ON THE HOLY AFRICAN MARTYRS CRESCONIUS, ZENO,
MENANDER, CARINIANUS, ARION, HIPPOLYTUS, DIODORUS, MENELANTUS, ATHORA,
PETER, LAMBESES, LUCIAN, FELIX, AND THIRTY-FIVE OTHERS.
CommentaryCresconius, Martyr in Africa (St.) Zeno, Martyr in Africa (St.) Menander, Martyr in Africa (St.) Carinianus, Martyr in Africa (St.) Arion, Martyr in Africa (St.) Hippolytus, Martyr in Africa (St.) Diodorus, Martyr in Africa (St.) Menelantus, Martyr in Africa (St.) Athora, Martyr in Africa (St.) Peter, Martyr in Africa (St.) Lambeses, Martyr in Africa (St.) Lucian, Martyr in Africa (St.) Felix, Martyr in Africa (St.) Thirty-five others, Martyrs in Africa.
By J. B.
[1] The land of Africa sent very many martyrs to heaven, of whom, however, often only bare names survive, their Acts having been lost or never written down; of many, not even the names themselves survive. Thirteen are listed on this day in the ancient martyrologies of the best authority; the Acts of these Martyrs are unknown and to these are added thirty-five or thirty-six others, expressed only by number, not each by his own name. But in what city or village, at what time, under what judges, or by what kind of punishment they attained the palm of martyrdom is obscure. The so-called Martyrology of St. Jerome, that is, the most ancient manuscript Martyrology of the Roman Church, enumerates them thus: In Africa, of Crisconius, Zeno, Minander, Carinianus, Arion, Hippolytus, the names Diodorus, Menelantus, Athora. And elsewhere, of Peter, Lambeses, Lucian, Felix, and thirty-five others. But an old manuscript from the monastery of Marchiennes reduces them all to a single group, thus: In Africa, of Chrysogonus, Zeno, Minander, Carinianus, Arion, Hippolytus, Diodorus, Menelantus, Athora, Peter, Lambeses, Luciana, Felix, and thirty-six others. The same is read in the old codex of the monastery of Anchin. So that the phrase "and elsewhere" seems to signify nothing other than "in another place within the same Africa."
[2] In other martyrologies, not all, but those who were perhaps more celebrated, fewer names listed elsewhere are named. Thus the manuscript of Reichenau: In Africa, of Cresconius, Zeno, Emenandus, Diodorus. Notker, who lived about 700 years ago: In Africa, of Grysconius, Zeno, and many others. The manuscript of Liessies seems to join them with the Pannonian Saints, of whom below: In Pannonia, it says, of the holy Antigonus, Rutulus, Libius, Eminander, and Zeno. Similarly, Hermann Greven, together with the Aachen Martyrology, joins Felix with Polycarp and other Asians: And in Asia, of Polycarp, Eros, Felix, with twelve others.
[3] There is some difference, as is evident, in the names of certain saints in various copies. Cresconius is elsewhere called Crisconius, Chrysogonus, or Grysionius. Menander becomes Minander, some names are variously written Eminander, or Eminandus. Carinianus is Carimanus in the Anchin manuscript; Melenantus, who is Menelantus in the rest. In that same manuscript and the Marchiennes one, Luciana appears where others have Lucianus. Finally, those two codices add thirty-six companions to the thirteen named, where the old Roman has only thirty-five.