ON SS. THE VERY MANY MARTYRS OF ANTIOCH.
ABOUT THE YEAR 300.
CommentaryThe very many Martyrs of Antioch (SS.)
G. H.
We celebrated, with the Roman Martyrology, on 11 March, the commemoration of the very many holy Martyrs who at Antioch, by the command of the Emperor Maximian, afflicted with the most savage punishments, They seem to have suffered reached the palm of martyrdom. But now, with the very ancient Synaxary of the Church of Constantinople (which belongs to the College of Clermont of the Society of Jesus at Paris), we exhibit a multitude of Martyrs, crowned in the same place under the Emperor Decius. The words of the Synaxary are these: Καὶ τῶν ἁγίων μυρίων τῶν ἀθλησάντων ἐν Ἀντιοχεία ἐπὶ τῆς βασιλείας τοῦ δυσσεβοὺς Δεκίου. under the Emperor Decius. Where τὰ μύρια by themselves signify ten thousand, but by that name also a copious indeterminate multitude without any certain number is understood, just as among the Latins it is usual to say "six hundred." There is therefore indicated a commemoration of very many holy Athletes, who contended at Antioch under the reign of the impious Decius. This was the seventh persecution against the Christians, stirred up in the year of Christ 250; by which the inveterate hatred of the Gentiles against the Christians flooded all the Churches situated under the Roman Empire, so that, in the opinion of Baronius, it could deservedly be said of it: "Unless those days had been shortened, the persecution raging as fiercely as possible, no flesh would have been saved." In this persecution of Decius, as Eusebius testifies in book 6, chapter 32, there underwent martyrdom St. Fabian the Pope at Rome on 20 January, St. Alexander Bishop of Jerusalem at Caesarea in Palestine on 18 March, and, what most pertains here, St. Babylas the Bishop of Antioch on 24 January, when we illustrated the Acts of these. To mention these seemed sufficient, so that there might be applied to this time what Eusebius wrote of the Martyrs who suffered under Diocletian in these words: "What need is there now to commemorate the rest by name, as Eusebius testifies. or to count the multitude of men?" And then: "Those things which were done at Antioch, what need is there to recall to memory?" and similar things, which we referred to at the place cited above, 11 March. Perhaps of these holy Martyrs, of some at least, even with their names expressed, mention will be made in this work of ours from the ancient calendars: nevertheless, lest their memory should fail, we have judged that their common veneration, accustomed to be celebrated in the Church of Constantinople for seven hundred years or even more, should be set forth here to the Reader.