ON THE HOLY MARTYRS JULIAN THE BISHOP, JOHN THE DEACON, AND FIVE THOUSAND IN EGYPT.
HISTORICAL COMMENTARY.
Julian, Bishop, Martyr in Egypt (St.) John the Deacon, Martyr in Egypt (St.) Five Thousand Martyrs in Egypt.
By G. H.
[1] In virtually all the Martyrologies, the memory of St. Julian and his companions is celebrated on the sixteenth of February. The ancient Roman manuscript attributed to St. Jerome reads: "Of Julian, with five thousand Egyptians." Bede, Usuard, Ado, Notker, Bellinus, the manuscript Martyrologies of St. Maximinus, St. Riquier, St. Mary of Utrecht, and others read: "In Egypt, of St. Julian the Martyr, with others numbering five thousand." The Roman Martyrology agrees: "In Egypt, of St. Julian the Martyr, with five thousand others." In these there is an illustrious consensus of the ancient Martyrologists, without indication of Julian's rank, or any name of his companions, or the manner or time of death.
[2] Others make Julian a Bishop. Maurolycus writes: "In Egypt, of St. Julian the Bishop, with others numbering five thousand." Galesinius does the same, and by the benefit of a manuscript codex makes John the Deacon a companion in martyrdom: "In Egypt," he says, "of Sts. Julian the Bishop, John the Deacon, and five thousand other Martyrs." Canisius follows Galesinius in the German Martyrology. Ferrarius also, in the Catalogue of Saints not in the Roman Martyrology, has the following: "In Egypt, of St. John the Deacon, with many others," and notes that he was the Deacon of St. Julian the Bishop. The same author, in his Topography under the word "Egypt," records that both Julian the Bishop and John the Deacon are venerated as Martyrs on this day together with five thousand others. But Ferrarius errs when he asserts that their passion is related by Ado and that Ado adds John the Deacon.
[3] Some suspicion regarding the episcopate of the aforesaid St. Julian is raised by Baronius in his Notes, where he says: "There was also a famous Julian of Alexandria in Egypt, who began to hold his see in the first year of the Emperor Commodus, of whom Eusebius writes in book 5, chapter 9, and others." Whether this Bishop Julian was believed by others to have suffered on this day, made the leader and standard-bearer of so many thousands of Martyrs? He was made Bishop in the year of Christ 180, and under the same Emperor Commodus, when he had completed his tenth year, "Julian having completed his tenth year," as the same Eusebius says in chapter 21, Demetrius was placed over the Church of Alexandria. In that passage of Eusebius, no indication of martyrdom is suggested, and especially not of such a martyrdom in which five thousand companions would have been slain. Another Julian is assigned to the following day in the Roman Martyrology, burned by slow fire at Caesarea, and is recorded for this day by Galesinius and Canisius; to these is joined St. Valens the Deacon, also inscribed in the Martyrology of St. Jerome for this day but in the Roman Martyrology for the Kalends of June. Hence someone might suspect that a confusion of events and names has occurred, and that the name of John the Deacon was added to the Egyptian Martyrs in place of Valens the Deacon, who suffered at Caesarea in Palestine with Sts. Pamphilus, Paul, and others. Let each author retain his own credibility until the contrary is proved.
[4] Baronius transmits in his Notes that certain Acts of St. Julian the Martyr existed among the Greeks: "The Greeks," he says, "treat of him in the Menologion on the twenty-first of June, where they describe his passion in a brief compendium, and there testify that he suffered in the persecution of Diocletian under the Governor Marcianus, and was praised by St. John Chrysostom in a celebrated oration." The words of the Menologion for the twenty-first of June are as follows: "The passion of Julian in Egypt. He lived under the Emperor Diocletian and the Governor Marcianus in the Egyptian city of Antinopolis; after that great monastery of ten thousand monks had been gathered, he was arrested by the Governor, and having confessed Christ, was beaten with rods, while his flock and monks, together with Bishops and Priests, fled in flight. The holy Julian, however, could be deterred neither by beatings, nor by prison, nor by any torments, nor indeed by death itself, from shedding his blood for the confession of Christ. The great Doctor Chrysostom also celebrated him with the honor of encomia." So reads the Menologion, whose last words — stating that Julian, who suffered in Egypt, was praised by Chrysostom — were incorrectly transferred to this Julian from St. Julian of Cilicia, who is venerated on the same twenty-first of June, sewn into a sack full of serpents and vipers and cast into the sea. This latter Julian, after his body was brought to Antioch to a temple dedicated to his name, became famous for miracles; and therefore on his feast St. Chrysostom delivered a homily, rendered into Latin by our Fronto Ducaeus and published in volume 3 of his works, which the Greeks in the Great Menaea and Anthologion, after narrating the martyrdom of this Julian of Cilicia, mention with these words: "The great Chrysostom also honored him with encomia." These words in the Menologion, with this second Julian of Cilicia deleted, were incorrectly transferred to the Egyptian Julian, as Ducaeus also observed in his annotations to this homily.
[5] But another difficulty is raised by Baronius: whether the Egyptian St. Julian, recorded by the Greeks for the twenty-first of June, is the same one whom the aforementioned Martyrologies have for this day. But this Julian, husband of St. Basilissa, who gathered the monastery of ten thousand monks and under the Emperor Diocletian and the Governor Marcianus was beaten with rods, harassed with lashes, prison, and other torments, and shed his blood for Christ — indeed, as the Greeks in the Menaea for the eighth of January relate, in the Egyptian city of Antinoe — is a different person. These matters are examined more precisely in the Life of this St. Julian on the ninth of January, especially in sections 2 and 5. Therefore, the Julian who is the husband of St. Basilissa is the subject of the Menologion entry for the twenty-first of June and of the Milanese church on the twenty-second of the same month; from whom this Julian, the illustrious leader of five thousand Martyrs, appears to be distinct.
ON THE HOLY AFRICAN MARTYRS MAXIMUS, VINCENTIUS, PAULUS, HONORATUS, MAURUS, LIKEWISE MAXIMUS, PAULUS, MARTIALIS, THERAPIUS, MARCUS, MAROBIUS, MARCELLINUS, DONATUS, LIKEWISE MARCUS, SECUNDUS, MACROBIUS, LUCILLA, LIKEWISE SECUNDUS, SAULUS, STUPURIS, MUSTACIUS, PRAESENS, SECUNDA, MAXIMA, IUNILLA, AND FIFTY-FOUR OR ONE HUNDRED AND FOUR COMPANIONS.
Commentary
Maximus, Martyr in Africa (St.) Vincentius, Martyr in Africa (St.) Paulus, Martyr in Africa (St.) Honoratus, Martyr in Africa (St.) Maurus, Martyr in Africa (St.) Maximus, Martyr in Africa (St.) Paulus, Martyr in Africa (St.) Martialis, Martyr in Africa (St.) Therapius, Martyr in Africa (St.) Marcus, Martyr in Africa (St.) Marobius, Martyr in Africa (St.) Marcellinus, Martyr in Africa (St.) Donatus, Martyr in Africa (St.) Marcus, Martyr in Africa (St.) Secundus, Martyr in Africa (St.) Macrobius, Martyr in Africa (St.) Lucilla, Martyr in Africa (St.) Secundus, Martyr in Africa (St.) Saulus, Martyr in Africa (St.) Stupuris, Martyr in Africa (St.) Mustacius, Martyr in Africa (St.) Praesens, Martyr in Africa (St.) Secunda, Martyr in Africa (St.) Maxima, Martyr in Africa (St.) Iunilla, Martyr in Africa (St.) Fifty-four or one hundred and four Companions, Martyrs in Africa.
G. H.
[1] Africa gave this marshaled host of noble Martyrs to heaven. Their leader, Maximus, but with a small retinue, was inscribed in the sacred Fasti of old by Notker: "In Africa," he says, "of St. Maximus. Likewise of Secunda and Saulus." Henricus Canisius, for Saulus, thinks Seleucus should be read. But Seleucus suffered martyrdom not in Africa but at Caesarea in Palestine, as is stated separately concerning him. Saulus is also ascribed to these African Martyrs in the very ancient Reichenau manuscript, in which the following is read: "In Africa, of Maximus. Likewise of Secunda, Saulus, Mustacius, Praesens, Secundus, Maxima, Iunilla, and with them fifty-four." The manuscript of the monastery of St. Cyriacus at Rome reads: "Elsewhere, of Maxima, Iumella, and with them fifty-four." The complete host is marshaled in the ancient manuscript Roman Martyrology attributed to St. Jerome, which can never be sufficiently praised, and indeed in this order: "In Africa, of Maximus, Vincentius, Paulus, Honoratus, Maurus, likewise Maximus, Paulus, Martialis, Therapius, Marcus, Marobius, Marcellinus, Donatus, likewise Marcus, Secundus, Macrobius, Lucilla, likewise Secundus, Saulus, Stupuris, Mustacius, Praesens, Secunda, Maxima, Iunilla, and with them one hundred and four." Thus the ancient codex, written nearly a thousand years ago, carefully records that number. But the manuscripts of St. Cyriacus and Reichenau report that fifty-four were crowned with them. The name we have given as Saulus, as the Reichenau manuscript and Notker have it, was more properly read as Situlus in the manuscript of St. Jerome, which we have corrected as a copyist's error.
[2] The Aachen manuscript Martyrology and Hermannus Greven in the supplement to Usuard also include an African Paulus, but as a hermit: "In Africa," they say, "the birthday of St. Paulus the hermit." We have recorded three other men named Paulus as Martyrs in Africa, but on other days and joined with different companions, on the eighteenth, nineteenth, and twenty-ninth of January; nor is any of them said to have been a hermit. Whether, therefore, a separate St. Paulus the hermit in Africa should be established may rightly be doubted. Perhaps in place of Therapius or another companion, the word "hermit" may seem to have crept in. Two other men named Paulus are mentioned below.
[3] Africa produced many Martyrs named Secundus; we have recorded some of them on the fifth, ninth, nineteenth, twenty-sixth, and twenty-seventh of January. Likewise there are various men named Vincentius in Africa, of whom several are venerated on the ninth, eleventh, fifteenth, and twenty-seventh of January; two also on the eleventh of February, but they suffered at Carthage together with a St. Secunda, who, distinguished by the same name, also has a feast day on the twenty-seventh of January; likewise Martialis on the third, and Donatus on the twenty-seventh of January, and another Donatus on the ninth of February. We have not yet recorded others of the same names who suffered in Africa.