ON SS. JOCUNDUS, SATURNINUS, ARTAXIUS, AND QUINTUS, MARTYRS IN AFRICA.
YEAR 203, AND JANUARY 9.
CommentaryJocundus, Martyr in Africa (St.)
Saturninus, Martyr in Africa (St.)
Artaxius, Martyr in Africa (St.)
Quintus, Martyr in Africa (St.)
[1] The Acts of the martyrdom of SS. Perpetua, Felicitas, and their companions, brought to light from a parchment manuscript of the sacred monastery of Monte Cassino by Lucas Holstenius, and to be given by us at this day, furnish us in chapter IV with these four Martyrs, whom St. Saturus the Martyr, at whose side St. Perpetua stood, saw among the Angels when he was caught up in ecstasy. We began, says St. Saturus, to be carried by four Angels ... and Three Martyrs burned alive: freed from the first world we saw a great light ... Those who carried us set us down, and we crossed a stadium on foot by a broad road, where we found Jocundus and Saturninus and Artaxius, who in the same persecution were burned alive, and Quintus, who himself also a Martyr had departed in prison, and we inquired of them where they were. The other Angels said to us: Come first, enter in, and salute the Lord. After a lengthy description of this introduction, at the end it is added: And we began to recognize many brethren there, and also Martyrs. We were all nourished by an indescribable fragrance, which satisfied us. So much from that passage: from which we learn that of these Martyrs the first three were burned alive, The last was destroyed by the hardships of prison: the last, named Quintus, was destroyed by the hardships of prison — and this in the persecution of the Emperor Severus, in which afterward SS. Perpetua, Felicitas, Saturus, and their companions merited the crown of martyrdom. And on account of their prior acquaintance with these, it seems that the same arena must be assigned to all, whether that city was Carthage or the city of the Thuburbitani, as we discuss in that place.
[2] Lucas Holstenius writes the following in his Notes: The name and memory of these Martyrs, now at last restored, is owed to these Acts. For without them they would have remained forever unknown to mortals, known only to God the judge and master of the contest, they are reported in the Acts of SS. Perpetua and Felicitas: and reigning in his presence among the Blessed. Meanwhile on this day four Martyrs called by the same names are mingled with other Martyrs in the Martyrology of St. Jerome printed at Paris and in our ancient manuscript, in these words: In Africa, of Satyrus, Revocatus, Jocundus, Victorinus, Saturninus. Behold the names of the first two, namely Jocundus and Saturninus, and in the Martyrologies of March 7: and then after the Martyrs of Thrace the memory of Artaxius and Quintus is appended. In the ancient Reichenau manuscript also, besides Saturus and Saturninus, companions of SS. Perpetua and Felicitas, one reads again: In Africa, of Satyrus and Jocundus, where in place of the former we believe one should read Saturninus. In the Lucca and Blume copies of St. Jerome's Martyrology, Satyrus, Artaxus, and Quintus are also listed.
[3] It is established meanwhile that already before this March 7, these Martyrs had been crowned, and January 9: and perhaps with many others they should be referred to January 9. For in the Martyrology of St. Jerome printed at Paris there is this: In Africa, of Epetatus, Jocundus, Quintus, Secundus, Saturninus, Vitalis. Likewise of Quintus, Felix, Artaxis, Fortunatus, Rusticus, Sillus, Quietus, and seven others. We published the same from our manuscript codex of St. Jerome at that day; from which these four Martyrs — Jocundus, Saturninus, Artaxes or Artaxus, and Quintus — perhaps alone had been previously known to SS. Saturus and Perpetua. The same four, or all or some of them, were inscribed in several Martyrologies, as we noted at that day, to which could be added various Martyrologies that we later obtained: in which either these four, or two of them, or Jocundus alone, as also in the Roman Martyrology, are named.