ON ST. THEOPHILUS THE YOUNGER, MARTYR,
IN CYPRUS.
In the year 790. Notice from the Greek calendars and the Roman Martyrology; eulogies, narration of the martyrdom.
St. Theophilus the younger, martyr in Cyprus.
BY THE AUTHOR J. P.
The day sacred to this holy Martyr is noted among the Greeks on the 30th of January, on which our transcript reports him from the Greek Menaea from September to March, which we have from the monastery of St. Mark of the Fathers Preachers at Florence; The Saint's memory is given from manuscripts, add another copy of ours, which is superscribed "from the Ambrosian," doubtless the Milanese library, cited by us several times. Castellanus notes in the margin of the text of his universal Martyrology that the same name, which he transcribes from and with the Roman on this 22nd day, is noted the day before in the Ethiopic Kalendar: but perhaps he read wrongly: for in the Kalendar of that nation in Job Ludolf's Ethiopic history, page 423, there is noted "Theophilia." The Menology of the emperor Basil, published in part by Ughelli in tome 6 of Italia Sacra, announces the Saint in these words: "On the same day (the 30th of January) the contest of St. Theophilus the Younger."
[2] On which day too the printed great Menaea, and in plainly the same manner, note him, and the printed Menaea of the Greeks. with the title of martyr added, however, and with these little verses:
Ὁ Θεόφιλος τὸν φίλην τιμᾶται κάραν, / Θεοὺς φιλῆσαι μὴ θελήσας βαρβάρων.
That is: "Theophilus loses by the sword his beloved head, / Because he will not love the gods of the barbarians."
Θεόφιλος is "loving God," or "loved by God," to which the poet alludes by the words φίλος and φιλῆσαι, as is plain at first sight to anyone. Maximus, bishop of Cythera, following the Menaea after the custom, also notes him on the same day. We judge the surname "the Younger" to have been added to him, that he may be distinguished from Saints of the same name, martyrs, who preceded him in time; among whom perhaps could be reckoned that one who on the 2nd of October is announced in the Roman Martyrology at Constantinople, and suffered many things under Leo the Isaurian for the defense of the sacred images, and at last, cast into exile, died. Unless perhaps—which, however, does not seem so probable—they had regard to another Theophilus, a martyr under Diocletian, likewise beheaded; whom we are to give on the 23rd of this month.
[3] The same Roman Martyrology on this 22nd of July mentions our Martyr in these words: and the Roman Martyrology. "In Cyprus, of St. Theophilus the prætor, who, held by the Arabs, when he could be bent neither by gifts nor by threats to deny Christ, was slain with the sword." But whence he was drawn back thither to this day, is not certain to us, nay is not even easy enough to divine. For indeed here there has not gone before him, as elsewhere it is wont, the Menology translated by Sirletus and published by Canisius, in which we found this our Saint mentioned neither on that day nor on another. And these indeed are the things which occur to be noted from the sacred calendars, whether Greek or Latin, concerning the Saint's memory.
[4] But the praised Basilian Menology in the cited place His eulogies pursues him with the following eulogy: "Theophilus of Constantinople, of the senatorial order, declared by the orthodox emperors Constantine and Irene, with three others, commander against the Cibyrrhaeots, when first the fleet of the Saracens was in sight, at once drew himself up for battle, and, his companions doubting to enter the fight, he himself with his galley, having made an onset upon the hostile fleet, fought most bravely. When the other commanders, envying his glory, took to flight, and left him alone. Being thus surrounded, the Saracens take him, and, victory won, returning home, shut him in prison. Whence, brought out in the fourth year after, and solicited in vain to abandon the Christian religion and devote himself to the worship of idols, he was punished with beheading and died." With which agrees the eulogy in the printed great Menaea; which, however, instead of three, add only two other auxiliary commanders to Theophilus.
[5] with our observations. Instead of "commander against the Civerraectae" it should have been said, "commander in the legion of the Cibyrrhaeots": for in our copy I read στρατηγὸς … εἰς τὸ θέμα Κιβυῤῥαιωτῶν. That is: "commander … in the theme of the Cibyrrhaeots." The Greek preposition εἰς with the accusative may have deceived the translator: where, however, the exchange of εἰς for ἐν is frequent, as you may see in the lexicons. What is here said, "his companions doubting to enter the battle," I do not find in our copy. Nor do I here read ἀπῆλθε μετὰ στόλου, "he departed with the fleet" (Theophilus), which nevertheless the Menaea have. Further, a dromon (in Greek δρόμων) is a ship oblong and swift, or expedited for the course (τῷ δρόμῳ); concerning which Du Cange can be consulted in both Glossaries. And let it suffice to have noted these things in passing, lest the reader stick somewhere. Further, the brief history of this Martyr narrated by the Greeks, whose faith in such matters not rarely wavers, is solidly confirmed from the Chronography of St. Theophanes, who then lived, and could learn the matter done from the people of Constantinople, or elsewhere in the East, by a most faithful relation, and doubtless did in fact learn it. And it is there set forth thus, page 392 of the royal Paris edition of the year 1655:
[6] Narration of the martyrdom from Theophanes; "Meanwhile the fleet of the Arabs undertook an expedition against Cyprus; which when the empress (Irene) had foreseen, she likewise instructed all the Roman ships collected against them. But when both commanders had reached Myra, the promontory of the Chelidoniae being passed, they let their fleet into the gulf of Italy. The Arabs, further, sailing from Cyprus, a calm having arisen on the sea, were wandering about. And when they had begun to descry land, immediately the prefects of the fleet, sailing toward them, caught sight of them. Wherefore, the fleet being drawn up for battle, they joined war. But Theophilus, commander of the Cibyrrhaeots, a robust man and fit for warfare, trusting too much in his courage, all the rest being left behind, having attacked the enemy, was captured by them and brought to Aaron. In his sight Aaron exhorted him at length to become a deserter and betrayer of his religion, and to delight voluptuously in earthly things. He, spurning everything offered, and, solicited more and more by promises and threats, not acquiescing, at last, having suffered the punishment of the sword, came forth a signal martyr."
[7] Myra, which is also wont to be expressed in the plural number, concerning which likewise some things are proposed to be observed, is a most well-known city of inland Lycia, of which Strabo treats in his Lycia, and other geographers, and we on the 15th of April, page 376. But the Chelidonian promontory is a part of Mount Taurus, projecting into the Pamphylian sea. The gulf of Attalia, or rather Attaleia, lies in the same tract. As to the word Κιβιῤῥαιωτῶν, of the Cibyrrhaeots (the printed Menaea write Κυβυρετῶν), the following things occur to be noted about it. Ortelius makes mention of the Cibyoretensian fleet from the Miscellaneous History, book 22, adding that it seems to be in the island of Cyprus. To the same author is noted "Cibarreotis" from Porphyrogenitus, and Κιβαρῆτις or Κυβαρῆτις, a certain region of Asia about the Maeander; as there is a double Cibyra, a city in Asia Minor, of which one, with the surname Great, is situated in Phrygia or Caria, near to it, not far from the said river Maeander; whence by Pliny were called the Cibyritic ridges, the Cibyritic prefecture, and by Tacitus the Cibyritic city. But the other, the Less, in Cilicia about Antioch on Cragus, or not far from the river Melas, near it. Treating of the Great, Strabo (see his index) says: "Among the greatest prefectures of Asia the Cibyratic is held." This perhaps Theophanes had in view, although the formation of that word Κυβαῤῥαιωτῶν, of the Cybarrhaeots, differs somewhat, whose commander or prefect St. Theophilus had been.
[8] He adds, "trusting too much in his courage," etc. He therefore does not say that he was betrayed by envy, which the Menology and Menaea cited above indicate; concerning which let they themselves see. That Aaron the commander of the Arabs, [and the year of the martyrdom is corrected in the notes to the Roman Martyrology.] to whom the Saint is said to have been brought, succeeded likewise Moses the Arab commander and his brother, as the same Theophanes testifies, among the things which he narrates under the 9th Indiction, which corresponds to the year of Christ 786. And in that year indeed Theophilus must have been captured and brought to Aaron, if you would have it true, what the Greeks above narrated about his four-year captivity; concerning which Theophanes is silent, and that before the month of October: for in the month of September it began, and by him it is noted to have been the 10th Indiction, and the Saint's martyrdom is reported by the same among the things which he has under the 13th Indiction, and therefore the captivity in the year 786 before October; but the martyrdom is to be tied to the year 790. Whence
it is wrongly written in the notes to the Roman Martyrology that he obtained the crown of martyrdom in the year of the Lord 784; yet it is rightly added, "Constantine and Irene reigning": for Theophanes records that he alone was proclaimed emperor under the 14th Indiction, which began from the month of September of that same year 790.
[9] Concerning the arena of martyrdom nothing is certain. Concerning the arena of martyrdom we have nothing ascertained: yet we announced the Saint in Cyprus with the Roman Martyrology, the other sacred calendars being silent about this or any other arena; which can not incongruously be attributed to it, as that which afforded the occasion of the captivity and therefore of the martyrdom, and the Pamphylian sea, which washes that island, certainly gave to the said captivity, and thereby to the martyrdom, a beginning, if not an end.