CONCERNING THE HOLY MARTYRS OF TYRE: TYRANNIO THE BISHOP AND MANY OTHERS
Years of Christ 304 and 310.
HISTORICAL COMMENTARY.
Tyrannio, Bishop, Martyr at Tyre in Phoenicia (St.) Several others, Martyrs at Tyre in Phoenicia
By I. B.
Section I. The annual celebration of these Martyrs.
[1] The Martyrs who obtained the palm at Tyre, the metropolis of Phoenicia Prima, while Diocletian raged, and who were inscribed in the Roman Calendar on the tenth day before the Kalends of March -- they are scarcely mentioned in Martyrologies older than Usuard: The commemoration of the Tyrian Martyrs is absent from older Martyrologies such as the ancient Roman one, which we call that of St. Jerome, and these also perhaps, albeit interpolated -- the Laetian, that of St. Martin of Tournai bearing the names of Eusebius, Jerome, and Bede, that of St. Martin of Trier, and that of Cologne at St. Maria ad Gradus; the Roman Martyrology of St. Cyriacus used by Baronius; nor indeed Rabanus himself or Wandelbert, contemporaries of Usuard. For what Wandelbert has --
"Next, the tenth recalls the praise and fame of Corona" --
Molanus badly supplements and reads thus:
"Next, the tenth recalls the praise, and crowns the fame Of the many who at Tyre are illustrious for their shed blood" --
when in fact the reference is to St. Corona, whose name appears on this day in many Martyrologies.
[2] But the old Roman Martyrology published by our Rosweyde (whatever its antiquity may be) has it thus: "At Tyre, of Martyrs whose number only the knowledge of God can reckon, whom Veturius, Master of the Soldiers, at the command of Diocletian, killed by various torments." Usuard writes thus: "At the city of Tyre, it is in Usuard's of the blessed Martyrs whose number only the knowledge of God can reckon; who, at the command of Diocletian, were killed by many tortures of torments succeeding one another -- first indeed torn apart by scourges over their entire body, then delivered to various kinds of beasts, but preserved from these by divine power; afterward, with the added savagery of fire and iron, they consummated their martyrdom. Their glorious multitude was incited to victory by Tyrannio and Silvanus, as well as Peleus and Linus (so in most manuscript copies of Usuard; elsewhere he is Nilus), Bishops; and also Zenobius the Priest, who in a fortunate contest obtained the palm of martyrdom together with them." Two copies have: "with the added savagery of fire, they consummated their martyrdom by the sword." The manuscript of the Jesuit college at Louvain omits the rest after "they consummated."
[3] Ado of Vienne sets forth their contest more fully: "At Tyre, which is the greatest city of Phoenicia, of the blessed and of Ado, with an epitome of the Acts from Rufinus Martyrs whose number only the knowledge of God can reckon; whom Veturius, Master of the Soldiers, at the command of Diocletian, killed by various kinds of torments succeeding one another. First the Martyrs of God were torn by scourges over their entire body; afterward they were handed over to beasts: lions, bears, leopards, and every kind of wild animal were brought out -- boars also, and bulls, to which savagery was added by fire and iron. At length the worshipers of God were stationed, with their limbs bared, in the middle of the arena; and beasts, goaded within their cages and made more savage in themselves, burst from their enclosures, suddenly filled the stadium, surrounded the assembly of Martyrs situated in the middle, circled them repeatedly and scrutinized them; and perceiving that the protection of divine power was present with them, withdrew far from their bodies. But immediately the fury that was restrained in the beasts passed to men; with swords, therefore, they accomplished what the beasts could not; and to show themselves in all respects more wicked than the beasts, they even forbade the bodies to be committed to the earth and ordered them to be given to the waves. The most glorious multitude of these -- the army of heaven -- was led and incited to victory by the most blessed Tyrannio the Bishop and Silvanus the Bishop, who, with a short interval between, completed his martyrdom by the bites of beasts; and Peleus and Nilus, Bishops, who were consumed by fire along with many Clerics; and also the venerable Priest Zenobius, who was beheaded." So writes Ado, from Rufinus and from Acts which appear to have been lost, as we shall say below.
[4] From Ado, the same is briefly reported by Notker, the printed Bede, the Cologne Martyrology printed in the year 1490, the Doctrinale Clericorum published at Lubeck in the same year, the manuscript Florarium, and the manuscripts of Bruges and Brussels -- all of which mention Veturius the Master of the Soldiers, but err when they say that St. Tyrannio, like St. Silvanus, completed his martyrdom by the teeth of beasts. Maurolycus writes that the Tyrian Martyrs were first indeed torn by scourges, then handed over to various kinds of beasts but preserved from them by divine power, and consummated their martyrdom by the sword, flames, water, hanging, and starvation; they suffered various torments and that those four Bishops and Zenobius the Priest attained the palm of martyrdom together with them in a fortunate contest. Canisius has nearly the same, but adds that they were first torn with instruments of red-hot iron and a third time thrown to the beasts. Galesin writes that they were afflicted with various and most dreadful tortures, then thrown to the beasts; and some were killed by the sword, some by flames, some by starvation.
[5] St. Tyrannio is called Tyrannius in Galesin and in certain manuscripts; Silvanus is spelled Silvanius in one or two; by the Bishops (whose names are variously expressed) Zenobius appears as Tenobius in one, as Lonobius in another, and as Zenobilis; Peleus appears as Pelius, Pollens, Petrus, Pelagius, Philenus; Nilus in very many manuscripts is Linus. Those five names are absent from some manuscripts. And indeed Eusebius, Rufinus, and Nicephorus, when they recount their contests, do not mention these names, nor Veturius -- concerning whom the following is found in the Chronicle of Eusebius at the fourteenth year of Diocletian, which was the year of Christ 298: "Veturius, Master of the Soldiers, persecutes the Christian soldiers," under Veturius, Master of the Soldiers with persecution against us beginning gradually from that time. These words are absent from the Greek; and Pontac notes that in certain manuscripts they are referred to the sixteenth year of the same Emperor, in others to the seventeenth; and that no writer mentions this matter. But Martyrologies, as we have reported, very many of them do mention it; they are said to have been animated and their authors, at least the earliest ones, must have had some Acts of these Martyrs, which testified that Veturius was the agent of the cruelty exercised against them, and that those Bishops and Zenobius gave them courage to endure their torments bravely -- since neither these men, when they treat of the Tyrian martyrs, nor Veturius are named by Eusebius in his History, Rufinus, or Nicephorus Callistus.
[6] Four of them are also venerated on other days: Silvanus, Bishop of Emesa in Phoenicia of Lebanon (distinct from the one of Gaza, of whom we shall treat on May 4), by the Greeks on January 29, by the Latins on February 6, as we said above; Zenobius on October 29; Peleus and Nilus on September 19, elsewhere on the 17th of the same month.
The name of St. Tyrannio we read in no Calendar on another day, and therefore we retain it here. The Greek Menaea celebrate four Tyrian Martyrs struck by the sword on January 21, as we noted there; our Matthaeus Rader held them to have been of the number of those of whom we here speak. How many were they? Eusebius certainly, as will be indicated below, says there were only five; Rufinus does not express the number but writes that they were very many -- which the Martyrologies also have, perhaps encompassing all who fought on various days, not only on the one at which Eusebius testifies he was present.
Section II. The time and manner of the martyrdom of St. Tyrannio and the rest.
[7] Rufinus the Priest, interpreter and paraphrast of Eusebius's history, describes the combat of those Martyrs thus in Book 8, chapter 7: "When it had reached the Prince that the prisons were crowded and that there was no room for criminals because of the punishments of the innocent, new decrees were again issued: that of those who were confined, any who wished to sacrifice should depart free; at the command of Diocletian but whoever refused should perish by various kinds of punishments. Then indeed, who could comprehend by number how great multitudes of Martyrs there were in each province, very many suffered death in various places and especially in the regions of Africa and Mauretania, and also of the Thebaid and Egypt? But not even of those whose contests we personally witnessed at Palestine or Tyre, these at Tyre which is the greatest city of Phoenicia, are we able to give a worthy account. For with such great virtue of perseverance did they contend against the tortures inflicted upon them for the sake of piety, that unless one first believes the Lord and our Savior who said, 'Behold, I am with you all days, even unto the consummation of the world,' and knows that His power was present with the Martyrs, Matthew 28:20 one would deny credit to the events. But we, as I have said, relate not things heard but things seen with our own eyes.
[8] "Various kinds of torments succeeding one another were devised. torn with scourges First, the Martyrs of God were torn by scourges over their entire body. After this they were handed over to beasts: thrown to various beasts, previously goaded lions, bears, leopards, and every kind of wild animal were brought out -- boars also, and bulls -- to which savagery was added by fire and iron. All these were prepared against the worshipers of God, and all the cruelty of men, beasts, and the elements was armed against them. In addition, the worshipers of God were stripped and stationed in the middle of the arena. naked Further, fury was added to the beasts by contrivance within the cages. And so, made more savage than themselves, they burst from their enclosures, suddenly filled the stadium, surrounded the assembly of Martyrs situated in the middle, who do not harm them circled them repeatedly and scrutinized them, and perceiving that the protection of divine power was present with them, withdrew far from their bodies."
[9] "But immediately the fury that was restrained in the beasts passed to men. No one perceived the present power of God; no one sensed that divine aid was with the pious. But those whose skill it was to goad the beasts were sent against those whom the divine right hand was defending. But those beasts -- that it might be shown to all that it was not savagery that the beasts lacked, but that it was divine protection that attended the worshipers of God -- but they tear apart the goaders tore to pieces with incredible speed those very men who were sent to goad them. And when now none of those skilled handlers dared to approach, they withdraw from the Martyrs, who otherwise provoke them the holy Martyrs themselves were ordered, with waving hands and as if provoking, to incite the beasts against themselves. But not even so could they suffer anything. Indeed, if perchance some beast had been aroused, when it had come near, it immediately turned back upon itself and retreated. Then truly an immense stupor and fear seized all who were sitting at the spectacles, seeing men naked -- among whom very many were still of early age -- placed in the midst of so many and so great beasts, all undaunted and fearless, with palms and eyes and mind stretched forth to heaven, wholly with God, not only disregarding all earthly things intent upon heaven but not even esteeming highly their own flesh; and while the judges themselves trembled with fear, the accused persisted with a joyful and cheerful countenance in the midst of the beasts."
[10] "But O, the hard and impious minds of mortals! The savagery of beasts is tamed by the power of God, but human rage is not softened even by the example of wild animals. But still God is tested by men. Other men, truly criminals, are ordered to be subjected to the beasts; but they immediately kill the real criminals yet as soon as they appeared, one was devoured by a lion, another by a leopard, another consumed by bears, or another tossed in the air by a bull; and so all perished within a moment of time. But not even so did the goaded beasts cause any trouble to the worshipers of God, for the divine Spirit surrounded them as with the strongest walls. For He is truthful who had said: 'Where two or three of you are gathered, there I will be in the midst of them.' Matthew 18:20"
[11] "When therefore not even so had human cruelty accomplished anything, the beasts were ordered to be changed, others are sent against the Martyrs and the former ones being removed, others were let loose again. When these too, in like manner as the former ones, had inflicted nothing grievous upon the worshipers of God, these also being removed, men more savage than beasts were sent against the Martyrs -- men who could only surpass beasts in brutality, wild animals in cruelty, and monsters in ferocity. With swords, therefore, they accomplished who, unharmed by them, are killed by the sword and thrown into the sea what the beasts could not. And to show themselves in all respects more wicked than the beasts, they even forbade the bodies to be committed to the earth and ordered them to be given to the waves. These wondrous contests the venerable Martyrs, who had come to that city from the regions of Egypt, endured at Tyre."
[12] Thus far Rufinus. The history of Eusebius, which was translated by Christopherson, recounts the same things in Book 8, chapter 7, but says there were only five Martyrs, and extols their "firm and many of them were youths immovable constancy in youthful bodies"; and especially one of them, one not yet 20 years old not quite twenty years of age, bound by no chains, with hands extended in the manner of the Cross, with a lofty and intrepid mind, most attentively fixed in pouring forth prayers to God, neither stirring himself nor turning aside from the place in which he had taken his stand. He adds that beasts were released against one and the same person, two or three in succession; but that they rushed not only against those who had entered the arena to goad them, but also against those standing beyond the barriers who were provoking them from a distance, with much roaring and force.
[13] Nicephorus Callistus has the same in Book 7, chapter 7, though he does not express the number of those Martyrs, and he says that the beasts had been maddened by prolonged starvation beforehand; also that a bull, which had tossed some of the spectators into the air and left them half-dead, approaching the Martyr more threateningly and fiercely, could not even touch him, but only gently touched him with its horn and licked his feet with its tongue, a bull licks the Martyr's feet and withdrew in a manner almost reverential. And when many beasts had been released in this fashion and the same thing had happened with all of them, at last the executioners, losing heart, after many tortures and the infliction of other grievous torments, cruelly slaughtered them all with the sword and cast them into the deep sea.
[14] These events took place in the second year of the persecution, as the author of the Florarium rightly noted, This occurred in the year of Christ 304 which he places in the year of salvation 306, which was the year 304 of the common era.
[15] But St. Tyrannio, as may be gathered from Eusebius, obtained his triumph at Antioch in the eighth year of the persecution, the year of Christ 310. The same author briefly describes it in Book 8, chapter 15: "Among the Martyrs of Phoenicia, by far the most illustrious and altogether the holiest shepherds of the rational flock of Christ were in the year 310, St. Tyrannio, Bishop of Tyre Tyrannio, Bishop of that same place, and Zenobius, Priest of the Church of Sidon... they at Antioch magnificently illustrated the Word of God by steadfastly meeting death; the Bishop indeed by being cast into the deep gulfs of the sea; drowned in the sea Zenobius, however, a most skilled physician, by bravely enduring torments applied to his sides."
[16] Nicephorus Callistus has the same in Book 7, chapter 16, where he reports that Zenobius gave up the ghost amid those torments of his sides. Rufinus writes more briefly in Book 8, chapter 14: "At Tyre indeed, taught the faith from childhood the noblest among the Martyrs, and nurtured from his earliest age in the teachings of Christ, was Tyrannio, Bishop of the same city."