ON THE HOLY MARTYRS MARCELLUS OR MARCELLINUS THE TRIBUNE, AND HIS WIFE MAMMEA OR MAMNEA, PETER, CHIRON, AMMON, SERAPION, JOHN, BABILAS, MELETIUS THE BISHOP, ATHEOGENES, ARISTON, FESTUS, VICTOR, SUSANNA, ZOILIUS, DOMNINUS, AND MEMNON,
IN EGYPT,
About the year CCCIII.
PRELIMINARY COMMENTARY.
Marcellus or Marcellinus, tribune, martyr in Egypt (St.)
Mammea or Mamnea, his wife, martyr in Egypt (St.)
Peter, martyr in Egypt (St.)
Chiron, martyr in Egypt (St.)
Ammon, martyr in Egypt (St.)
Serapion, martyr in Egypt (St.)
John, martyr in Egypt (St.)
Babilas, martyr in Egypt (St.)
Meletius, bishop, martyr in Egypt (St.)
Atheogenes, martyr in Egypt (St.)
Ariston, martyr in Egypt (St.)
Festus, martyr in Egypt (St.)
Victor, martyr in Egypt (St.)
Susanna, martyr in Egypt (St.)
Zoilius, martyr in Egypt (St.)
Dominus, martyr in Egypt (St.)
Memnon, martyr in Egypt (St.)
BY J. S.
The Martyrs set forth in the title are variously announced by the martyrologists, since some reckon more of them and some fewer; These Martyrs are variously nor does any of them agree in all points with the manuscript Acts. The Hieronymian Martyrologies in Florentinius, at the XXVII of August, enumerate some of them, not without faults, thus: In the city of Tuma, the birthday of the holy Marcellinus the tribune, and of Maunis his wife, with his sons John and Serapion, clerics, and Peter the soldier. It is plain from others that many of the names in these have been dislocated, and that the word cleric must be added to Serapion, which will be confirmed from the Acts. I shall not adduce the other Hieronymian copies: for they bring no more light. The old Roman has only this: At Tomi, of Marcellinus and Mannea. Ado increased the number in this manner: At Tomi, the birthday of the holy martyrs Marcellinus the tribune, and of Mannea his wife, and of his son John, and of Serapion the cleric, and of Peter the soldier. Usuard does not differ much from Ado, reviewing the same in these words: In the city of Thomi, of the holy martyrs Marcellinus the tribune and Mannea his wife, John, Serapion, and Peter.
[2] But Greven, cited in our Usuard, notes thus: announced in the calendars, Elsewhere the companions of Marcellinus the tribune are read in this manner: of John and Babilas his sons, of Serapion and Hiron , of Ammon, clerics, and of Peter the soldier, who all together with Marcellus and his wife, under the governor Culcianus, having tamed the ferocity of the beasts and overcome the flames, were cut down with the sword and fulfilled their martyrdom. Then he subjoins the following, as though he were announcing other martyrs, although these too belong to the class of the preceding, if we credit the Acts: Of Milecius the bishop, Theogenes , Ariston, Festus, Victor, Susanna, Zoilius, Dommus , and Memmon , martyrs. All these, except Ariston, who perhaps dropped out by the fault of the copyists, our manuscript Florarium Sanctorum enumerates, whose words I subjoin: At Thomi, a city of Egypt, of the holy martyrs Marcellinus the tribune, and of Mannea his wife, and of his daughter Johanna , and of Serapion the cleric, and of Peter the soldier, and of eleven others, idem (read id est, that is) Cyron , Ammon, Babilas, and Melecius the bishop, Athenagis , Festus, Victor, Susanna the virgin, Somus , and Domninus, and Memmon.
[3] The Roman Martyrology has this concerning these Martyrs: and not without error: they suffered not in the province of Pontus, At Tomi in Pontus, of the holy martyrs Marcellinus the tribune, and of Mannea his wife, and of his sons John, Serapion, and Peter. These words certainly do not appear free from all error, nor are they consonant with the Acts: for in the Acts only John and Babilas are called the sons of Marcellus; and Greven, cited above, agrees with the Acts. Ado calls John alone his son. The Hieronymian copies designate John and Serapion as sons, especially as D'Achery published them in volume 2 of the Spicilegium, page 17, where one reads With his sons John and Serapion. Yet I should not wish from this to infer as certain that Marcellus had no more sons than two, since the Acts do not deny it; but at least that it is uncertain whether there were more, and more likely that there were not. Clearer is the error as to the province in which the Martyrs are said to have suffered: for it appears certain from the Acts that they suffered in Egypt, not in Pontus, which was added by conjecture to the city of Tomi in order to designate the place of the martyrdom.
[4] Moreover the Acts not only declare clearly at number 1 but in Egypt, that these Martyrs were crowned in Egypt; but the same is also confirmed from the governor Culcianus, under whom they are read to have suffered: for he exercised his tyranny against the Christians in Egypt, not in Pontus. Hear St. Epiphanius concerning Culcianus, in Heresy 68, that of the Meletians: Culeianus was then set over the Thebaid, or Upper Egypt. He is speaking of the time of the persecution of Diocletian and Maximian, in which he writes that the schism of Meletius began. And although he changes one letter in the name, yet he designates the same man, as is confirmed from Eusebius, book 9 of the History, chapter XI, where he has this concerning the same governor: And Cultianus, who had likewise discharged all magistracies and administrations of provinces, and who had himself become notorious for countless slaughters of Christians in Egypt, was beheaded under Licinius. The same Culcianus occurs in the authentic Acts of SS. Phileas and Philoromus, martyrs, whom he condemned to death in Egypt, as may be seen in volume 1 of February, page 462 and following. I therefore hold the province in which these martyrs won the palm to be certain.
[5] nor in the city of Tomi, But the city which the aforesaid Martyrs adorned with the blood poured out for Christ suffers a greater difficulty, because it is commonly called by the martyrologists Thomi, Tomi, or by a similar name, and whence they could have received this is not sufficiently apparent. Certainly in the Acts one reads that they were apprehended at Oxyrhynchus, which was a city of Egypt situated in the Heptanomis upon the Nile, the head of a nome or prefecture of the same name: and the same Acts hint that these holy Martyrs were slain either in that same city or in another nearby. But since I do not find a city of Tomi in all Egypt, nor even one of a similar name in the neighborhood of Oxyrhynchus, I cannot conjecture whence the martyrologists drew that name of a city. There have indeed been found in Egypt the cities Thmuis, Thonis, Thanis, This, Toum, which Cellarius reviews in his Ancient Geography, part 2, book 4.
But they are too far distant from Oxyrhynchus for it to become probable that one of them was faultily named Thomi and was the arena of our Martyrs. I judge therefore that that city of Tomi first arose from some error, and that the error afterward gained strength and was propagated from one to another, because the martyrologists did not have the Acts of the Martyrs at hand.
[6] but at Oxyrhynchus or in a neighboring city. Take what we read in the Acts concerning the Martyrs' arena. At number 1 they have this: Their accusation was made before the governor by men saying: These alone in the city of Oxyrhynchus are they who contradict the imperial precept … And when the governor had heard these things, he at once sent officers and commanded that they should be brought bound in irons from the city of Oxyrhynchus to the house in the city where the aforesaid governor held rule. These words I judge are to be explained thus. The governor ordered our Martyrs to be brought from the city of Oxyrhynchus to the prætorium of the same city. So, I say, I think they are to be explained: for if another city were designated, the author would have named it. Then, toward the end of the Acts, these things are reported concerning the relics of the slain: Their holy relics were carried away into the territory of the city of Oxyrhynchus, to an estate by the name of Stypsoches — that is, their bodies were buried on a certain farm near Oxyrhynchus. Whence it is likely that they were crowned at Oxyrhynchus. These things then I hold to be more probable, until someone shall teach us more certain ones. And the same was judged by him who augmented Florus, in our edition before volume 2 of March, page 31, when he announces these Martyrs in these words: In Egypt, in the city of Oxyrhynchus, of sixteen Martyrs whose deeds are extant, who, having overcome the beasts and the fire, fell by the sword.
[7] Whence the Acts were received, and of what sort. The Acts of these Martyrs were translated from Greek into Latin, as is noted in the Cluny manuscript, which Papebroch himself transcribed. We have the same from the Trier manuscript of St. Maximin, which, collated with the other, we shall publish. The author speaks thus of himself toward the end: I, Julian the priest, have given these relics with these copies to the venerable deaconess Yssicia, and have written by the hand of my son Stelechus, at the estate of Rastoces, on account of the weakness of my eyes. These words hint that this author was contemporary with the holy Martyrs; yet they do not declare it clearly. But whatever be the case as to the age of Julian the priest, the Acts, as they are brief, are written also in a simple style. There are indeed found in them certain rather harsh replies of the Martyrs: but we have already often said that from this it cannot be inferred that the Acts are apocryphal, since the Martyrs sometimes did not spare the tyrants, or at least the writers of the Acts set forth the Martyrs' words in such a way that they appear harsher than they had been uttered by them. Hence therefore the facts which are reported in the Acts do not lack credit, even though we may with reason doubt whether all the sayings of the Martyrs are rightly narrated.
Annotations* elsewhere Chiron * elsewhere Atheogenes * elsewhere Domninus * elsewhere Memnon * elsewhere John * elsewhere Chiron * elsewhere Atheogenes * elsewhere Zoilius
ACTS
By Julian the priest
From the Trier manuscript, collated with the Cluny.
Marcellus or Marcellinus, tribune, martyr in Egypt (St.)
Mammea or Mamnea, his wife, martyr in Egypt (St.)
Peter, martyr in Egypt (St.)
Chiron, martyr in Egypt (St.)
Ammon, martyr in Egypt (St.)
Serapion, martyr in Egypt (St.)
John, martyr in Egypt (St.)
Babilas, martyr in Egypt (St.)
Meletius, bishop, martyr in Egypt (St.)
Atheogenes, martyr in Egypt (St.)
Ariston, martyr in Egypt (St.)
Festus, martyr in Egypt (St.)
Victor, martyr in Egypt (St.)
Susanna, martyr in Egypt (St.)
Zoilius, martyr in Egypt (St.)
Dominus, martyr in Egypt (St.)
Memnon, martyr in Egypt (St.)
BHL Number: 5240
By Julian the priest.
The holy Martyrs, whose names are given, are accused, In Egypt the Saints were crowned in the consulship of Diocletian for the second time and of Maximian a, those most cruel persecutors, in the month of August, on the sixth of the Kalends of September, under the governor Cultianus. Now the names b of the martyrs are these: Peter the most devout soldier; and Chiron, Ammon, and Serapion, clerics; and Marcellus c the tribune, and his wife Mammea, and their sons John and Babilas; and Miletius the bishop, and Atheogenes, and Ariston, and Festus, and Victor, and Susanna, and Zoyilius, and Domninus, and Memnon. Their accusation was made before the governor by Hierus and Acatius, on the ground that they were Christians, who said: These alone in the city of Oxyrhynchus are they who contradict the imperial precept, and are impious toward the religion of the gods d, and despise your tribunal, not acquiescing in your command.
[2] And when the governor had heard these things, he at once gave orders to his officers and commanded and by the order of Culcianus the governor they are seized: brought before him, that they should be brought bound in irons from the city of Oxyrhynchus to the house in the city where the aforesaid governor dwelt e. When therefore they had come before the tribunal of Cultianus the governor, he said: These are the worshipers of an impious religion, who despise the decrees of Cæsar, and look down upon the tribunal of my authority, and renounce the veneration of the gods, and spurn their worship. When therefore the blessed Martyrs had heard words of this blasphemous kind, they cried out with one accord as with one mouth, secure in the mercy of Christ, and said: It is you who act impiously, who call tyrants kings, and venerate stones and wood, the works of men's hands, the dwelling-places of demons, and are impious toward the most high God, who holds the spirit in his hand, and who is able to overturn your counsels and to blot them out in a moment — you who suppose that demons are to be venerated, to your own perdition.
[3] When therefore Cultianus had heard these things, filled with anger and indignation he said: and being invited to sacrifice to the idols, they answer boldly: Do not suppose that by these insulting words you will be more swiftly dispatched, so that your bones may be anointed by silly women with balsam and divers unguents and spices. For those also who were arrested before you used words of this kind, thinking that something could be gained by them from wordiness, and a devouring flame consumed them. Now therefore, laying aside all sloth and despair, approach the altar and sacrifice to the immortal gods, that you may be heaped with the greatest honors, and may be able to please the emperor, and to be joined in the bond of my friendship. Then blessed Marcellus with his companions said: We are Christians, and we have as our Lord God who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all things that are in them; who is able to deliver us from your madness and from the malice of your father the devil: nor is it lawful that we should acquiesce in your impious counsels and sacrifice to demons, to the injury of our Lord the Creator.
[4] where they had been cast into prison, and condemned to the beasts, Cultianus said: Since they resist and will not obey the imperial precepts, bind their hands and feet, and put collars upon their necks, and place them in the inner part of the prison; and rising early, lead them out into the stadium, that they may be devoured by the beasts, because they have blasphemed the gods and have called the emperors tyrants, and have despised the tribunal of my authority . But on the following day all the people assembled at the stadium, that they might see the holy Martyrs in their triumph. And when the governor Cultianus had seen them, he said: Bring forward those detestable men and despisers of the gods. Hierius said: They are at hand. And when they had been led into the stadium, Cultianus says to them: What then have you resolved, Marcellus? See, now you are to be thrust down to the beasts, that your flesh may be devoured. Awake therefore and acquiesce in the imperial precepts, that you may not perish.
[5] again the governor urges them by threats and false reasonings By the safety of the emperors, if you will not consent to sacrifice to the immortal gods, I will burn with fire such bones as the wild beasts leave behind. Then blessed Marcellus said with a loud voice, so that all might hear: O impious and ill-omened man, have you not read, or even heard, what is written, when the Lord said to your father the devil: You shall not tempt the Lord your God? And so I too say to you: You shall not tempt the Lord your God, nor his servants. Cultianus the governor said: I do not greatly marvel at your wordiness, since in sparing you I defer a little, awaiting both your conversion and your repentance. Spare yourselves therefore, and blush, you who worship a crucified man, condemned to death a few years ago, dead and buried under Pontius Pilate, whose very records — where he was heard and delivered over to death — remain to the present day f; and this man you call God, and worship and invoke: and how can he bring you protection, who could bring no help to himself?
[6] to sacrifice: but they remain constant: Peter said to him: Go, and admonish the blind who are like yourself, with whom you will go into perdition. For thus it is written: If a blind man lead a blind man, both fall into the pit. Consider therefore your own perdition, and admonish yourself. But may God grant to us to endure all torments for the name of him whom you, unworthy man, suppose to be a mere man. For he, for our salvation, at the end of the age deigned to be born a man and to take upon himself the form of a servant, that he might raise up with his right hand us men, who lay upon the earth through the envy of the devil and were bound by divers errors, and might enlighten the blindness of our heart. Cultianus the governor said: I have no need of the multiplication of your words; but this which pertains to the matter I urge. Sacrifice to the immortal gods, and deny him whom you suppose to be God. But if you refuse, I will wrench out your souls by torments. Then holy Milecius the bishop, and innocent John, filled with the Holy Spirit, said: Far be it from us that we should deny the name of our Lord and God Jesus Christ, who is the Word of the living God before the foundation of the world, of one substance with the Father, who raised up our frailty and our ruin, which befell us through your father the devil, and deigned to enlighten us with his glory. But if you purpose to do anything, do it; and do not seek to terrify us with your words: for in no part do we purpose to hear you.
[7] Then Cultianus the governor was filled with fury and indignation, unharmed by the beasts, and gave order that the beasts should be let loose to devour the Saints. And when the master of the arena had heard this, wishing to please the governor, he loosed four exceedingly savage she-bears; which, when they had come on with great violence, at once fell down at the feet of the Saints and began to lick their footsteps like gentle lambs. And when the governor had seen this, he commanded that they should be consumed in the fire, saying: Though the beasts have been made tame by magic art, let them be burned by fire. And when the wood had been brought and the pyre built, the Saints being placed upon it, the fire was set beneath. Then blessed Peter, spreading out his hands to heaven (for at God's bidding their hands, which had been bound with ropes, were loosed), said:
[8] We give you thanks, O Lord God, Father
of your only-begotten Son, and by the fire, and giving thanks to God, who made heaven and earth, who have deigned that we should be partakers of this mystic cup of holy confession for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ: that in this hour also we may be found as a burnt offering of sacrifice in your sight. And when he had said these things, the flame of the fire, at God's bidding, was scattered this way and that, and fled away like the wind, fleeing though no man pursued. Then, lifting up their hands together, they said: Blessed are you, O Lord God, who alone have done great marvels, who in this hour also have shown that you are the protector of your servants and of those who fear your name, who heal the broken in heart and bind up their bruises. Look down from your lofty dwelling place, saving souls; you who have bridled the rage of the beasts, who with heavenly dew have put the fire to flight and made the flames fly away: protect those who hope in you, unto the glory of your name and the praise of your servants, and unto the confusion of the unbelieving, who will not believe your marvels. But enlighten * the blindness of their heart, that they may acknowledge you the true and living God.
[9] Then Cultianus, raging with an unmanned madness, said: and their heads being struck off they attain the palm of martyrdom. I see that these men have both changed the ferocity of the beasts by certain wiles, and have put to flight the balls of flame: I command that they be smitten with the sword, and that so at last their bodies be burned with fire: I shall see what their religion and their purpose profit them. And when the executioners had fulfilled his orders, the Saints attained to their longed-for desires. The blessed Martyrs were therefore consummated, bowing their necks beneath the swords, on the sixth of the Kalends of September: and their holy relics were carried away into the territory of the city of Oxyrhynchus, to an estate by the name of Stypsoches. I, Julian the priest, have given these relics with these copies to the venerable deaconess g Yssicia, and have written * by the hand of my son Stelechus, at the estate of Rastoces, on account of the weakness of my eyes.
ANNOTATIONS.
elsewhere their sons* elsewhere of Miletius*, etc. elsewhere overwhelmed* elsewhere of my dedication* elsewhere you* elsewhere your* elsewhere therefore* elsewhere unbridled* elsewhere by religious persons* elsewhere I have subscribed*