ON THE HOLY MARTYRS CARPISTUS, GALATUS, DOMISIANUS THE PRIEST, HYROMEUS, LUCETELLA, ZEDDONUS THE PRIEST, PATRICIA, PATYFRIGIA, BASILISSA, CLAONUS, AND MINERVINUS, AT THE LAKE OF GERATUS.
CommentaryCarpistus, Martyr, at the Lake of Geratus (St.)
Galatus, Martyr, at the Lake of Geratus (St.)
Domisianus, Priest, Martyr, at the Lake of Geratus (St.)
Hyromeus, Martyr, at the Lake of Geratus (St.)
Lucetella, Martyr, at the Lake of Geratus (St.)
Zeddonus, Priest, Martyr, at the Lake of Geratus (St.)
Patricia, Martyr, at the Lake of Geratus (St.)
Patyfrigia, Martyr, at the Lake of Geratus (St.)
Basilissa, Martyr, at the Lake of Geratus (St.)
Claonus, Martyr, at the Lake of Geratus (St.)
Minervinus, Martyr, at the Lake of Geratus (St.)
[1] This is the second group of Martyrs inscribed in the ancient Martyrology of St. Jerome, and in these words in the Paris edition: At the Lake of Geratus, of Carpistus, Galatus, Domisianus, Memory of the Martyrs, Hyromeus, Lucetella, Zeddon the Priest, and Patricia his wife, Patyfrigia. Likewise of Basilissa, Claon, and Minervinus. In three other copies of the same Martyrology of St. Jerome, Minervinus is omitted, and Domisianus is called Priest, and we read Zeddon and Claon or Claonius. In our manuscript also Lucetellus and Patra in place of Patricia, without the word "wife" being added. In the Blumian manuscript we read Luca, Tella, and Patra. So much for the names of the Martyrs.
[2] Whether Castacius in the Tamlacht manuscript is the same as Carpistus, we do not wish to speculate. The arena of martyrdom is quite obscure, since we cannot determine what or where the Lake of Geratus is. But who can identify all places, even the smallest, Arena of martyrdom: which were formerly known by other names? What if the lake or pool of Gerasa, into which the herd of swine was cast headlong as we read in Luke chapter 8, is to be understood here? -- namely that part of the Sea of Galilee which washes the region of the Gerasenes. In Luca Dacherius' Index to the said Martyrology, Gerartilacus is presented as a saint's name. Florentinus followed him in his Notes on this same Martyrology of St. Jerome, as though these Martyrs should be added to the preceding company of Nicomedian Martyrs. But since that company is concluded with two other anonymous martyrs, we judge this to be a different group of Martyrs, and we identify the arena of their martyrdom as the Lake of Geratus, whether they were cast into the lake or put to death by some other punishment in a place so named. We celebrated on the fourteenth of January St. Stephen, founder of the monastery which took its name from the Lake of Geese. The Greeks call it "the monastery of Chenolakkos." In a similar way, perhaps the Greek name Geratolakkos was given on account of the martyrdom of these athletes, and in Latin it would be the Lake of Honor or of Reward.
ON THE HOLY MARTYRS THEUSETES, HORRUS HIS SON, THEODORA, NYMPHODORA, MARCUS, AND ARABIA. LIKEWISE JULIUS THE BISHOP, ALEXANDER, PION OR PICIUS, MARIA, AND TWO OTHERS. LIKEWISE DION, TRABIA, QUARTUS, MISETHEUS, NYMPHADOBA, ARIABA, POENIS, PARTA, VICTURIA, AND VICTURINUS, AT NICAEA, OR PERHAPS SOME OF THEM ELSEWHERE.
CommentaryTheusetes, Martyr, at Nicaea (St.)
Horrus, his son, Martyr, at Nicaea (St.)
Theodora, Martyr, at Nicaea (St.)
Nymphodorus, Martyr, at Nicaea (St.)
Marcus, Martyr, at Nicaea (St.)
Arabia, Martyr, at Nicaea (St.)
Julius, Bishop, Martyr, at Nicaea (St.)
Alexander, Martyr, at Nicaea (St.)
Pion or Picius, Martyr, at Nicaea (St.)
Maria, Martyr, at Nicaea (St.)
Two others, Martyrs, at Nicaea (SS.) Dion, Martyr, at Nicaea (St.)
Trabia, Martyr, at Nicaea (St.)
Quartus, Martyr, at Nicaea (St.)
Misetheus, Martyr, at Nicaea (St.)
Nymphadoba, Martyr, at Nicaea (St.)
Ariaba, Martyr, at Nicaea (St.)
Poenis, Martyr, at Nicaea (St.)
Parta, Martyr, at Nicaea (St.)
Victuria, Martyr, at Nicaea (St.)
Victurinus, Martyr, at Nicaea (St.)
[1] In the third place these Martyrs are listed in the Martyrology of St. Jerome, and are perhaps to be subdivided into three companies; but since this is uncertain, we present them together. They are arranged thus in the said Martyrology: In the city of Nicaea, of Theusetes and Horis his son, Theodora, Nymphodora, Whether to be divided into three companies? Marcus, and Arabia. All these were burned by fire. And these should be reckoned as the first company. Then is added: Of Julius the Bishop, Alexander, Pionius, Maria, with two others. This would be the second company, to which the third is appended thus: Of Dion, Trabia, Quarta, Misetheus, Nymphadoba, Ariaba, Poenis, Parta, Victuria, and Victurinus. So much from that source. The first group is inscribed in most of the Latin Calendars, such as those of Usuard, Ado, Notker, the printed edition of Bede, Bellinus, and others; with which the Roman Martyrology agrees in these words: At Nicaea, of the holy Martyrs Theusetes and Horris his son, Theodora, Nymphodora, Marcus, and Arabia, who were all delivered to the fire. Arturus a Monasterio assigns to the sacred women's cloister the names of SS. Theusetes, Theodora, Nymphodora, and Arabia, but we think Theusetes should rather be assigned to the men, whether the nominative is Theusetes or Theuseta; indeed in the manuscripts it is also written Theuseti and Theusebius. After these Martyrs of the first company are listed, there are added in Rabanus, Notker, and the Richeberg manuscript under the name of Bede: Julius the Bishop, Alexander. But the mention of Julius alone from these is added in the manuscripts of Augsburg (St. Ulrich's) and Paris (Labbaeus). The name of Trabia is read in Maurolycus. But the name Pion, which is immediately joined to Alexander, is read in other manuscripts as Dion or Picius. In the third company we also find Pion, Mistheus or Nisisthaeus, and Arabia or Ariaba, in place of Dion, Misetheus, and Ariaba. The Blumian manuscript of St. Jerome begins this group thus: In the city of Nicaea, of Theusetes and Horisfula the Virgin, Theodora, etc. -- which reading is not displeasing, if it should be found in multiple manuscripts. Florentinus prefers to divide Nymphadoba and read Nympha and Doba.
ON SS. ALEXANDER AND DIONYSIUS, MARTYRS AT THESSALONICA.
CommentaryAlexander, Martyr, at Thessalonica (St.)
Dion or Dionysius, Martyr, at Thessalonica (St.)
We follow the order of the Martyrology of St. Jerome, in the Paris edition of which, after the Martyrs already listed, the following is found: In the city of Thessalonica, of Alexander, Dionysius. The same is said in the manuscript codices of St. Jerome, but instead of the name Dionysius we read Dion in the Lucca copy, Diona with a diphthong in the Blumian, and Dioni in our Antwerp copy, in which for the following day these are repeated: At Thessalonica, of Dionysius, Alexander Palatinus. These are absent from three others, but from that one they were copied in the Reichenau manuscript. We gave a Palatine Martyr on the tenth of March, and that surname was attached to St. Gorgonius. From a single passage we cannot judge that those words were wrongly inserted here.