Cyrus

ON SAINT CYRUS,

BISHOP OF CARTHAGE.

From the Roman Martyrology.

Syrus, Bishop of Carthage (S.)

J. B. S.

We assign the source from which Cyrus had to be taken by us, since in no other Fasti, whether Greek or Latin, is he anywhere known, so that we justly suspect that he was first inserted by Baronius or some other reviser of that Martyrology in these words: Of this Saint we are not sufficiently certain, At Carthage, of holy Cyrus the bishop, on whose festivity holy Augustine delivered a sermon about him to the people. Nor indeed did Baronius in his annotations cite any Martyrology from which he received him, which from his words is manifest, for he thus speaks: Possidius in the Indiculus, chapter 8, hands down that St. Augustine had a treatise about him to the people. The whole authority therefore on which this announcement of the Roman Martyrology rests is with Possidius alone, who in the said Indiculus, by these words, Of the deposition of Cyrus, bishop of Carthage, seems thus to have depicted that Cyrus, so that St. Augustine spoke about him to the people, although meanwhile that treatise or sermon is nowhere assigned; but in the most recent edition of his works by the monks of the Congregation of St. Maur, volume 10, column 197, more than one variant reading is adduced, of which some point to Quirinus, others to Quirus, so that the different, perhaps abbreviated, manner of writing could easily lead into error.

[2] from the Indiculus of Possidius. I know that the praised Baronius in the Annals at the year 303, number 73, contends for the same Cyrus, and adduces for it the very authority of the Roman Martyrology; but one might reply that this is nearly what they call begging the question, or proving the same by the same. The solution of the knot depends on what Possidius meant to indicate, in which probably some old abbreviation, perhaps of the name of St. Cyprian, gave occasion for forming Cyrus, who, until he be known from elsewhere, does not seem from that head alone to subsist in every way; Baronius himself laboring little to find him a place in the series of the bishops of Carthage. We give the doubtful matter as doubtful, but Castellanus did not hesitate to add in the margin of the Roman that it is the name of St. Cyprian abbreviated in Possidius, ill read by those who, taking him for another, chose this day for him at their pleasure. This is most certain in this observation, that that Cyrus was ascribed to this day by mere caprice, since of his age, deeds, or day of death nothing at all is known. Whether further he is Quirinus, Quirus, or another akin, we leave undecided, until something of a little more certain light come from somewhere.