ON ST. AARON OF CAERLEON.
About the Year 303.
HISTORICAL COMMENTARY on his present cult and the time of his martyrdom.
Julius, Martyr in Britain (S.) Aaron, Martyr in Britain (S.) The Companion Martyrs in Britain (SS.)
BY THE AUTHOR J. B. S.
Bolland, treating of the Lichfield Martyrs on II January, seemed to embrace among them also these two of ours, who, however ancient they are, celebrated by the Venerable Bede himself in the history of the English, are nevertheless in no classical Martyrology, apart from St. Alban the protomartyr, They are praised by Ado on 22 June, much less honored on this day; and what you may marvel at more, neither does Bede himself in his Martyrology, even as augmented by Florus or by whatever others, make mention of our Julius or Aaron. Ado therefore is the one and only among the ancients who named them, on XXII June, toward the end of the elogium of St. Alban, in these words: At which time the cruel persecution, having crossed the border of the Ocean, condemned with happy blood Aaron and Julius of Britain also, with many other men and women. And this is the first and sole memory of our two Martyrs, and that merely additional, which recurs anywhere in any ancient Fasti. Indeed, neither are they noted in any of the supplements of the Hieronymian codices, of Ado, or of Usuard. I ask, whence were they inserted into the Roman Martyrology on this I July? In Baronius's note ancient manuscripts are cited, but which or of what kind they are is nowhere said. I sincerely confess that I have found none in our huge collection of many volumes in which the names of Julius or Aaron appear.
[2] Among all the compilers of the Usuardine supplements the chief place is held by him whom we are accustomed to call Hermann Greven the Carthusian, but who first reported them on this day, and who on this day reads thus: Of Aaron and Julius the Martyrs, with many others. Following him, Molanus, in his first edition, added in smaller type: Of Aaron and Julius the Martyrs, with many others, of whom Bede makes mention in book 1 of his history. Why in the later editions he wished that announcement absent, I do not divine. But Baronius does not seem to have received it from these supplements; nor am I led to believe that Galesinius shone before him, whose elogium is this: At Caerleon, of the holy Julius and Aaron, who, astonished at the wondrousness of the things which Alban the Martyr had divinely and bravely done, having repudiated the false gods, adhered to the Christian faith, in the confession of which, constant with admirable virtue, under the Emperors Diocletian and Maximian, they strenuously underwent martyrdom. These things are too far distant from the phrasing of Baronius, who preferred almost to copy Bede. From both differs the briefer elogium of Canisius, as also the longer English one in its proper Martyrology, printed in the years 1608 and 1640, and others, which, conceived in the same or similar terms, would here too often be vainly repeated.
[3] It is strange, what is read on this day in the Usuardine codex of Pulsano: it seems to have been Peter of Equilino. The Passion of the holy 800 Martyrs, who in the time of Diocletian suffered in the city of Verulam: for these certainly pertain to XXII June, where the commentary on the Acts of St. Alban must be seen, and our observation on Usuard. But whoever first brought our two Martyrs onto the Kalends of July, I think Castellanus's observation does not stray much from the truth, when he says that this Aaron the Englishman, with his companion and companions, was, from the synonymy of the name with Aaron the Levitical priest, referred to this I July, just as has been done elsewhere, as has been demonstrated more than once in our Acts. For the rest, I shall not fear to assert that the Prelate Equilino, otherwise a liberal distributor of days, when he had found the other Aaron placed on this day, without long hesitation determined a cult for the younger English Aaron and his companions also, writing roundly: associated with the number of the heavenly triumphant ones on the Kalends of July. And from this source I think it more than likely that the rest, the already-cited more recent Martyrologists, and Baronius himself, drew. But let what has been said of these suffice.
[4] More ancient is the certain and solid praise of these Saints in Bede, book 1 of the history chapter 7, Concerning them Bede in the history, from whom the elogium of Baronius: when at the end of the passion of St. Alban the protomartyr of the English he adds: There suffered in that time Aaron and Julius, citizens of the City of the Legions, and many others of both sexes in various places; who, tortured with diverse torments, and lacerated with unheard-of tearing of their limbs, sent their souls, the contest being completed, to the joys of the supernal city. This whole and true historical laudation of Julius and Aaron, which indeed has come down to us from the time of Gildas the wise, from which it will soon be clear that the encomium of the modern Roman is contracted, which I said above was prefixed by Baronius, following Peter Equilino, to the Galesinian phrase, in these words: In Britain, of the holy Martyrs Julius and Aaron, who after St. Alban suffered in the persecution of Diocletian: at which time there very many, tortured with diverse torments and most cruelly lacerated, came to the joys of the supernal city, the contest being consummated. Baronius seems to have as if deliberately abstained from naming the wrestling-place, although Bede expressed it. The English Martyrology of the edition of 1608 calls it Caerleon on the river Usk, in the province of Cambria, commonly South Wales: that of the year 1640, Caerline or Caer-legion; which it is enough to have noted with a word. See more in Camden page 489 toward the end.
[5] another in the said catalogue of Equilino; The Legend of Capgrave took over only Bede's epitome of our Martyrs, folio 8 verso, column 2; others rendered the matter paraphrastically, such as the praised Equilino, book 6 chapter 35: Aaron and Julius, citizens of the City of the Legions, which is a city in Britain, and many other Martyrs of both sexes, suffered in the same city under the persecution of Diocletian and Maximian; who, on account of the many and notable miracles which were shown in the passion of blessed Alban the Martyr, as was treated above in his passion on XI Kalends of July, were converted to Christ, and for the glory of the same faith and confession, themselves also suffering martyrdom from the infidels, were associated with the number of the heavenly triumphant ones on the Kalends of July. A similar corollary from the Flowers of the histories Ussher reports page 167, but I shall not here linger longer in describing many shreds of that kind; all things our Alford seems to embrace in his Annals at the year 287 from number 28, where, the martyrdom of Alban and his companion Heraclius the soldier being premised, after a long question instituted concerning Amphibalus and his anonymous companions, at last concerning ours he thus proceeds:
[6] But that part of Britain whence Amphibalus was sprung, But Alford is better adduced, preserved a little better the memory of its fellow-citizen Martyrs: for there Julius and Aaron are recorded to have suffered in this persecution of Diocletian and Maximian. Of old they, when at home they had given themselves to letters and the meditation of divine things, sought Rome itself, the very fountain of the Christian religion (which was often before done by the Britons). This testifies Bale, surnamed the Apostate, enemy of the Roman name and Church, who wrote thus of them: [Julius and Aaron, illustrious citizens of the famed City of the Legions (thus Isca Silurum is called, where the Second Legion was), and disciples of Amphibalus the Martyr in Christ, were plainly illustrious ornaments of piety in Britain: not only in their own fatherland did they earnestly watch over letters, but they also sought foreign nations to learn the good arts, and are read to have studied chiefly at Rome. Thence that they were remarkably learned, the British history everywhere relates.] So he. But now if you sift their faith; since they studied chiefly at Rome, and were disciples of Amphibalus the Martyr; it is certain indeed that they honored the cross, the Saints, and the relics of the Saints, and the chief city in every rite of religion, and thus were illustrious ornaments no less of the Roman faith than of our Britain.
[7] Thus rightly Alford, by an argument, as they say, ad hominem, refuting others cuts the throat of Bale the apostate with his own sword; I should prefer that he had discussed his narration itself more accurately, or at least had taught what is that British history from which Bale adorned his summary. Certainly he would not have dreamed of one older than Gildas and Bede; and yet they made no mention, even by a word, of all that pilgrimage to foreign nations, and to the city of Rome itself, and of the discipleship of Amphibalus; by what authority then can the specious commentary of the Apostate rest? Alford subjoins that these Martyrs are also praised by John Fox, but who is in this mistaken, that he calls them citizens of Verulam, whom Gildas and Bede call citizens of the City of the Legions. Thus other English writers invent other things, whom with Bale and Fox we refer to the text of Bede, which follows in the cited Annals, related by us above. This alone is what can be called true and genuine; to which add the words of Gildas, that they stood firm in the battle-line of Christ with the highest magnanimity. Hence indeed establish that, toward the end of number 28, the praised Alford most rightly observed that nothing else exists concerning the manner of their death or their deeds.
[8] and explaining the matter. For the rest (thus Alford proceeds) the ancient Britons honored these two, no less than Alban and Amphibalus, with altars and temples erected. And especially the City of the Legions, where they were born and departed life, honored their sacred bodies, a church built over them, as Giraldus Cambrensis is witness in his Itinerary, where, treating of the City of the Legions; [Here lie, he says, two noble men, and after Alban and Amphibalus the chief protomartyrs of greater Britain, and there crowned with martyrdom; namely Julius and Aaron, each of whom had a notable church in the city, adorned with his name. For there were three excellent churches in this City of the Legions in ancient times. One of Julius the Martyr, dedicated to the virgin-God, graced with a choir of regulars. The other of blessed Aaron his companion, founded in the same name, and ennobled with an illustrious order of canons. The third distinguished with the metropolitan see of all Cambria.] These things in Alford from Giraldus, in whom from Geoffrey of Monmouth Ussher plucks a few small things page 168, but, since they do not pertain to our Saints or their cult, neither is it for us to examine them. The words received from Giraldus Cambrensis are otherwise reported by Camden page 490, yet with the same sense, so far as pertains to our Saints. Let him who seeks other things consult the source.
[9] It is asked in what year they suffered. More opportunely it might here be asked in what year our glorious champions suffered martyrdom, if anything shone forth by which it could certainly and indubitably be determined. To the year 304, at the beginning of the great Diocletian persecution, Bolland recalled his Lichfield Martyrs on II January, but Henschenius marked the passion of Alban and his companions in the year 303. Alford resists, contending for the year 287 with the tradition of the English more received from so long a time. But we judge the opinion of our Predecessors to be preferred; for since Bede most clearly denotes that persecution which was more lasting and monstrous than almost all preceding, inasmuch as it was carried on incessantly for ten years (as Bede there describes from Orosius) with burnings of churches, proscriptions of the innocent, slaughters of Martyrs, it is not to be doubted but that he looks to the last, begun in the year 303, in the month of February at Nicomedia; but since this was soon quieted in Britain, Henschenius most probably ascribed the martyrdom of Alban, Amphibalus, and consequently of Julius, Aaron, and their companions to that year 303, and it is also the opinion of Baronius, asserted by Ussher against the popular view page 147. Tillemont makes the matter doubtful, Volume 4 page 738, but to dispute more about these things is superfluous.