ON ST. ACACIUS, MARTYR,
AT MILETUS IN CARIA.
Under Licinius.
The cult from the Roman Martyrology and the Greek Fasti, eulogies.
Acacius, Martyr, at Miletus in Caria (St.)
BY THE AUTHOR J. P.
This most brave Martyr of Christ, received from the Greek Fasti, the Roman Martyrology announces on this day: "At Miletus, of St. Acacius the martyr, who under the emperor Licinius, after various punishments, was cast into a furnace, The cult and by God's help preserved unharmed, completed his martyrdom by the cutting off of his head." Among the Greeks his memory is noted in the great printed Menaea, Maximus of Cythera and the one of Turin following β; to which add the Basilian Synaxarion, the Menologion edited by Canisius, the copies excerpted from the Ambrosian library, and our supplement to the printed Menaea from the Sirmond-Chifflet manuscripts: in which the following distich is found:
Τράχηλον Ἀκάκιος ἐκτμηθεὶς ξίφει, Ψυχῆς τὸ λευκὸν μηνύων βλύζει γάλα. That is: Acacius, his neck cut off by the sword, spurts milk, revealing the whiteness of his soul.
Acacius, while, his neck cut off, he falls by the sword, By the milk poured forth, shows the whiteness of his soul.
[2] The eulogy, which you have printed in Greek at the end of the first volume of the month of July, thus sounds: Acacius, martyr of Christ, and the eulogy from the Basilian Synaxarion, was under the reign of Licinius: to whom, while he stood by, and confessed Christ, he was hung up and shaved; then handed over to Terentius the praetor: by whom, being cast into a burning frying-pan, filled with pitch, oil, and tallow, but nothing harmed, he was compelled to follow the governor, who was setting out for Apamea and Apollonias: where, being led into the temple of idols, he ground all the statues to pieces by his prayers. After these things, handed over to the tribune and vehemently beaten, he contended with beasts. Then, cast into a furnace, he remained unharmed. But the tribune, supposing the furnace to be cold, while he approached to see, was himself burned and reduced to ashes. But Acacius is handed over to Posidonius the duke, and, an iron mass being placed upon him, was led to Miletus: and after he had again ground the idols to pieces, he was diminished of his head, the cutting rendering blood and milk.
[3] whose text is explained The wrestling-ground of the martyrdom in the Roman Martyrology, as we saw, is assigned to Miletus; which is also elicited from the end of the eulogy from the Synaxarion of the emperor Basil already produced; to which we too above ascribed our Martyr. Now it must be inquired what that Miletus is: for a double Miletus is found; the one indeed the old one in Crete; the other more famous in Caria: and this is said to have been the daughter of the former; as may be seen in Cellarius, Ancient Geography, book 2, chapter 14, page 820. "Miletus (Melasso)," notes Ferrarius in his new Topography on the Roman Martyrology, page 78, "a most ancient and most famous archiepiscopal city, maritime of Caria, at the mouth of the river Meander, between Ephesus and Halicarnassus, distant from Ephesus a day's journey to the south, provided with a triple harbor, the procreatrix of many cities. For if credit is given to C. Pliny, 80 cities were founded by the Milesians. It, under the Turks, has become somewhat obscure, as also has Ephesus." Baudrand says it is a city of Ionia, which now according to other more recent writers is called Palatschia, since Melasso is taken by them for Milasa; and the same Baudrand adds that it is episcopal under the archbishop of Myra: concerning which matter let him himself see.
[4] with various observations. That it was archiepiscopal, which Ferrarius affirmed, I do not hitherto find; at the time of the first Nicene Council its bishop lived, after Eusebius of Antioch, Ammonius of Aphrodisias, Leodius of Cibyra, bishops of the province of Caria, subscribing to the same council, Eusebius of Miletus, in Labbe, vol. 2 of the Councils, col. 53. See Charles a S. Paulo in his Sacred Geography concerning the bishops of Caria (where he also treats of its metropolis) from page 236 of the edition of the year 1704, where Lukas Holstenius notes that Miletus is placed by Hierocles in the first place among the cities of Caria; yet that he surnames Aphrodisias its metropolis. Of Miletus St. Luke makes mention in the Acts of the Apostles, chapter 20, verses 15 and 17. Apamea and Apollonias mentioned in the above eulogy are cities on the Propontis; for this Apollonias among several other synonymous ones we judge to be understood by the author of the eulogy, because Apamea is here joined to it by him; concerning which two cities the Geographers will give more; although we are not ignorant that several synonymous Apameas too are found. Let us therefore here take each city in the situation which we have said, since nothing conflicts, but that they be so taken. And these things it has pleased [us] to observe concerning the said eulogy.
[5] Let us now take account also of the other eulogies, and observe if anything in them, Other eulogies compared with the Basilian, diverse from this, occurs to be noted. The eulogy published by Canisius consonates with this our one; but differs in this, that "a certain Zelicintius, supposing the furnace to be cold, approached," etc., whom the Ambrosian eulogy too expresses by name, in other respects conformable to this our eulogy. The great printed Menaea do not report the eulogy, being at all events occupied with several Saints on this day, of whom both on this day and in the "Passed Over" for it, we made mention. But quite singular is what the cited Menologion edited by Canisius has, concluding its eulogy in these words: "But Leontius the presbyter placed the relics of the holy Martyr in the house of a certain man, named Dorymedon, in the city of Synnada." Similar things are read in our Supplement produced above: for to the two little verses drawn a little before thence, are subjoined the following, ascribed by the hand of our Papebroch:
[6] The end of the eulogy is this (namely in the manuscript of Chifflet) from which two suggest to us another Saint, and in the Sirmond one: Λεόντιος δέ τις πρεσβύτερος λαβὼν τὸ σῶμα τοῦ Ἁγίου, καὶ μύροις τιμήσας μετὰ τὸν ὑπομνημάτων κατέθετο εἰς τόπον κατάσκιον, πολιτευομένου τινος Δορυμεδόντος ἐκ Συνάδων, ὃς ἐμαρτύρησε σὺν τῷ ἁγίῳ Τροφίμῳ. That is: But a certain Leontius the presbyter, having received the body of the Saint, and honored it with ointments, deposited it with records in a shady place, a certain Dorymedon of Synnada administering the matter, who underwent martyrdom with holy Trophimus. Various Trophimuses we have given through the course of our work; but this one, as also Dorymedon the martyr, will regard, if I mistake not, the 19th of September, on which the Roman Martyrology thus recounts them: "Of the holy martyrs Trophimus, Sabbatius, and Dorymedon, under the emperor Probus: of whom Sabbatius at Antioch by command of Atticus the governor was scourged so long until he sent forth his spirit: but Trophimus, sent to Synnada to Perennius the governor, after many torments with Dorymedon the senator, consummated his martyrdom by the decollation of his head."
[7] rejected to the 19th of September. Some characters here agree between this Dorymedon and that one of whom those eulogies speak; whence it comes that we do not for the present distinguish the one from the other; although the times conflict: for ours, from what has been said, ought to have lived under Licinius; but the other is affirmed to have suffered under Probus. But the things which we have here touched incidentally will have to be treated in their place later, namely on the 19th of September, with the Roman Martyrology, as we advised in the "Passed Over" for this 28th of July.