ON THE HOLY MARTYRS OF CONSTANTINOPLE, TWENTY-FOUR IN NUMBER,
EUPHEMIA, ACACIUS, AMMONIUS, THOMAS, TRIPHON, MENELAUS, CEREALIS,
HERACLIUS, EULOGIUS, LIKEWISE EULOGIUS, CIONIA, JULIAN, DEMETRIUS, HORESTES,
HELIODORUS, STRATEGUS, AMEDINUS, JOCUNDUS, MARTYRIUS, AMMUS, SUSTRATUS,
TIMOTHY, CIONIUS, CYRIANUS.
Their true notice from the Hieronymian, and their distinction from others.
Euphemia, Martyr at Constantinople (S.)
Acacius, Martyr at Constantinople (S.)
Ammonius, Martyr at Constantinople (S.)
Thomas, Martyr at Constantinople (S.)
Triphon, Martyr at Constantinople (S.)
Menelaus, Martyr at Constantinople (S.)
Cerealis, Martyr at Constantinople (S.)
Heraclius, Martyr at Constantinople (S.)
Eulogius, Martyr at Constantinople (S.)
Eulogius, another, Martyr at Constantinople (S.)
Cionia, Martyr at Constantinople (S.)
Julian, Martyr at Constantinople (S.)
Demetrius, Martyr at Constantinople (S.)
Horestes, Martyr at Constantinople (S.)
Heliodorus, Martyr at Constantinople (S.)
Strategus, Martyr at Constantinople (S.)
Amedinus, Martyr at Constantinople (S.)
Jocundus, Martyr at Constantinople (S.)
Martyrius, Martyr at Constantinople (S.)
Ammus, Martyr at Constantinople (S.)
Sustratus, Martyr at Constantinople (S.)
Timothy, Martyr at Constantinople (S.)
Cionius, Martyr at Constantinople (S.)
Cyrianus, Martyr at Constantinople (S.)
J. B. S.
This is the last class of the Hieronymian Martyrology, not expressed in quite the same number in all the apographs in Florentinius; for the Lucca codex itself, from which he proposes his text, marks only twenty-three names, even though it doubles Eulogius; so that I do not sufficiently understand What things are more certain by what reasoning he dares to assert so roundly: Twenty-four of Byzantium, with Euphemia at their head, are numbered as Martyrs in our codices. Likewise: There is therefore lacking in that (Corbie codex) the second Eulogius, through the drowsiness of the scribe, which is convicted by the faith of the authorities adduced. I, going through the reckoning six times, could not extract more than twenty-three; the doubled Eulogius the Lucca codex alone truly exhibits: nor for any other reason did I place twenty-four in the title, than by repeating the name of Eulogius, so that thus I might reconcile the various texts with the codex of the Queen of Sweden, already twice praised, otherwise the Senones codex of St. Columba, where it is expressly read: At Constantinople, the birthday of the Holy Euphemia, Acacius, and twenty-two others. The larger lists I do not describe, because they differ only in the manner of forming the names, as may be seen in Florentinius, whose codex from Martyrius and Ammus wrongly forged Martinianus, with which the Blume codex almost agrees. There is also this difference, that the last Saint in the Epternach codex, for Cyrianus, is called Ciriacus. And these are the things which are held certain concerning these holy Martyrs from our most ancient Martyrologies; with no trace anywhere appearing from which it may be permitted to conjecture or investigate either their age or the manner of their martyrdom.
The other more abridged Hieronymian codices bring no light, they are preferred to the more recent, since, as we saw above, they treat almost of the Alexandrians alone, or wrongly confound the text of the greater codices. From the Classical Martyrologists you will find no more aid, nor from the more recent Usuardine codices, since those codices too have corrupted the whole class, plucking out only four names. So the Antwerp-max., Utrecht, Leyden, and Louvain codices have: Likewise at Constantinople, St. Eulogius, Euphemia, Acacius, Demetrius. And, with the order somewhat inverted, the Florentine codex: In the city of Constantinople, of the holy martyrs Eulogius, Achazius, Euphemia, and Demetrius. The Lübeck-Cologne edition turns the name of Eulogius into Euolius. Greven, restoring the true reading, thus bends his announcement: Of Acacius, Demetrius, Euphemia, crowned with Eulogius, whom last he had seen placed at Constantinople in the very Usuardine text. The announcement of all these flowed from a codex similar to the Barberini, or from an addition of Bede, described from Hieronymian codices of that kind, where, having found the text, At Constantinople, Euphemia, Acacius, Demetrius, they did not doubt that these three were to be joined with their Usuardine Eulogius; in which the more recent, along with Maurolyco, followed them. These had also been preceded by the prelate of Equilium, book 11, number 189: Eulogius and Euphemia, Achaicus and Demetrius, martyrs at Constantinople, obtained their triumph on the same day (the fifth before the Nones of July).
Too much illustrated by Galesinius. Galesinius went further, restricting the whole class to two only, and daring to determine the circumstances of the martyrdom, which he had not found among the ancients, being wont for the most part to walk crosswise, and to bring forward some manuscript in a manner peculiar to himself, as our elders before me have frequently noted; so that it is a wonder his opinions were so easily admitted by Baronius. Let us give the words of Galesinius: At Constantinople, of the holy martyrs Eulogius and Demetrius. These, under the Emperor Valens, the champion of Arian impiety, by the utmost torments of the body and by death, gave a splendid testimony of the Catholic faith. But in his notes he writes: From the Annals of the Church of Constantinople and a manuscript codex. That Galesinian manuscript codex deceives, as I have already said. But what those Annals of the Church of Constantinople may be, known to Galesinius alone, I confess I cannot divine. To say it in a word: nothing has thus far occurred to me from which I could even remotely gather that either the whole cohort of the Hieronymian Martyrs, or the four related in the Usuardine codices, or those two Galesinian ones, pertain to the times of Valens rather than of any other Emperor whatsoever.
Nor do I see by what reasoning the announcement of Baronius can be saved: Hence Baronius took his own. At Constantinople, of the holy martyrs Eulogius and his companions. To which he notes: The Greeks too treat of these on this day in the Menologium. They suffered under the Emperor Valens, for the Catholic faith, which they strenuously professed. The most eminent Annalist is not accustomed to indicate any other menologium than that of Sirletus, published by Canisius, as is most clearly evident from other notes of this day; and yet neither in it, nor in the Menaea, is any Eulogius mentioned on this day. But while he designates the times of Valens, he seems to follow Galesinius, and, unless I am greatly mistaken, to allude to those glorious eighty Martyrs, whom, from the aforesaid menologium, he most rightly marked on the fifth of September, with Urban, Theodore, and Menedemus at their head, who, placed on a ship by the Emperor Valens for the Catholic faith, were ordered to be burned at sea. Of these Papebroch treated in the Acts, following other Greek calendars, on the eighteenth of May, from Socrates, Sozomen, and others. They are praised more than once by St. Gregory Nazianzen, when he reproaches the Arians with the burnings of presbyters at sea; but concerning St. Eulogius, or the other companions expressed above, especially those of the female sex, there is everywhere the deepest silence. Whether the following Saint is taken from this company is uncertain.