ON ST. MARK THE MARTYR,
BISHOP OF APOLLONIAS IN ASIA MINOR.
A notice from a Ms. Synaxary of the College of Dijon
Marcus, Bishop of Apollonias, Martyr (S.)
D. P.
Stephanus Byzantius in his work
On the Cities, enumerates twenty-five
cities called by the name
of Apollonia: An Episcopal See, from
all of which this Apollonias
here mentioned seems to be different, whether that
city was of Caria, whose Bishop Tyncharius
is believed to have been in the Council of Chalcedon,
although in Greek "Caria" is not added; or rather an Episcopal city
of Bithynia under the Archbishopric of Nicomedia,
situated on the border of Mysia near the Rhyndacus
river, whence also it seems to be assigned to Mysia
by Stephanus, distant from the Propontis 12 Roman miles
to the South, and as many from the city of Cyzicus.
Mention of this See in the first Council of Nicaea
is made in these words: "Gorgonius, Bishop of Apollonia,
from Apollonias," namely so that he might be distinguished
from the other Apollonian cities. But we judge that
Mark the Bishop of that Apollonias suffered
under the Heathen Emperors, who in the Ms. Menaea
found at Dijon with Peter
Francis Chifflet of the Society of Jesus,
is thus reported on this 16th of June: "Ὁ ἅγιος Μάρκος Ἐπίσκοπος Ἀπολλωνιάδος, and the kind of death. λίθων ἐν ταῖς χερσὶν αὐτοῦ κρεμασθέντων ἐξαρθρωθεὶς, τελειοῦται." Saint Mark Bishop
of Apollonias, with stones hung to his hands
and being dislocated, ended his life. Then
are added Verses alluding to the likeness
of the scales (lances), hanging from the beam of a balance,
which his hands thus weighted presented:
"Ζυγός σε, Μάρκε, τῷ βαρεῖ τῷ τῶν λίθων / Τὰς χεῖρας ὡς πλάστιγγας ἐκκρεμῶν κάτω."
A yoke, O Mark, by the heavy weight of the stones,
inclines both thy hands downward, like scales.
Other than this St. Mark seems to be the elder
Mark, called the cousin of Barnabas by
St. Paul, in the Epistle to the Colossians, of whom
we treated above on the 11th of this same month among
the Acts of St. Barnabas, where I made it probable that he is
Mark the Evangelist.
ON THE FIVE HOLY MARTYRS OF NICOMEDIA
AMONG THE GREEKS
From the same Ms. Synaxary.
CommentaryFive Martyrs, at Nicomedia in Bithynia (SS.)
D. P.
Nicomedia, the Seat of the Heathen
Emperors, was the wrestling-ground of more
Martyrs than any
other city of the East. Both expressed
by their names, and often indicated
in great number
without names, we set forth them repeatedly in this whole work of ours:
but on this 16th day
of June, from the Ms. Menaea of the Dijon college of the Society
of Jesus, brought thither by Peter Francis Chifflet,
we give the five holy Martyrs aforetitled;
whom the collector of the book seems to indicate as not so much having suffered there,
as sprung thence or brought to the judge there,
when he writes, "Οἱ ἅγιοι ε΄ Μάρτυρες, οἱ ἐκ Νικομηδείας, ξίφει τελειοῦνται,"
The Holy 5 martyrs, from Nicomedia, by the sword
are consummated: but in the subjoined distich they are compared
to a tower, shaken by an earthquake, in this manner:
"Πίπτει συνάθλων πέντε πύργιον μέγα, / Σεισμῷ κλονηθὲν τῷ ξίφει τοῦ δημίου."
The excellent tower of the five fellow-athletes falls,
shaken by the executioner's sword as by an earthquake.
ON THE FORTY HOLY
ROMAN MARTYRS
From the same Dijon Synaxary.
CommentaryThe Forty Roman Martyrs (SS.)
D. P.
In the same Dijon Menaea,
they are thus reported on this
same 16th day of June: "Τῇ αὐτῇ ἡμέρᾳ, οἱ ἅγιοι ν΄ Ρωμαῖοι, πυρὶ τελειοῦνται." The Holy
forty Romans on the same
day by fire end their life. Of this kind of saints
hitherto we have not had, at least in such a number.
They are honored with these Verses, frigid indeed, yet here
to be placed, while nothing else about them is available to us:
"Τοὺς πέντε, πέντε, πέντε, πέντε γεννάδας / Πῦρ πέντε, πέντε, πέντε, καὶ πέντε φλέγει."
These five, five, five, five champions
And five, five, five, five, the fire consumes.