Polychronius

ON ST. POLYCHRONIUS, BISHOP OF BABYLON, MARTYR

The year of Christ 251.

HISTORICAL COMMENTARY.

Polychronius, Bishop of Babylon, Martyr (St.)

BHL Number: 6884

By the author G. H.

[1] The Acts of St. Polychronius the Bishop are found at the beginning of the Life of St. Lawrence the Martyr, published by Surius in a somewhat polished style on August 10, which we shall there reproduce in its original phrasing from various manuscripts. Baronius at the year 254, no. 27, asserts that those Acts are somewhat corrupted, and in the Notes on the Roman Martyrology for this February 17 and of his Clergy and April 22 he observes that they are indeed very much ambiguous. On the latter day are venerated Parmenius, Elymas, and Chrysotelus, Priests of St. Polychronius, and Luke and Mucius, Deacons of the same: and SS. Abdon and Sannes where he calls those Acts "of whatever quality." The bodies of all these were buried by SS. Abdon and Sennen; who were then themselves captured and brought to Rome by the Emperor Decius, and killed on July 30, on which day Baronius again warns that those Acts require correction. On August 10, where St. Lawrence is treated, he thus explains: His Acts are found in Surius, annexed to the Acts of St. Lawrence at the beginning of which are prefixed the deeds of SS. Abdon and Sennen and others, which, both on account of the diversity of style and the variety and inconsistent truth of the history, appear to be the work of some other author, etc. These Acts are detached from the rest that pertain to SS. Xystus, in other MSS. detached Lawrence, and Hippolytus in many manuscript codices; indeed, in our two manuscripts, one of which formerly belonged to the Cistercian abbey of Vaucelles, they are variously subdivided. The first part is prefaced with this title: Here begins the Passion of St. Polochronius the Bishop and his companions, which falls on the tenth day before the Kalends of May: on which day we have said that his Priests and Deacons, whose acts of martyrdom are contained together, are venerated. After these Acts are related, the following is added: Here ends the Passion of Blessed Polochronius the Bishop. Thus "Polochronius" is written everywhere in those Acts in place of "Polychronius." Then a new title is added: Here begins the Passion of SS. Abdon and Sennes, which falls on the third day before the Kalends of August. From the first part we excerpt what pertains to Polychronius, with the rest to be given on April 22. All of this we have under the title of the Passion of SS. Abdon and Sennen from the manuscript codices of Trier, St. Martin's, Utrecht, St. Saviour's, and Paris, Cl. Puteanus's copy, and under the title of the Passion of St. Lawrence the Martyr from the manuscript codices of Fulda, Trier, St. Maximin's, and others.

[2] Illustrious mention of St. Polychronius is made in nearly all the Martyrologies, from which some light shines upon his Acts. The ancient manuscript Roman Martyrology, The memory of St. Polychronius in the Martyrologies which is attributed to St. Jerome, has only this: At Babylon, of Policroniusy. The old Roman Martyrology published by Rosweyde: In Persia, of Blessed Polychronius, Bishop and Martyr. In others the manner of martyrdom is added from the Acts themselves, but the name is variously written: Polochronius, Polocronius, Pologronius; and it is said that in the presence of the persecutor Decius, his mouth having been struck with stones, with hands extended and eyes raised to heaven, he breathed forth his spirit. So Bede, Usuard, Rabanus, Notker, Ado, Bellinus, and most manuscripts, and together with the Acts they call him Bishop of Babylon. Ado and Notker call him Bishop of Babylon and Ctesiphon. This Ctesiphon is a city near Babylon celebrated by Ptolemy and other writers. In the Roman Martyrology the following is read: In Persia, the birthday of Blessed Polychronius, Bishop of Babylon, who in the persecution of Decius, his mouth having been struck with stones, with hands extended and eyes raised to heaven, breathed forth his spirit. In the ancient Martyrology of St. Martin's at Tournai it was added that this was written in his Passion; in Bede and others, in the Passion of St. Lawrence, namely according as those same Acts are found either separated from the martyrdom of St. Lawrence or joined to it, in which the following is read concerning St. Polychronius:

[3] In those days a tempest having arisen under Decius Caesar, many Christians were slain in the city of Rome. While Galba was presiding in the city of Rome, The Emperor Decius obtains a victory over the Persians Decius sets out against the Persians, since the war of the Persians was pressing. Coming to the city which is called Ponticum, he sat there; yet the war continued. Decius ascended the mountain of the Medes, and having joined battle in the conflict, with the Roman soldiery he won a victory, and slew a multitude of the Persians, and took these cities: Babylonia, Bactriana, Hyrcania, *Cordula, Assyria, where he also found many Christians, whom he killed with punishments and afflictions. At the same time he found in the city of Babylon a Bishop named Polychronius, He seizes St. Polychronius together with the Priests Parmenius, Elymas, and Chrysotelus, and the Deacons Luke and Mucius. Having seized them, he immediately ordered them to be led to sacrifice to the idols. Then Polychronius spoke insistently, saying: We offer ourselves to the Lord Jesus Christ; for we never bow our heads to demons or to vain, man-made idols. Then he shut him up with his Clergy in prison. And he built in the same city a temple to Saturn, and made for it an image of gypsum and gilded it...

[4] At the same time he completed his temple to Saturn in Babylon. On his behalf St. Parmenius answers in his silence Then he ordered Polychronius the Bishop to be presented to him together with his two Deacons and Priests, whom he thus interrogated, saying: Are you Polychronius the sacrilegious one, who keeps neither the commands of the gods nor of the Princes? But Polychronius did not answer him a word. Therefore Decius said to his Clergy: Your leader has become mute. The Priest Parmenius answered, saying: Our Father has not become mute, but he follows the command of our Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Creator, so that his holy mouth, which has been purified by our Creator, may not be polluted; because our Lord thus commanded the Apostles: "Do not cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces." Matt. 7:6 Does it seem right to you that what has once been purified should be defiled with dung? Decius said: So we are dung? And, enraged, he ordered his tongue to be cut out. And with his tongue cut out, he invokes his patronage. When Parmenius's tongue had been cut out, he began to cry out, saying: Blessed Father Polychronius, pray for me, because I see the Holy Spirit reigning in you, and sealing your holy mouth, and distilling for me a honeycomb of honey in my mouth.

[5] Decius said: Polychronius, sacrifice to the gods, and be our friend, and hold both us and the temple in your regard. But Polychronius did not answer a single word. St. Polychronius is tortured and dies: Then Decius in anger ordered his mouth to be struck with stones. While he was being struck, with hands and eyes extended toward heaven, he breathed forth his spirit. At that same hour he left his body before the temple and the city of *Cordula, on the thirteenth day before the Kalends of March. That same night two sub-kings came, who were secretly Christians, and they took his body and buried it before the walls of the gate of Babylon.

[6] Thus far those Acts concerning the martyrdom of St. Polychronius, who in all manuscripts is called Polochronius. Baronius in the Notes on the Martyrology for this day says: The Persian expedition known from the Acts of the Saints: It is sufficiently clear that the times of Decius, owing to a dearth of writers, have remained most obscure, and that only those things about him have been made evident which the writings of Christians and the Acts of the holy Martyrs report concerning the persecution stirred up by him against Christians; in which this Persian expedition is indicated, about which the same Baronius treats in the Annals at the year 253, no. 139, and at the year 254, no. 27, where he says the following: Decius abused the victory over the Persians which he obtained through the help of a Christian man; for, attributing it to the gods, he took harsher vengeance against the Christians who despised them, killing those Christians who had come into his hands: Polychronius, Bishop of Babylon; Parmenius, Elymas, and Chrysotelus, Priests; the Deacons Luke and Mucius; the most noble men Maximus and Olympiades; and finally, after long imprisonment, the sub-kings Abdon and Sennen. On their feast days it will be necessary to treat again of the military expedition of Decius, and then if any more certain information presents itself, we shall supply it. We have arranged the years of Decius's reign and consulships on February 5, in the Life of St. Agatha, section 1, In this expedition the Martyrs were killed in the year 251. where we said that she was crowned with the palm of martyrdom in the year 251, in which year we also judge that the said Martyrs died for the faith of Christ. Concerning the persecution of Decius continued down to the times of Valerian and Gallienus, we have treated on February 13, in the Life of St. Polyeuctus, section 2, under whom SS. Xystus the Pope, Lawrence, and Hippolytus suffered, to whose Acts we have shown above that the history of the martyrdom of St. Polychronius and the other Persians was annexed.

[7] To the ancient Martyrology of St. Jerome, the deposition of Polychronius the Bishop is ascribed on April 30, The memory of St. Polychronius on April 30: and also January 20? which is perhaps to be understood of this same man, as signifying a new reposition after some translation of relics. Hermann Greuen in the supplement to Usuard celebrates Polychronius the Martyr on January 20: but which Polychronius he is treating of, it was not sufficiently possible to divine. Another Polychronius, a Priest and Martyr, is ascribed to the Roman Martyrology on December 6, and to the Greek Menaea on October 7.

* Surius: Corduba.

* Surius: Corduba. He is buried.