ON SAINTS MARCUS AND MARCELLIANUS,
MARTYRS AT ROME ON THE ARDEATINE WAY.
ABOUT THE YEAR 287.
PRELIMINARY COMMENTARY.
Cult in the Martyrologies and the books of Sacraments; Relics in various places.
Marcus, Martyr at Rome, on the Ardeatine Way (Saint) Marcellianus, Martyr at Rome, on the Ardeatine Way (Saint)
BY THE AUTHORS G. H. & D. P.
These two Martyrs the said ancient copies of the Hieronymian Martyrology mark in the second place, with these words: At Rome, of Marcus and Marcellianus. But in inverted order they are recorded thus in the Epternach manuscript: Sacred cult in Saint Jerome, At Rome, of Marcellianus and Marcus. Similar things are found here and there in the lesser Martyrologies, which we cite more accurately elsewhere. Saint Bede, Bede in his genuine work has these things: The birthday of Saints Marcus and Marcellianus, with a proper Mass; where there is an allusion to the Mass prescribed by Saint Gregory the Great in the book of Sacraments, Saint Gregory and the three Orations, which until now are directed to be recited in the Roman Missal, are found in the same place, with the highest testimony of preserved antiquity. Saint Gelasius Older still, however, is that which is drawn from the Sacramentary of Pope Gelasius (as is believed), printed at Rome about the year 1680: where three orations of this kind are prescribed. I. May the birthday-feasts of Your Saints Marcus and Marcellianus protect us, O Lord: for we supplicate Your name with all the more confidence, the more frequently we are cherished by the blessings of the Martyrs. II. Receive, O Lord, the votive gifts of Your peoples, and grant that by the prayers of Saints Marcus and Marcellianus they may be pleasing to You, for whose solemnities they are offered. III. As we partake, O Lord, of the blessed mysteries of Your Table, we beseech that by the intervention of the blessed Saints Marcus and Marcellianus, they may confer upon us both temporal and eternal mercy. The Roman Calendar also, of about a thousand years, published at Paris by Jean Fronteau, has the same; and prescribes the Gospel for today, taken from John, This is my commandment, that you love one another.
[2] Rabanus in his Martyrology honors them with this elogium: At Rome, of the Martyrs Marcus and Marcellianus, who in the times of Diocletian and Maximian, through Sebastian the soldier of Christ, Blessed Rabanus recalled from the vain blandishment of women, and strengthened by sound doctrine, suffered for the name of Christ. Usuard then describes their martyrdom thus: At Rome, on the Ardeatine Way, the birthday of the holy Martyr brothers Marcus and Marcellianus: Usuard who, seized by the Commander Fabianus, and bound to a stake, received sharp nails in their feet; and when at last they did not cease to praise Christ, transfixed through the sides with a lance, they departed with the glory of martyrdom to the starry realms. Thus there. Somewhat more from the Acts of the Martyrdom is found in Ado, Ado and others. and these the later writers follow here and there both the monastic Customs under the feast with three Lessons in Martinus, and together with the present Roman Martyrology. The Acts are accurately described in the Acts of Saint Sebastian, which we illustrated on the 20th of January. We give some compendium drawn from these to the honor of Saints Marcus and Marcellianus, The Acts collected from the Life of Saint Sebastian. just as it was preserved in the Utrecht manuscript of the Church of Saint Salvator, the Annotations omitted, which are abundantly produced in the Acts of Saint Sebastian.
[3] In this very ancient church too at Rome, which meets those coming from the Amphitheater, not far from the arch of Titus and Vespasian, on the left, it has been shown in the Paralipomena to the series of the Roman Pontiffs, illustrated before May, that the images of these same Martyrs were anciently to be seen on either side of the Mother of God: The bodies in the church of Saints Cosmas & Damian, which it will not be burdensome to reproduce here, that it may appear, as I said there, how foolish was the conjecture of those who imagined that they saw there Saint Benedict among the Apostles Peter and Paul, and, with certain letters supplied which age had worn away, wished it to be believed to be a work of Pope Benedict I. The bodies were formerly deposited in the church of Saints Cosmas and Damian in the Campo Vaccino; and there in the year 1582 they were found in a marble chest on the 28th of July, Relics in the church of Saint Nicholas & Saint Praxedis, together with the body of Saint Tranquillinus the Martyr, their parent, whose feast is kept on the 6th of July, as Baronius narrates at the year 357, number 50. In honor of these same Saints, Pope Gregory XIII had a chapel erected there; and in the same place on this day their feast is celebrated with great solemnity, with Indulgences granted. The feast is also kept, on account of some of their Relics, in the church of Saint Nicholas in carcere, and of Saint Praxedis on the hill: concerning which Octavius Pancirolius treats with respect to the said Churches, and Abbot Piazza in the Roman Sanctuary on this 18th of June. Masini, in his survey of Bologna, asserts that the feast is also kept in the Church of Saint Paul of the Barnabites, and in the Church of the Jesuati outside the Saint Mamolo gate, at Bologna, on account of similar Relics deposited there. Moreover, among the people of Volterra, in the Cathedral Church and at the altar of the Holy Cross, and at the altar of Saint Peter in the church of Monte Albano, and in the greater church of Saint Marcus, it is established from an accurate description sent to us that among other Relics there were also those of Saints Marcus and Marcellianus. at Volterra, There are also Relics of these Saints in the Soissons monastery of Saint Medard, where they are venerated under a double rite; and in the Diary of Relics of the Metropolitan church of Prague two portions are noted, at Soissons. one of the shin-bone, the other of the head, but whence they were brought is not established. Finally, some memory of these Martyrs is made in a certain manuscript of ours on the second day of July, and among the Greeks on the 18th of December.
ACTS OF THE MARTYRDOM
Taken from the Deeds of Saint Sebastian, From the Utrecht manuscript of Saint Salvator.
BHL Number: 5302
FROM THE ACTS OF SAINT SEBASTIAN.
[1] [Marcus & Marcellianus, captives with their servants, are strengthened by Saint Sebastian:] The most illustrious men Marcus and Marcellianus, twin brothers, having been seized with their servants, and placed in chains, were being strengthened by Saint Sebastian, and exhorted to despise the fleeting blandishments of the world, and not to fear the momentary kinds of torments. And when they would not yield, and patiently passed through the lashes of the executioners, they were ordered to undergo capital sentence, unless they should sacrifice to the idols.
[2] Their father Tranquillinus and their mother Maria followed them, with their wives and children: and because they were noble, thirty days' reprieve having been obtained, they obtained from Chromatius the Prefect a reprieve of thirty days; during which span it was urged with them that they should consent to immolate to the idols. Therefore their friends, approaching, said to them: Whence comes to you so hard a mind, so iron a breast, that you suffer the gray hairs of your father to be cast away, and bring to your now decrepit mother the vain offspring of unbearable grief? Life is despised, glory is spurned, and with all the affections of piety despised, the atrocity of death is sought. the mother assails them with blandishments; While they were saying such things in their leisure, the mother came crying out that she was wretched, and with her hair loosed, showing the gray hairs of her old age, before them tore the garment with which her breast was covered, and while all wept, with the loose skin she showed the breasts they had sucked; she recalled the caresses bestowed upon their infancy. Alas, she said, wretched me! I lose my sons, hastening of their own accord to death; whom, if enemies were taking them from me, I would follow through the midst of the battle-lines of warriors: if violent tribunals were shutting them up, I would burst into the prison together with them, ready to die. This is a new kind of perishing, in which the executioner is begged to slay; death is desired, that it may come. While the mother was pursuing such things, the father, infirm and old, is led by the hands of servants; and with his head sprinkled with dust he cried out: O sons! the staff of my old age, and twin light, why do you so love death? the father with complaints, Come here, young men, and weep over young men perishing of their own will; come, old men and fathers, and prevent us from suffering such things. After these things the wives came with their own children, weeping and saying: To whom do you leave us! Who will be the Lords of these sons? Who will divide your ample possessions? Alas! how iron are your breasts! and the wives with laments. for you both cast off parents, friends, wives, and children, and present yourselves of your own accord to the torturers. Amid these things the hearts of the men began to soften.
[3] Then Saint Sebastian, who was present there, bursting forth into the midst, says: O most valiant soldiers of Christ, do not, through wretched blandishments, lay down the everlasting crown. Saint Sebastian confirms the wavering: But to the parents too he said: they will not be separated from you, but they go into heaven to prepare for you starry dwellings: for from the beginning of the world this life has deceived those expecting it; for it is a slippery, unstable, uncertain, and deceitful life. This life persuades to avarice, gluttony, luxury, sloth, sadness, envy, anger, pride: it persuades to deceit, injustice, concupiscence, malice, indolence: the vices of this world being set forth, but after it has been fattened on filth, it hands over those who serve it to its daughter, that is, to eternal death. For our first parents, who had been made for eternal life, through the concupiscence of gluttony earned the death of body and soul and eternal punishment. But Christ, who is the way, the truth, and the life, by dying, rising, and ascending, freed those who believe in Him from eternal death and punishment, where are the hammer and the stench with the worms, fire and cold, the demonic vision, the eternal punishments of the damned, darkness, redness, fiery chains; likewise worms, and borers, the scourge, smoke and fire, the sight of the demon, the confusion of crimes, mourning; likewise the tormenting punishments: pitch, snow, reproaches, chains, worms, flame: chaos, stench, shame, and hunger, thirst, horror. O friends, do not deceitfully destroy yourselves and your friends in these eternal miseries: but if you love them, rejoice, because they go before you to the eternal joys of the Saints and Angels. and the joys of the heavenly spirits, For there is peace, piety, goodness, light, virtue, honor, glory, praise, rest, love and sweet concord, joys, gladnesses, sweetness, perennial life: peace, free rest, secure youth, secure peace, honor, and the joys of souls are most abundant, the pastures are green, rich, full. For the fatherland of the elect is the present countenance of God: which while it is beheld without satiety, the mind without end is filled with the food of life. There are the hymn-singing choirs of Angels, there the fellowship of the citizens above, there the sweet solemnity of those returning from
the sad labor of this pilgrimage. If therefore we consider what and how great are the things promised to us in the heavens, all things that are had on earth become worthless to the mind. For earthly substance, compared to the felicity above, is a burden, not a support.
[4] created riches, to be handed over to God for safekeeping If you ask: why did God make riches, if His laws are to be despised? We answer: because they cannot follow us as we die, but they can go before us, if we have given them for God's sake. The greedy usurer hands over gold to a man, that he may receive it doubled: the farmer commits seeds to the earth, that they may grow a hundredfold. God has handed over riches to you, that you may know how much rest, pleasure, and luxury is in them, so that, having through these glory together with the author of riches, you may hand them over to Him for safekeeping. For if you are unwilling to hand them over to Him, gluttony, luxury, pride, or the other vices will seize them: or surely death will carry them off. Now if you were passing through the midst of the battle-lines of barbarians, and found a brave man who loved you, who had even given you a little bag of money, saying to you: Give me, to keep, these monies which I have given you, lest the Barbarians seize them and kill you; and to be kept for the other life. would you not ask that he keep them—he of whom you were certain that he would even render back more than he had received, and would free you from the enemies? Likewise, of riches, he who has ears to hear will hear them saying to him: If you love us, commend us to Him who will restore us to you whole and unimpaired. In this life, if you should wish to anticipate our office, we shall be altogether denied to you, as if thus spent. Let us meanwhile cease to serve those soon to die for a brief time, that in the elect among mortals we may serve continually, when we shall be freed from the slavery of the corruption of evils into the freedom of the glory of the sons of God. Therefore, O friends, do not recall from life to death those whom you love: for the daily failing of corruption is a kind of prolonging of death. Present pain is either light and tolerable; or grave, and quickly brings an end; but future pain is intolerable and eternal. Let us not therefore fear the pain of one hour, if we wish always to rejoice with God.
[5] While therefore Saint Sebastian was most prudently preaching such and similar things, briefly spoken, to the Martyrs as well as to their friends, concerning the contempt of the world, concerning the punishment of hell, and concerning the glory of Paradise, Zoe is converted after recovering her speech, suddenly, for nearly an hour, with an exceeding splendor coming from heaven, he was illuminated; and a youth, wrapped in a most white mantle, appeared beside them. Now these things were taking place in the house of Nicostratus the Primicerius, whose wife, Zoe by name, six years before had lost her speech from a long-lasting infirmity. And when she had understood the things which Saint Sebastian was saying, falling at his feet, by hand and gesture she begged pardon. Then Saint Sebastian says: If I am a servant of Christ, and if all the things are true which this woman has heard and believed from my mouth; let Him open her mouth, and Nicostratus who opened the mouth of Zechariah the Prophet of God. At this voice the woman cried out: Blessed is the speech of your mouth, and blessed are those who believe, and cursed those who do not believe the things you have said. For I saw an Angel come to you from heaven, and holding a book before you, who releases the Saints in which were written all the things you said. Nicostratus her husband, seeing these things, falling at their knees, sought pardon, because he held the Saints of God Marcellianus and Marcus in chains by imperial command. And having loosed them, embracing their knees, he asked them to depart; saying: O how happy I would be, if for your salvation I could merit to be bound! They said: If you have received the glory of God, which you did not yet have; how should we, abandoning what we have had from infancy, give you the cup of our passion? And when, hearing these things, they wept; Marcus says: Learn, parents, that this is the whole force of the devil's war—to snatch from sufferings and to subjugate the soul to vices. But for what reason should they fear to die, who know this to be the nature of man, not a punishment? How many lovers of this false life has a grave ruin crushed, lightning burned, shipwreck destroyed, the sword slain! and losing this life wretchedly with pains, they cannot at all find that true one. For it is not the punishment that leads to it, but the cause: for by the same kind of punishments both eternal salvation is conferred on the innocent, and punishment is inflicted on the offenders.
[6] the parents of these and others are baptized: At last all, prostrate with tears, said that they believed and wished to be baptized. Then Saint Sebastian called Saint Polycarp, who was in hiding because of the persecution: who baptized Tranquillinus the father of the Saints Marcus and Marcellianus, and their mother, with many others, and they were sixty-eight in number. Chromatius too, the Prefect of the city, was baptized, the Saints made Deacons, with his son Tiburtius, and from his household one thousand four hundred souls. Tranquillinus also and Chromatius, and the other sick, were healed.
[7] Now Marcus and Marcellianus were ordained Deacons by Blessed Pope Caius: and abiding with him at the house of a certain Christian named Castulus, a most wealthy Zetarius of the palace, secretly with other faithful they were intent day and night on weeping and fasting; praying they are crowned with martyrdom. that they might persevere in the confession of the faith. And many miracles were daily wrought through them: the blind were enlightened, demons were cast out, the sick were healed. But when, through a certain false Christian named Torquatus, they had been betrayed, and some had already been crowned with martyrdom; Fabianus the Governor ordered the Saints Marcus and Marcellianus to be seized, and both to be bound to a stake, having most sharp nails fixed in their feet. Ps. 132, 11. To whom Fabianus said: So long shall you stand with your feet fixed, until you pay the due service to the immortal gods. Then both brothers, fixed together on the wood, sang psalms, saying: Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell in one. And when one day and one night had passed, and they persevered in psalms and hymns; he ordered both of them, where they stood, to be pierced through the sides with lances: and thus with the glory of Martyrdom they departed to the starry realms. Amen.