CONCERNING S. ANECTUS OR ANICETUS,
MARTYR AT CÆSAREA IN CAPPADOCIA.
UNDER DIOCLETIAN.
The Acts from the Greek Menæa and from Maximus of Cythera.
Anectus, Martyr, at Cæsarea in Cappadocia (S.)
BY THE AUTHOR D. P.
The name of this Martyr is made ambiguous, on the one hand by the Collector of the Menæa printed at Venice, and Sirletus following him, The diverse spelling of the name in the printed editions, and Baronius following Sirletus, who write "Anectus"; on the other hand by Maximus, Bishop of Cythera, in the Lives of the Saints translated into the present Greek tongue (which they call Romaic) from the old Greek, both from similar Manuscript Synaxaria, but differing in the name, which this Maximus found written "Anicetus." Nor is there anything from which I may determine what rather ought to be held; since in none of the very many Synaxaria which I have seen elsewhere have I found this Saint, and so I cannot make a conjecture from the plurality of codices. In the Menæa a Distich is prefixed to the eulogy, adhering to the former reading.
"It was not bearable anekton to Anectus, not to bear The death for Christ even unto the end."
It was not tolerable to Anectus, for the sake of Christ Not to endure the torments of death even unto the end.
[2] Those torments, far more numerous than are usually found in genuine Acts of Martyrs, with repeated apparitions of an Angel, The Passion written long after, most rare elsewhere, make me fear, lest, as in the Acts of S. George and others of the lesser sort, so in these also the genius of the writer played overmuch, being destitute of the guidance and light of presidial Acts; whose care was rather to stir up admiration than to merit faith by writing only what was certainly ascertained. Receive first the Greek, then also the Latin text: and when you have read Urbanus the President as the author of that butchery, discern whether you would rather suspect that the name, defamed for signal cruelty, was borrowed from Eusebius, who in the book on the Martyrs of Palestine under Maximinus, the successor of Diocletian and Maximian, in chapter 7, fully describes the savagery of that man, then President of Palestine, and the worthy reward returned to him by the very one whom, in order to please, he had so raged, and his inglorious end; or rather, whether with Baronius and the colleagues of the reformers of the Roman Martyrology, it is ascribed to Cæsarea of Cappadocia, and to Urbanus the President, for Cæsarea of Cappadocia, which the Author of the Menæa and Maximus, Bishop of Cythera, concordantly have; they substituted Cæsarea of Palestine, which the name of Urbanus would here persuade us to read. To me it seems more likely that someone substituted a known for an unknown tyrant (for this is most frequent in Passions written long after) than that he erred in naming the Province, who seems to have had no other cause of writing than the desire of gratifying those among whom S. Anectus or Anicetus, having suffered death for Christ, was celebrated by popular tradition, no original Acts being extant. one or the other to be corrected, The Greek reads thus.
[3] Its epitome from the Menæa: He lived under the reign of Diocletian, and under Urbanus the Governor of Cæsarea of Cappadocia. Because therefore he taught the Christians, and exhorted them not to give way under hardships, but rather for the truth to hold fast and to die for piety, having been denounced to the Governor, he is arrested. And first indeed he is kept in prison; then, standing before the Governor, he is compelled to offer sacrifice to the idols, but by prayer he cast down the idols. He is therefore stretched out by four, and beaten with cudgels by ten soldiers; then he is hung upon wood, and with a razor his fingers of hands and feet are taken off, and with iron claws his whole body is lacerated. But by the appearance of a divine Angel, becoming superior to the torments, he was restored whole. But again, having been brought down from the wood, his ankles are pierced with iron pins, and a heated frying-pan is received upon his breast, and he is ordered to be made to stand in an iron pit exceedingly heated, and with iron spits made fiery hot his feet are bored through, and he is cast into prison. And again an Angel appearing to him frees him from his bonds and restores him; whence it came about that many of those who beheld him thus suddenly whole, coming to him, were baptized, and were freed from the infirmities by which they were held. After these things he is hung up by the feet and the hands with most heavy stones, and is raised aloft on an upright wood for three days; then thus his belly is beaten with cudgels, and he is burned with torches of fire, and is cast into a boiling cauldron; into his mouth he receives lead, and a helmet made fiery hot is set forcibly upon his head, and he is cast into a furnace of fire. But being preserved unharmed from all these things, he drew many of the unbelievers to the faith in Christ, who also had their heads cut off. But the Saint, having been flayed with two thongs from the neck to the heel; one of which having taken, he hurled at the face of the judge; for which also his head was cut off, milk instead of blood coming forth from the cut, and the Saint having taken his own head with his own hands, and having walked for two furlongs, to the glory and praise of the true Christ our God.
[4] "He lived under the empire of Diocletian, Urbanus being President of Cæsarea in Cappadocia: on account of the multitude of torments and because he was denounced to the President for teaching the Christians and exhorting them not to fail in afflictions, he was apprehended: and first indeed delivered to prison, then, set before the President, he was compelled to offer sacrifice to the idols, which, when he had cast down with a prayer, being stretched out to four stakes, he was beaten with rods by ten soldiers; then, raised upon the rack, the fingers of his hands and feet are cut off with a razor, his whole body is torn with iron claws. But the holy Angel appearing to him, he stood superior to all the torments and whole. Nevertheless, being raised again upon the wood, his heels are pierced through with iron borers, and a glowing frying-pan is set upon his breast, and in an iron pit vehemently heated the Saint is ordered to stand, and with iron awls likewise heated his feet are bored, and so at last the Martyr is thrust back into custody. But again the Angel appearing there, and on account of the miracles, deservedly suspect, refreshed him, loosed from his bonds: whence it came about that many, beholding him thus suddenly whole, approached him for the sake of baptism; and being freed from the infirmities by which they were held, they departed. Afterward, being raised again, with most heavy stones at his feet, he hung high upon an upright wood, for whole three days. Then, beaten on the belly with cudgels, he is scorched with kindled torches, and is plunged into a boiling cauldron. Melted lead also he received into his mouth, and a helmet made very fiery hot he bore upon his head, and underwent a furnace of fire. And when even from all these things he had escaped unhurt, he drew many of the infidels to the faith of Christ: whose heads were soon cut off. The Saint at last had two thongs drawn from his neck to his heels; one of which, having seized with his hand, when he had cast it into the face of the judge, he was smitten in the head. But then from his cut neck milk flowed instead of blood; and the trunk, raised erect, having taken his head in his hands, walked for two stadia; to the praise and glory of Christ our true God."
[5] which would better be absent from the Roman Martyrology. Can there be read in any Passion of any Martyr anything so singular and atrocious which has not been brought in here? We shall therefore think that we have here this one thing alone, that a Martyr suffered in Cappadocia: how great the sufferings were, or by whom inflicted, we shall reckon to be uncertain, nay even when. But how much value those things ought to have, which Sirletus hence brought into his Menology, and which thence passed into the Roman Martyrology, let the Reader estimate. It would surely have been desirable that there had been at hand to its Reformers such an abundance of Greek Synaxaria as was needed for making a prudent selection, and for discerning the certain from the uncertain.