ON SAINT ARCHIPPUS, FELLOW-SOLDIER OF SAINT PAUL THE APOSTLE
FIRST CENTURY
CommentaryArchippus, Fellow-Soldier of Saint Paul the Apostle (Saint)
[1] Bede in his genuine Martyrology celebrates only Saint Cuthbert the Bishop, whose life he wrote in both verse and prose, illustrated below by us. To Bede, Florus added these words: "Of Archippus, fellow-soldier of Paul the Apostle"; Inscribed in the sacred calendars which same words are read in the manuscript Martyrology of Liege under the name of Bede, and in many manuscripts of Ado, which Rosweyde relegated to an Appendix. In the Vatican manuscript of Saint Peter and the Vallicellian, "in Asia" is prefixed, which seems to be taken from Usuard, who begins this day thus: "The thirteenth day before the Calends of April. In Asia, the birthday of Saint Archippus, fellow-soldier of Blessed Paul, whom the same Apostle mentions in his epistle writing to the Colossians." These same words are reported in many manuscripts and in Bellinus, Maurolycus, Felicius, and others; and they are read somewhat more fully in today's Roman Martyrology: "In Asia, the birthday of Saint Archippus, fellow-soldier of Blessed Paul the Apostle, whom he himself mentions in the epistle to Philemon and to the Colossians."
[2] With the title of fellow-soldier, or in Greek systratiotes, Paul addressed him at the beginning of the epistle to Philemon in these words: fellow-soldier of Saint Paul "Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, to Philemon our beloved and fellow-worker, and to Apphia our dearest sister, and to Archippus our fellow-soldier." Saint Paul calls Archippus his fellow-soldier and that of Saint Timothy by an elegant metaphor and analogy, very well suited to the business he proposed: for they were enlisted in the same Christian warfare and were fighting under the same standards of Christ for the defense of his dignity and glory. To carry out this warfare vigorously, he exhorts the same Archippus at the end of his epistle to the Colossians in these words: "Say to Archippus: See to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you fulfill it." Where others read: "Attend to your ministry and consider, that you may diligently carry out the ministry" -- in Greek, diakonian -- "in divine matters, for the divine honor and the salvation of souls, and fulfill all the parts of your office." What that ministry of Saint Archippus among the Colossians was, however, is disputed. Saint Ambrose, writing on this passage of the epistle, establishes him as Bishop of the Colossians. Held by some to be a Bishop Others followed --
others, such as Notker in his Martyrology: "At Colossae, of Archippus the Bishop, fellow-soldier of Blessed Paul the Apostle." Galesinius amplifies this at greater length: "In Asia, Saint Archippus, who, as Bishop of the Church of Colossae, a disciple of Blessed Paul the Apostle, distinguished by the testimony of the same, having holily and devoutly discharged the preaching of the Gospel, underwent martyrdom and departed to the Lord." But on the contrary, in the German Martyrology of Canisius he is said to have died in peace; in the second edition of which, however, considerably augmented from Galesinius, it is added that others report he died by shedding his blood for Christ. We would prefer these claims to be confirmed by the testimonies of the ancients. But let us return to the ministry of Archippus.
[3] Saint Thomas in his Commentary calls him the Prelate of the Colossians, and more clearly in the Secunda Secundae, question 32, article 4, reply to objection 2, he calls him Bishop, as one who had received after Epaphras the charge of governing that Church. On the other hand, Primasius judges that he only performed the office of a Deacon, held by others to be a Deacon and Baronius seems to adhere to this opinion in his Annals for the year 60, number 11. Estius admits neither view. "For," he says, "no reason appears why Epaphras should have ceased to be their Bishop, nor could a Deacon supply for the absence of the Bishop by his ministry. Wherefore it is probable that he was a Presbyter of that Church, who, in the absence of the Bishop, fed it with the word and the Sacraments," or a Presbyter "so that the meaning of Paul's words is: Say to Archippus, the Presbyter of your Church, that he diligently and carefully carry out the ministry entrusted to him by Epaphras at his departure, in the things that are of the Lord, and fulfill all the parts of his office."
[4] In the manuscript Florarium, to the words of Usuard is added: "He was one of the seventy-two disciples of the Lord." Was he one of the 72 disciples? But his name is not inserted in the Synopsis published under the name of Saint Dorotheus concerning these disciples.
ON SAINTS JOSEPH AND LUKE, MARTYRS AT ANTIOCH.
CommentaryJoseph, Martyr at Antioch (Saint)
Luke, Martyr at Antioch (Saint)
[1] In all the illustrious Latin and more ancient Martyrologies that we possess, we read, usually in first place, the following: "The thirteenth day before the Calends of April, at Antioch, of Saint Joseph" -- or "of the holy Joseph." So the ancient copies of the Martyrology of Saint Jerome: the Luccan, the Blumian, and ours written nearly a thousand years ago. Likewise the manuscripts of Reichenau, Cassino, Altaemps, Barberini, Vallicella, the Vatican of Saint Peter, the Neapolitan of the Clerks Regular, and that of Saint Cyriacus, in which this Joseph alone is celebrated. Luke Holstein also reports the same in his observations from a very ancient codex of the Queen of Sweden, and they are also read in the Martyrology of Notker. But without the attribution to Antioch, Saint Joseph is inscribed in the manuscripts of Aachen, Augsburg, and Labbe.
[2] That this is the very foster-father of the Lord, whom the Martyrologies holding the next place of antiquity after the aforesaid Hieronymian ones present on the preceding day, and who was placed here by Eusebius of Caesarea on account of a special veneration at Antioch, we would gladly suspect; but lacking proofs, we do not dare to assert it, and therefore prefer to count him separately among the Martyrs of Antioch, until light shines from elsewhere and reveals who he is whose name was so celebrated at Antioch (presumably on account of martyrdom endured for the faith), unless some other and far greater connection with the Author and Perfecter of the faith, Jesus, intervened for him -- so that therefore, just as the feasts of the Virgin Mother of God and the Apostles who were not Martyrs, the Church of Antioch also judged that his commemoration should be celebrated annually, in some century closer to the times of Eusebius. A companion is joined to Joseph in the Martyrology of Saint Jerome from the manuscript of Corbie printed at Paris, and in another manuscript of Corbie believed to have been written more than eight hundred years ago; in these it is read thus: "At Antioch, of Saint Joseph, of Luke." In the manuscript of Saint Maximinus, Lucia and Josippus are mingled among other Martyrs, for which perhaps Joseph and Luke should be read. We reported on the past day of March 19, among the African Champions, a certain Joseph or Josippus, but one different from this one. Galesinius joined him to the Martyrs of Syria, of whom we shall presently treat; and we judge him to be also different from Saint Joseph the Samaritan, son of Saint Photina, of whom we have treated. We grant veneration from the most ancient Martyrologies; the time and Acts of the martyrdom we have read nowhere. Greven in his Additions to Usuard commemorates this Joseph with Claudius, who pertains to the Syrian Martyrs.