CONCERNING THE HOLY ALEXANDRIAN MARTYRS CELER, OR CEREALIS, PUPILLUS, OR PUPULUS, SERAPION, JUSTUS, CLAUDIANUS, OR CLAUDIUS, THEOPHILUS, VICTORINUS, SATURNINUS, EPPOLUS, EUTHECIA, ASTUTA, MUSTILLA, ALEXANDER, VICTOR, SECUNDELLA. LIKEWISE CAIUS AND FELIX.
Historical Synopsis.
Celer, or Cerealis, Alexandrian Martyr (Saint) Pupillus, or Pupulus, Alexandrian Martyr (Saint) Serapion, Alexandrian Martyr (Saint) Justus, Alexandrian Martyr (Saint) Claudianus, or Claudius, Alexandrian Martyr (Saint) Theophilus, Alexandrian Martyr (Saint) Victorinus, Alexandrian Martyr (Saint) Saturninus, Alexandrian Martyr (Saint) Eppolus, Alexandrian Martyr (Saint) Euthecia, Alexandrian Martyr (Saint) Astuta, Alexandrian Martyr (Saint) Mustilla, Alexandrian Martyr (Saint) Alexander, Alexandrian Martyr (Saint) Victor, Alexandrian Martyr (Saint) Secundella, Alexandrian Martyr (Saint) Caius, Alexandrian Martyr (Saint) Felix, Alexandrian Martyr (Saint)
By G. H.
[1] The Roman Martyrology in our possession, written nearly a thousand years ago, which bears the name of St. Jerome, on the 28th day of February enumerates thirty-six Martyrs, divided into two groups as it were: the first, about whom we now treat, it assigns to Alexandria; the second it records as having suffered elsewhere, Martyrs who suffered at Alexandria with no definite place designated. Other Martyrologies, both manuscript and printed, variously mix and alter them, and reduce the number: which themselves nevertheless shed some light, and must necessarily be cited here. And first, the two leading ones, and perhaps the leaders of the rest, are alone recorded in the manuscript Ado of Queen Christina of Sweden, Celer, Pupillus in these words: Likewise of Cereris (read Celeris) and Pupillus. With the latter omitted, two others are joined to Celer in the ancient manuscript of Laetien: On the 2nd of the Kalends of March. At Alexandria, Saints Serapion, Celer, Claudius. Serapion, Claudianus But Serapion and Claudius alone are read in the manuscript of St. Lambert at Liege, and without mention of the city of Alexandria. More are joined in the manuscript of St. Martin at Tournai: The day before the Kalends of March. At Alexandria, the birthday of Saints Celer, Serapion, Claudius, Victorinus, Saturninus, Alexander, and Victor. The manuscript of Reichenau, or Augia Dives, very ancient, records these: At Alexandria, of Celer, Justus, Theophilus, and others Pupillus, Serapion, Justus, and Claudius, Theophilus, Victorinus, Eppolus, Astuta, Mustilla, Alexander, Victor. He who is called Claudius in these Martyrologies is called Claudianus by others. Thus the ancient manuscript of the monastery of St. Cyriacus, which Baronius chiefly used in embellishing the Roman Martyrology: The day before the Kalends of March. Birthday of Celer, Pupillus, Serapion, Justus, Claudianus. Finally, the above-mentioned Martyrology of St. Jerome lists all of them in this order: The day before the Kalends of March. At Alexandria, the birthday of Celer, Pupillus, Serapion, Justus, Claudianus, Theophilus, Victorinus, Saturninus, Euthecia, Astuta, Mustilla, Alexandriae, Victor, Secundella. Of these, Euthecia and Secundella are mentioned only in this Martyrology of St. Jerome, and Mustilla is written where Mitilla is in the Reichenau manuscript: Victor and Victorinus also appear as Victurus and Victurinus in other sources. The name Alexandriae is also placed as if it were a Saint, which is Alexander in the Reichenau and Tournai manuscripts, and is more approved by us. We have added St. Eppolus from the said Reichenau manuscript, although he is absent from the manuscript of St. Jerome. In the manuscript of Anchin: At Alexandria, Saints Dionysius, Claudianus, and Theophilus. Of these, Dionysius perhaps belongs to February 27, as a Martyr in Africa along with twenty-four others.
[2] In some manuscripts, other Saints are added, perhaps from the other group to be given shortly. Thus Felix is joined to them in the ancient manuscript of St. Riquier in these words: The day before the Kalends of March. Birthday of Saints Publius, Justus, Theophilus, and Felix the Martyrs. others added: Felix, Caius Publius has hitherto been called Pupillus by others. Felix and Caius are joined in the manuscript of St. Mary ad Gradus at Cologne: Likewise Saints Celer, Pupillus, Gagus, Justus, Claudianus, Felix. In the manuscript of St. Maximin a new addition is made in these words: Likewise Celer, Pupillus, Gagus, Justus, Claudianus, Theophilus, Macaria, Felix. Rufinus, Macarius But Macarius is read in the Prague manuscript and Rufinus is added. The words of that Martyrology we shall give under the following heading. And the Aachen manuscript has this: At Alexandria, the birthday of Saints Celer, Pupillus, Claudianonus (rather Claudianus), Macharius, Gagus, Serapion. In the small ancient manuscript of St. Maximin there is the memorial of Justus, Servilianus, Opulus, Gagianus. For the last, the name Gagus is read elsewhere, which is Caius, and Opulus is called Eppolus in the Reichenau manuscript. Servilianus is a Martyr of Smyrna recorded on February 27, or else Servilia, here appended to the second group. Rabanus Maurus records these in his Martyrology: The 2nd of the Kalends of March. At Alexandria, Saints Celer, Pupillus, Ligicus, Serapion. The error concerning Ligicus is corrected thus by Notker: The day before the Kalends of March. At Alexandria, of Celer, Pupillus, Gaius, Serapion. Behold, Caius, or Gaius, is called by others Gagus, Gagianus, and most corruptly Ligicus. In the Paris manuscript of our Philip Labbe the following is recorded: The 2nd of the Kalends of March. Celer, Pupillus, Claudianus, Macarius, Gaia, Rufina, Justus. Of these, Macarius and Rufinus are to be given shortly, unless Rufunia is a Martyr in the second group of Martyrs, or Rufina the Virgin, about whom below, is meant: whom Hermann Greven in his supplement to Usuard separates, and records the following about the others: Likewise Saints Celer, Pupillus, Claudionis (rather Claudianus), Macarius, Gaius, Serapion.
[3] What we have thus far given from thirteen codices, all of them distinguished and all written by an ancient hand, is the name of St. Celer, Whether Celer is also called Cerealis, and Pupillus Pupulus? or Celeri, and in a single manuscript Cereris, which seems also to have been written, with the last consonants inverted but not without error, as Cerelis: whence the name Cerealis was formed, which is read in the printed Bede, along with Pupulus, for which in almost all those same codices it is Pupillus, in one Publius. The words of Bede are: At Alexandria, of the holy Martyrs Cerealis, Pupulus, Gaius, Serapion. On the authority of Bede cited in the Roman Martyrology, the following is found in nearly the same words: At Alexandria, the passion of Saints Cerealis, Pupulus, Gaius, and Serapion. Baronius notes that the ancient manuscripts of the monastery of St. Cyriacus agree, in which Claudianus and Justus are added. Galesini indeed divides them into two groups, but arranged in an entirely new order, and from the first group he begins the day of February 28 thus: At Rome, of the holy Martyrs Celerius, Pupilus, Claudianus, some assigned to Rome Justus, Macarius, Nicephorus, who in the Diocletian persecution, after various struggles and tortures of life, were at length gloriously crowned. Canisius in his German Martyrology copies Galesini. The latter in his Notes calls the second Pupulus, but says Pupillus is a corruption, as we have noted from correctly written books. He writes that the martyrdom of these was endured at Alexandria according to Bede, but that he himself wrote Rome, following the ancient writing of the codex. So says Galesini, who, citing the same Bede and a manuscript codex, assigns the latter group thus: At Alexandria, of the blessed Martyrs Cerealis, Gaius, and Serapion. Bede records these three with only Pupulus from the first group, so that the latter should not have been rejected from the first group, since Bede makes no mention of the five others. We do not consider Celer, whom Galesini calls Celerius, to be a different person from Cerealis. Macarius and Nicephorus belong to the following groups. About the rest we have treated abundantly from various manuscripts, and perhaps to the reader's tedium, who will nevertheless, I hope, take our labor in good part, since he will perceive that our sole aim was to ensure that we neither withheld anything from the reader's judgment nor rashly affirmed anything ourselves.
[4] With Saints Macarius and Rufinus, about whom we shall shortly treat, are joined Justus and Theophilus, others separated from the rest who perhaps belong to these Alexandrian group, and Ferrari in his Catalogue of Italian Saints, having assigned these four Martyrs to Rome, notes that Bede records them as having suffered at Alexandria, and that in place of Rufinus and Theophilus, Bede puts Celerius, Pupulus, Claudianus, and Nicephorus. These were copied from Galesini without consulting Bede, since Bede mentions only Pupulus. We read nothing elsewhere about martyrdom endured by them in the persecution of Diocletian. The remaining matters will be made clearer from what follows.