ON THE HOLY MARTYRS SEVERIANUS AND AQUILA, AT NEOCAESAREA IN MAURITANIA.
CommentarySeverianus, married, Martyr, at Neocaesarea in Mauritania (S.) Aquila, his wife, Martyr, at Neocaesarea in Mauritania (S.)
[1] Neocaesarea is a city of Cappadocia, very famous, mentioned by Ptolemy; another is in Bithynia, as is clear from Stephanus; another on the Euphrates. There is also in Mauritania a city, the birthplace of S. Severianus, if one trusts the Martyrology, says Ortelius. But why should it not be trusted, and indeed much more so, than profane writers? Galesinius did not believe it, but placed it in Macedonia, citing no authority to follow. He also admits that all manuscripts have "in Mauritania." But, he says, it must certainly be seen whether there is an error in them, since we nowhere read of a Neocaesarea situated in Mauritania. Baronius, perhaps moved by this reasoning, substituted Caesarea for Neocaesarea. So also has the most ancient Rhinau manuscript Martyrology: Neocaesarea, a city of Mauritania Caesariensis: "At Caesarea, Severianus and Aquila." But all other manuscripts have Neocaesarea. The old Roman Martyrology edited by Rosweyde, the manuscript of S. Jerome, very many manuscripts of Usuard, Bede, Ado, Notker, Maurolycus, and others. Some manuscripts call it Geneocaesarea, as does Bellinus in the Venetian edition of 1498; but the manuscript Florarium calls it Gueocaesarea; the Paris edition of Usuard of 1536 and the Lubeck edition of 1475 and manuscripts call it Gneocaesarea; Peter de Natalis, book 3, chapter 16, calls it Zenocaesarea. Caesarea is a maritime city of Mauritania Caesariensis, which Ptolemy calls Iol Caesarea, book 4, chapter 2, table 1 of Africa. Strabo also, book 17: "On this maritime coast there was a certain city called Iol, which Juba, father of Ptolemy, having restored it, called Caesarea after changing the name. It has a harbor, and before the harbor an island." Ptolemy also in the passage cited: "An island lies adjacent to Julia Caesarea, having a city of the same name." Was perhaps this city on the island, later built, called Neocaesarea, that is, New Caesarea? Or was some other town elsewhere so called? It was common in Africa that the title "New" was added to the names of cities: thus are mentioned Nobabarbarensis, Nobagermaniensis, Nobasparsensis, Nobasinensis, Bishops of Numidia; Nobalicianensis, of Mauritania Sitifensis. But enough about the place.
[2] there SS. Severianus and Aquila were burned; At Neocaesarea, then, or Caesarea, the holy spouses Severianus and Aquila were burned by fire, as is attested by all Martyrologies. Galesinius and Canisius add Florus, their son. Galesinius says: At Neocaesarea in Macedonia, of the holy Martyrs Severianus and Aquila, spouses, and their son Florus: these, for their perpetual constancy in defending the faith, were burned and departed to their reward in heaven. In his Notes he confesses that he added Florus on the authority of an ancient book. was Florus their son also? We fear that this Florus is the one who was killed at Rome with Bellus, Saturninus, and others, about whom we spoke above; and that because he had been added to two spouses, he was believed to be their son; yet this would be a bold conjecture. The Dungal manuscript, as we said above, has two Floruses, or rather Florus and Florius: but we do not rashly follow that codex alone.
[3] Moreover, S. Severianus is called Severinus by Ado. Aquila, in the Venetian edition of Bellinus of 1498, is called Attila; in the Dungal manuscript, Aquilia.