ON THE HOLY MARTYRS OF MÉRIDA:
VICTOR, STERCATIUS, AND ANTINOGENUS.
From the Roman Martyrology.
CommentaryVictor, Martyr at Mérida in Spain (St.)
Stercatius, Martyr at Mérida in Spain (St.)
Antinogenus, Martyr at Mérida in Spain (St.)
J. B. S.
To connect these three Martyrs with the foregoing announcement — here is Rhodes, here is the leap; which no one, I think, would easily be found who could cut it out aptly. On this very day it is thus most expressly announced in the Roman Martyrology: There is a difficulty in this announcement At Mérida in Spain, of St. Victor, a military man, who with his two brothers Stercatius and Antinogenus, in the persecution of Diocletian, consummated his martyrdom through diverse torments. I recognize the text, and I can attest that I know its origin and analysis. Thus the author of the Little Roman first wrote (which indeed I have long wondered at): At Mérida of Spain, of Victor the soldier. Not content with these, Ado added a little more in this way: At the city of Mérida of Spain, the birthday of St. Victor the soldier, who with his two brothers Stercatius and Antinogenus, examined by diverse torments, consummated his martyrdom. Usuard did not hesitate to follow his perpetual leader. But Baronius, transcribing him, determined the persecution, and indeed in the Annals thought that he had found the year in which these three combatants consummated their martyrdom in Spain, namely the year 103, as see there, number 139.
[2] to be aptly connected with the foregoing I indeed venerate and look up to the authority of the Little Roman (or the Old, as Rosweyd called it) and of its whole progeny, concerning which, be it allowed to say, no one has hitherto deserved better than I; but at the same time I will frankly confess that this will not be the first error which I have manifestly detected in that codex, and which, unobserved, could grow into Ado, Usuard, and the modern Roman, still today notable there; so that consequently, things being weighed in an even balance, I should altogether judge that our Hieronymian codices are to be preferred, if only they were such on this day that full credit could safely be given them. Whatever meanwhile be the truth of the matter, I have reported the whole thing exactly as I found it marked in the Martyrologies, in no way solicitous about the Acts produced by Tamayo, whom it is enough to have named. Behold, from the same codices of ours collated with the Roman Martyrology, another controversy.