ON ST. HYACINTH THE CHAMBERLAIN, MARTYR,
AND ON ANOTHER OF THE SAME NAME.
ABOUT THE BEGINNING OF THE SECOND CENTURY.
Historical Collection.
Hyacinth, Martyr at Rome or at Caesarea in Cappadocia (S.)
Another Hyacinth.
J. P.
The yearly memory of our holy Martyr recurs, very frequently repeated, in the Greek monuments. For it is found inscribed in the printed Greek Menaea, as also in our manuscript supplement to the aforesaid Greek Menaea, Cult from the Synaxaria which is composed partly from the parchment manuscript Synaxarion of Father Sirmond, partly from the paper manuscript of Chifflet. Then the Menologium, gathered by the command of Basil Porphyrogenitus, makes mention of the same, adding in each place a brief elogium, which I here set forth. The Supplement has thus on this day:
[2] Ἄθλησις τοῦ ἁγίου μάρτυρος Ὑακίνθου, τοῦ κουβικουλαρίου.
The Passion of the holy Martyr Hyacinth the chamberlain.
Two little verses follow: and with elogia
Ἐμὴ τροφὴ θέλημα ποιεῖν Κυρίου, Τροφὴ δέ φησιν Ὑακύνθος ἐῤῥέτω.
My food is to do the will of the Lord; Says Hyacinth: let other food be far from me.
The next place is held by the elogium. Οὗτος ἦν ἀπὸ Καισαρείας τῆς πόλεως τῶν Καππαδόκων χώρας καὶ ἐπαρχίας. Κουβικουλάριος δὲ ὢν, καὶ τῇ τραπέζῃ Τραιανοῦ ὑπηρετῶν ἐν Ῥώμῃ, διαβάλλεται τῷ βασιλεῖ ὡς τὸ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐπικαλούμενος ὄνομα, καὶ ἀναγκασθεὶς μιαροφαγῆσαι παρὰ τοῦ βασιλέως, οὐχ εἵλετο τοῦτο ποιῆσαι, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον Χριστὸν ὡμολόγησε. Τύπτεται οὖν κατὰ παντὸς τοῦ σώματος, βληθεὶς ἐν φυλακῇ, καὶ τῶν παρακειμένων εἰδωλοθύτων ἀπογεύσασθαι μὴ βουληθείς, ἀλλὰ ἐπὶ τεσσαράκοντα ἡμέρας ἄσιτος γεγονὼς, εἰσαγωγῆς ἄρτων καθαρῶν ἐπαγορευθείσης παρὰ τοῦ βασιλέως τοῖς δεσμοφύλαξι, τὴν ψυχὴν τῷ Θεῷ παρέθετο. Τελεῖται δὲ ἡ αὐτοῦ σύναξις ἐν τῷ ἁγιωτάτῳ αὐτοῦ μαρτυρείῳ, τῷ ὄντι ἐν τοῖς Τρωαδησίου ἐμβόλοις.
[3] established. He had been born in the city of Caesarea, which is in the region and province of the Cappadocians. But since he was of the chamber and of the table of Trajan at Rome, he was accused before the Emperor of having invoked the name of Christ; and being compelled by the Emperor to eat unclean foods, he refused to do this, but rather confessed Christ. And so, beaten over his whole body, after he had been cast into prison and had refused to taste anything of the food offered, which had been sacrificed to idols, but after forty days spent without food, when the emperor had ordered clean foods to be brought by the keepers of the prison, he rendered up his spirit to God. His feast is celebrated in the most holy martyry or oratory of the Martyr himself, which is in the Troadesium.
[4] And these things indeed from the said Supplement; to which I append those which I read in the Basilian Menologium, His other elogia on the same day of the aforesaid month: Hyacinth, Martyr of Christ, was from the city of Caesarea of Cappadocia; and since he was chamberlain and set over the table of Trajan, the impious emperor, at Rome, he worshiped Christ. And so, accused by the idolaters and seized, he was driven to sacrifice to idols and to eat unclean foods. But he, because he could not be brought to this, and confessed Christ all the more openly, saying that He alone is God and Lord of all things, was therefore grievously beaten and sent into prison. And when the emperor commanded the keeper of the prison not to bring him clean bread, but nourishment from food sacrificed to idols, since he himself for very many days did not taste of these, but remained fasting, he rendered up his spirit to God.
[5] The Menologium of Sirletus records the Acts of our Martyr in a brief summary, from the Basilian Menologium and that of Sirletus, speaking thus: Of the holy Martyr Hyacinth the Chamberlain. This man, from Caesarea, the first city of the Cappadocians, ministered at the table of the emperor Trajan; but being accused of being a Christian, and beaten over his whole body, he was cast into prison, where after some days, remaining fasting, he rendered up his spirit to God. The Index to the Typicon of St. Sabas makes mention of the Martyr Hyacinth on this same day of July; on which day also the Roman Martyrology reckoned his glorious triumph into its ecclesiastical tables with this
elogium: the announcement from the Roman Martyrology, the time of the Martyrdom. At Caesarea in Cappadocia, St. Hyacinth, chamberlain of the emperor Trajan, who, being accused of being a Christian, was variously afflicted with blows and thrust into prison, where, consumed by hunger, he expired. The notice of our Champion is found recorded in Maximus, Bishop of Cythera, together with a small elogium, which I here spare myself the labor of transcribing, since the foregoing suffice abundantly. Nay more, the Slavo-Russian Menologium itself reckons our Combatant into the sacred calendars of the Saints on this same day. Baronius in his Ecclesiastical Annals treats of our Martyr under the year 108, and says that he thinks he exchanged mortal life for immortal at that very time, and attained the laurel of martyrdom. Let a twofold little verse, translated hither from the printed Menaea, crown what has thus far been said of Hyacinth the Chamberlain:
Ἐξ ἀρετῆς μὲν Ὑάκινθος ὡς λίθος Λαμπρός, πλέον δὲ ἐκ ῥοῆς τῶν αἱμάτων.
Like a precious stone Hyacinth shines By virtue, but gleams the brighter by his poured-out blood.
[6] On another Hyacinth, a Martyr of the same name. Besides our Martyr Hyacinth, chamberlain by office, the birthday of a certain namesake Hyacinth, a Martyr, is recorded in the printed Menaea, on this same third day, and indeed in the earlier place; there is read, moreover, his announcement in the Greek Horologion, and in the epitome of the Greek Menologium; where it seems that it may somehow be conjectured that a Martyr Hyacinth distinct from Hyacinth the Chamberlain is being designated, from the omission of that already-mentioned appellative name, which is wanting in one of these two Hyacinths. Finally, Molanus in his Additions also places on this day the memory of St. Hyacinth the Martyr, without any addition.