyrology, observing in the added notes that his martyrdom is had described in the Acts of St. Agapitus, of whom above, on the XV Kalends of September. Two sets of Acts of St. Agapitus we gave in volume III of this month, pages 532 and 537. In both, mention is made of St. Porphyrius; not however of a martyrdom borne by him: whence the most illustrious Suarès, cited on page 525 of the same volume, fears lest they be mutilated: since, as he adds, in them there is not found the martyrdom of Porphyrius, which Baronius … asserts to be described in them.
[2] his martyrdom But that fear of the most illustrious man does not appear sufficiently just: for although the Acts of St. Agapitus, printed by us in the places just cited, are not of so great moment, as is shown in the same place, page 525; yet that they be mutilated is not more, nay rather less, to be feared than that those which the most eminent Baronius used be more ample than is right: for since it is commonly the character of biographers rather to attach to Saints palms not obtained than to take away true ones, it could altogether more easily happen that the palm of martyrdom was inserted into the transcripts of Baronius than that it was omitted in ours.
[3] Pietro de' Natali, bishop of Jesolo, book 7, chapter 102, writes thus: is not sufficiently proved. Porphyrius the martyr suffered in the time of the emperor Julian under the governor Antiochus in the city of Rome. This man of God nourished St. Agapitus the martyr, and by his teaching animated him to martyrdom … on account of which by Antiochus
being detained by the governor, after many torments inflicted upon him he gave up his spirit on the X [] Kalends of September.* From which it follows that Pietro de' Natali too had Acts different both from those which we have published in print and from the others upon which Baronius lighted: for in the bishop of Jesolo St. Porphyrius is written a martyr, not so in our Acts; in the bishop of Jesolo he is written to have suffered in the time of Julian, and so about the year 362; but according to the Baronian transcripts he must, if he suffered, have suffered long before: for since (as the same affirm) he was the teacher of St. Agapitus, who obtained the palm of martyrdom under Aurelian, it is not likely that he survived to the year 362. But whatever the copies of the bishop of Jesolo were, they are certainly of less weight than to extort undoubted credit concerning the martyrdom of Porphyrius; both because our Acts pass it over in silence, and because they narrate that the blessed man was detained in the city of Rome in the time of Julian by the governor Antiochus: whereas no one of this name, either as governor or prefect of the city or consul under Julian, is noted in the catalogues of the prefects of the city and of the consuls.
[4] A weightier difficulty now occurs, whether that blessed Porphyrius St. Porphyrius, who was the teacher of B. Agapitus, of whom treatment was made in volume 1 of May, at the IV day, page 451, and who is reported to be the teacher of St. Venantius, is to be distinguished from him whom we venerate today. That he is the same, a reason of no light weight persuades: for since the deeds of St. Venantius are for a great part taken from the more ancient Acts of St. Agapitus (as is evidently demonstrated in volume IV of May, page 145), it is permitted prudently to think that holy Porphyrius also was transferred from the Acts of St. Agapitus into the Life of St. Venantius, especially since in the Acts of St. Venantius the same personal circumstances are attributed to Porphyrius, the master of Venantius, with which in the Acts of St. Agapitus Porphyrius the teacher of Agapitus is clothed: for Jacobilli, cited in volume 1 of May, page 451, from the Camerino manuscripts, ancient lessons, and other writers, narrates the following of Porphyrius, the teacher of St. Venantius: He instructed St. Venantius, a most noble youth, in every kind of virtue, whereby he appeared to all exceedingly illustrious: who obeyed St. Porphyrius with great reverence, as his true master. But behold things plainly similar in the Acts of St. Agapitus, page 532 of the preceding volume III of August: Sprung of a noble race, he attached himself to a certain religious man named Porphyrius, who, nourishing him from boyhood, instructed him not moderately in the elements of letters, and by spiritual instructions made him most fully capable.
[5] he is wrongly written also the tutor of St. Venantius, The same title of exceptional sanctity also is ascribed to each blessed teacher of the boys: for as the one, in the preceding volume, page 537, so the other, in volume IV of May, page 139, is called a man of God. This confusion of acts had not yet been detected when in volume 1 of May Porphyrius was treated of, as is manifest from volume IV of the same month, page 139: whence it is no wonder if then a certain Porphyrius was believed to be the teacher of St. Venantius; whereas nevertheless it is more probable that no other of this name, who was the tutor of some holy martyr, is to be celebrated besides him of whom the ancient martyrologists cited at number 1 write that he instructed St. Agapitus in the faith and doctrine of Christ. How slight is the weight of the Camerino monuments, in which alone Porphyrius is handed down as the instructor of St. Venantius, Papebroch long since learnedly showed in volume IV of May, pages 143 and 144.
[6] is wrongly written. Meanwhile I would not deny that even today there is preserved at Camerino, in a marble chest, the body of St. Porphyrius the priest: but that these remains are those of him who instructed St. Venantius in the faith — by what sufficiently faithful monument is it proved? Camerino had many martyrs and confessors; among whom there may easily have been a certain Porphyrius, whom a fabulous biographer without difficulty invented as the teacher of St. Venantius, since he had read that St. Agapitus, whose Acts he was borrowing, had a tutor of the same name. Whatever be the case, thus far it is not permitted to guess anything more apt, until from more certain documents I learn more certain things. The year of St. Porphyrius' death is unknown. St. Agapitus, whom he imbued with sacred doctrine, consummated his martyrdom under Aurelian about the year 272: whether he himself survived for many years is plainly uncertain. He could certainly have reached the beginning of the fourth century: whence I noted above that he died about the end of the third century.
This sylloge, and some preliminary Commentaries to be inserted in this volume IV of August, were left to us by Father Pierre Dolmans, indicated above by the initial letters of his name, P. D.; who had to bid farewell to our museum on account of an ill-affected chest, and therefore not sufficiently suited to continue our studies: of which matter it will be of profit to be mindful hereafter, when the same letters P. D. shall recur.
Annotations*. Perhaps XIII.