ON THE HOLY MARTYRS RUTILA, CLAUDIA, AND AURIGA IN ETHIOPIA, AND LIKEWISE VITALIS AND STEPHEN AT JERUSALEM.
CommentaryRutila, in Ethiopia (St.) Auriga, in Ethiopia (St.) Claudia, in Ethiopia (St.) Stephen at Jerusalem (St.) Vitalis at Jerusalem (St.)
The Martyrology of St. Jerome: "And in Ethiopia: Rutila, Claudia, Auriga, Vitalis from Jerusalem, Stephen." The Cologne edition of Usuard from the year 1521: "At Jerusalem: Stephen and Vitalis. Likewise Tobias, Rutilia, Vitalis" — thus it lists two persons named Vitalis, while the rest list only one. The ancient manuscript Martyrology of the monastery of St. Martin at Trier: "And at Jerusalem: SS. Stephen and Vitalis." And lest anyone suspect that this refers to the Octave of St. Stephen the Protomartyr, it treats of that separately. The manuscript of St. Lambert at Liège, which bears the name of Bede prefixed: "At Jerusalem: Stephen and Vitalis." The manuscript of St. Mary at Utrecht: "At Jerusalem: SS. Stephen and Vitalis." This is perhaps the same one recorded on January 1 in the same Martyrology of St. Jerome in these words: "In the East: Stephen." The same is found in the most ancient manuscript of Rhinouvia on the same day.