ON THE MANY HOLY MARTYRS SLAIN IN ITALY BY THE LOMBARDS, AROUND THE YEAR 579.
Preliminary Commentary.
The many Martyrs slain by the Lombards in Italy (Saints)
[1] The irruption of the Lombards, who came forth from Pannonia, into Italy, and their savage cruelty against holy persons, churches and monasteries, and even against the tombs and bodies of the Saints, we have treated at length on February 9 before the Life of Saint Sabinus the Bishop, Section 9, page 318 and following. But that the Lombards were so called from the longa barda, that is, the long axe or spear, Martyrs slain by the Lombards, which they used in wars, we have demonstrated on February 14 in the second Life of Saint Antoninus, Abbot of Sorrento, page 796. Concerning the Martyrs slain by these Lombards in hatred of the Catholic faith, the following is read in today's Roman Martyrology: In Campania, the commemoration of the eighty holy Martyrs, who, when they refused to eat meats offered to idols and would not worship the head of a goat, were most cruelly slain by the Lombards. The story of the martyrdom is described by Saint Gregory the Great in Book 3 of the Dialogues, chapters 27 and 28, partly 40 peasants, and he divides the Martyrs into two classes: the first consists of forty peasants refusing to eat meats offered to idols. In the second class was a very great multitude of captives refusing to worship the head of a goat. Peter de Natalibus alone reports these in Book 3 of his Catalog, chapter 167, and asserts that they suffered on the 6th of the Nones of March: partly very many out of 400 captives, concerning whom Hermann Greven writes the following on this day in his Additions to Usuard: Likewise of the many Martyrs out of a number of four hundred: concerning whom Gregory reports in Book 3 of the Dialogues, chapter 28, that when they were urged by the Lombards to worship the head of a goat consecrated to the devil, a very great multitude of them, refusing, was slain by them. The same things are read in Molanus in his additions to Usuard published in 1568. Concerning the same, Maurolycus writes: On the same day, of the nearly four hundred Martyrs, slain by the Lombards while devastating Italy, as Gregory reports. Constantius Felicius and Richard Whitford have similar accounts in their Martyrologies, the former published in Italian, the latter formerly in English. Thus Peter de Natalibus also calls them nearly four hundred Martyrs. And our ancient manuscript codex of these Dialogues of Saint Gregory has that there were nearly four hundred captives, of whom a very great multitude was slain. But on the other hand, in the printed editions published by Gillotius, Pamelius, and others, one reads that there were nearly forty captives, the reading "four hundred" being relegated to the margin as a variant, and finally entirely omitted in the edition of Sixtus V. On their authority Galesini thus has: On this same day, of the holy Forty Martyrs, or at least 40. who, driven by the Lombards to worship the head of a goat, and most firmly detesting it, were cut down. Baronius, joining to these forty another forty peasants from the first class, considers that eighty were slain in all. But Saint Gregory records nearly forty, or, as others have it, four hundred captives in the second class, and of these only the greatest multitude, not all, were put to death by the sword. The titles of the chapters in Gregory are these: of the first, "Concerning the forty peasants, who because they refused to eat meats offered to idols, were slain by the Lombards"; and of the latter chapter: "Concerning the multitude of captives who, because they refused to worship the head of a goat, were slain." Whether from the word "multitude," which is then called "the greatest," if it be compared with the number of forty peasants reported in the first chapter, it does not rather suggest that the captives were nearly four hundred rather than not yet forty, we propose for the judgment of others.
[2] Baronius calculates in his notes that the year of the slaughter was five hundred and seventy-nine. For, he says, Saint Gregory affirms that they suffered about fifteen years before, reaching to the time around the year 579 when he was writing these things in his Dialogues, when he was in the fourth year of his Pontificate, which is established from Book 4 of the Dialogues, chapter 36, where, treating of the pestilence which occurred in the first year of his Pontificate, he testifies that it had happened three years before that time. If, therefore, from the aforesaid year 579 to the fourth year of Gregory's Pontificate you count those fifteen intervening years, you will find that they consummated their martyrdom at the said time. So writes Baronius in his Notes, who in his Annals at the same year 579, numbers 9 and following, inserted this slaughter of the said Martyrs from the said Dialogues, and at number 12, concerning the Lombards, adds: As for the idolatry of certain Lombards of this kind, by which they venerated the head of a goat in sacrifice, there is a complaint of the same Pope Gregory to Queen Brunhild of the Franks concerning certain Christians persevering in the same error. But hear his words: This likewise we exhort, that you should restrain the rest of your subjects under the moderation of discipline, that they not sacrifice to idols, not become worshippers of trees, not offer sacrilegious sacrifices of animals' heads: because it has come to our attention that many Christians both attend the churches and, what it is unspeakable to say, do not withdraw from the worship of demons. So writes Gregory, and from him Baronius. Ferrarius also treats of the same Martyrs in the Catalog of the Saints of Italy, and wonders whence the Roman Martyrology received that these suffered in Campania, since Saint Gregory at the cited passage makes no mention of Campania. More safely, Whitford and others report that they suffered in Italy.
ACTS OF MARTYRDOM.
From Book III of the Dialogues of Saint Gregory.
The many Martyrs slain by the Lombards in Italy (Saints)
In our own times it has happened that even cities and persons of secular life, of whom nothing of heavenly glory could seem to be presumed, when occasion arose, attained the crowns of martyrdom. chapter 26 chapter 27 For about fifteen years ago, as those testify who could be present, forty peasants were captured by the Lombards and were compelled to eat meats offered to idols. Forty peasants refusing When they strongly resisted and refused to touch the sacrilegious food, the Lombards who held them began to threaten them with death to eat offered meats, unless they ate the things sacrificed. But those men, loving eternal life rather than the present and transitory one, remained steadfast in faith, and in their constancy were all slain together. What then were these if not Martyrs of the truth, They are slain by the sword: who, lest by eating what was forbidden they offend their Creator, chose to end their lives by the sword?
At the same time also, when the Lombards held nearly four hundred other captives, they sacrificed the head of a goat to the devil in their customary fashion, dedicating it to him by running around in a circle and with an abominable chant. chapter 28 And when they themselves first worshipped it with bowed necks, Very many refusing to worship the head of a goat, they also compelled those whom they had captured to worship it in the same manner. But from among those captives a very great multitude, choosing rather to press on to immortal life by dying than to hold on to mortal life by praying, refused to comply with the sacrilegious commands and scorned to bow to a creature the neck which they had always bent to the Creator. Whence it came about that the enemies who had captured them, inflamed with great wrath, slew with the sword all slain by the sword. whom they did not have as participants in their error.
What wonder then if, when a time of persecution had burst forth, those could have been Martyrs who even in the very peace of the Church, by ever afflicting themselves, held to the narrow way of martyrdom; when, upon the outbreak of a moment of persecution, even those merited to receive the palms of martyrdom who in the peace of the Church seemed to follow the broad ways of this world? Nor yet do we hold what we say about these chosen men as if it were already a rule for all. For when the time of open persecution breaks forth, just as many who seem contemptible in the peace of the Church can undergo martyrdom, so sometimes those fall into the dread of doubt who were previously believed to stand bravely in the peace of the Church.
But those of whom we spoke before as having been able to become Martyrs, Martyrs made in the peace of the Church. we confidently affirm; because we have already gathered this from their end. For they could not have fallen even in open persecution, of whom it is established that to the end of their lives they persisted in the hidden virtue of the soul.
Annotations* variant: firmly
* variant: forty
* variant: weakness