ON THE HOLY AFRICAN MARTYRS BASSUS OR BASSIUS AND TWENTY OTHERS, LUCELLUS, FISCIANUS, POMENUS, IOSSERUS OR IOSIPPUS, APOLLONIUS, AMMONUS, SATURNINUS, BASILLA, AND SEVEN OTHERS.
CommentaryBassus or Bassius, Martyr in Africa (Saint)
Twenty Others, Martyrs in Africa (Saints). Lucellus, Martyr in Africa (Saint). Fiscianus, Martyr in Africa (Saint). Pomenus, Martyr in Africa (Saint). Ioserus or Iosippus, Martyr in Africa (Saint). Apollonius, Martyr in Africa (Saint). Ammonus, Martyr in Africa (Saint). Saturninus, Martyr in Africa (Saint). Basilla, Martyr in Africa (Saint). Seven Others, Martyrs in Africa (Saints).
[1] These African Martyrs seem to have been divided into two classes, perhaps having suffered either in different persecutions or in distinct places. After the entry of Saint Theodore the Presbyter, of whom we have treated, Martyrs of Africa of the first class, the following is added in the manuscript Martyrology of Saint Jerome, which we preserve written in ancient Anglo-British script: "In Africa, of Bassus and twenty others." This is read in exactly the same words in the Reichenau and Rhinovian manuscripts. In the Tamlacht manuscript, with the places of martyrdom omitted as is always done, the following is joined to the next day, to which many others have also been relegated: "Of Theodore, Bassius, and twenty others." Here Bassius is also called Bassus by others.
[2] of the second class: But omitting these, the Martyrology of Saint Jerome printed at Paris, after Theodore, proposes the Martyrs of the later class thus: "In Africa, of Lucellus, Bassus, Fiscianus, Pomenus, Ioserus, Apollonius, Ammonus, Saturninus, Basilla, and nine others." Which in the Blumian and Lucensian Martyrologies
of the same Saint Jerome, after the same Theodore, are expressed thus: "In Africa, of Lucellus, Bassus, Fiscianus, Pomoenus, Ioserus, Apollonius, Ammonus, Saturninus, Basilla, and seven others." In the above-mentioned manuscript Martyrology, also of Saint Jerome, after Bassus and the other twenty, it is added thus: "Of Lucellus, Viscianus, Pomenus, Iosippus, Apollonius, Ammonus, Basilla, and seven others." In the cited Tamlacht manuscript they are referred to on this day thus: "Of Basius, Bucellus, Fiscianus, Auxilius, Poemius, Iosephus, Britonia, Basilla, and seven others," with Apollonius, Ammonus, and Saturninus interposed among others. On account of Bassus or Bassius and the twenty companions, we omit another Bassus or Basus. The names variously expressed: Lucellus is also Bucellus and Lucillus in other sources; Fiscianus is also written Fissianus and Viscianus; Pomenus with an added diphthong becomes Pomoenus and Poemius; Ioserus is also Iosepus and Iosippus; Apollonius is also Apollonus and Appollonus; Ammonus is written in the same manner; Basilia is also Basilla. Finally, in place of seven companions, nine are also given. But the seven companions added by some to Saint Theodore are to be referred here, as we said above. Auxilius, placed in the Tamlacht manuscript, seems to be Aurilius, to be referred to the preceding day. Concerning Britonia we dare conjecture nothing.
[3] Some inscribed in various calendars, Some are related in other Martyrologies, as in the Cassinese, Altempsi, and Vatican manuscripts after Saint Theodore: "In Africa, of Saints Lucellus, Blassius, and Saint Leontius the Bishop." The same is read in the Pleschion manuscript, and these things are written in the ancient Lombard script. The Barberini manuscript likewise, after Theodore, names four: "In Africa, of Lucilla, Bassis, Apollonius, Ammonius." In the Reichenau manuscript: "In Africa, of Bassus and twenty others. Of Lucilla, Pomenus, Apollonius, Leontius the Bishop, Marcus with nine others." In the manuscript of the Queen of Sweden: "In Africa, of Bassus, Lucillus with thirteen others." Notker has thus: "In Africa, of Bassa, Lucilla, Fuscianus, and many others." In the manuscript codex of Saint Cyriacus: "In Africa, of Lucilla." The Trier manuscript of Saint Martin and the Utrecht manuscript: "In Africa, of Apollonius the Martyr and fourteen others." The Patrician or Neapolitan manuscript of the Clerks Regular: "In Africa, of Saint Bassus." And without any mention of Africa, the memory of Bassus and Bassilia is celebrated in the Augsburg manuscript, or of Bassus and Baselia in the Labbe manuscript. Of Apollonius and Bassus in Hermann Greven. In the Aachen manuscript: "Of Basius, Basileus, Leontius, Lorentius." Here Lorentius is Florentius to others, of whom we shall treat below. Thus Basileus to the rest is Basilia, and conversely Bassa, Bassis, or Blastus is better written as Bassus, just as Lucillus rather than Lucilla.
[4] Another difficulty arises which must be raised here: whether the Apollonius recorded in eight Martyrologies should be called a Bishop and joined to Bishop Leontius. Should Apollonius be called a Bishop? In the Martyrology according to the custom of the Roman Curia, emended by Bellinus of Padua and printed at Venice in the year 1498, the following is read: "On the same day, of the Saints Apollonius and Leontius, Bishops." In the same, reprinted at Paris in the year 1521, "Apollonius" -- as Molanus afterward copied in his additions to Usuard, whom Bellinus had augmented. These things are also inserted in today's Roman Martyrology, and Baronius annotates that concerning these the old Roman Martyrology, namely that of Bellinus, speaks, and that the manuscripts support it; yet nowhere is it expressed of which Church they were Bishops. These two, thus joined, are found in Usuard augmented for the use of the Church of Cologne and printed in 1490, and in the manuscript of Usuard from the Altempsi library augmented in England. But the Prague manuscript has thus: "On the same day, of Apollonius and Leontius the Bishop" -- which is read in the same manner in Usuard printed at Lubeck in 1475 and in the manuscripts of Ughelli relating to Usuard. But above, Leontius the Bishop in four ancient manuscripts was joined to Lucillus and Bassus, and in the Reichenau manuscript to Lucillus, Pomenus, and Apollonius, and everywhere they are assigned to Africa. In the Anchin manuscript, the following is also added to Usuard: "Likewise of Saint Theodore the Bishop, Apollonius, and Leontius the Bishop." Concerning these three, the following is read in the Cologne manuscript preserved among the Carmelites: "On the same day, of the holy Bishops Theodore and Leontius, and of Blessed Apollonius the Confessor." From all this evidence, we judge that Saint Apollonius, rightly joined in so many ancient Martyrologies to the other African Martyrs, should not be established as a Bishop distinct from them. Perhaps Bellinus found Apollonius placed before other Bishops, as is read in the Usuard manuscript of the Church of Brussels: "On the same day, of Apollonius, Leontius, and John, Bishops." But since no Bishop John is recorded on this day by any others, either Theodore, who is added by others, must be substituted, or certainly John the Hermit, of whom we treat below, is called a Bishop by the same error as Apollonius. We shall treat below of Saint Leontius the Bishop and the various Episcopal See assigned to him by different authorities -- and indeed of Apollonius, since both are reported by some as Bishops of Vicenza in Italy and by others of Braga in Portugal, which the reader will find there.
[5] In the Florarium of the Saints there is a memorial of many Martyrs at Rome, who are perhaps these, recorded under the following titles, but with the word "at Rome" rashly added. In the same Florarium, Leontius and Apollonius are recorded on January 19, whom we have deferred to this day.