ON S. JUVENAL THE MARTYR.
CommentaryJuvenalis, Martyr (S.)
G. H.
[1] The name of this Saint, referred to this VII of May and some other days, is most well-known, Sacred cultus in the ancient calendars. but his deeds lie hidden, so that not even concerning the place and time, in which he flourished, can anything certain be brought forth. Usuard in all his exemplars without exception, both written by hand and printed in type, hands down these things: On the same day of S. Juvenal the Martyr. The same things are had in Bellinus, Molanus, Greven, in the Martyrology printed at Cologne and Lübeck in the year MCCCCXC, and in the present Roman Martyrology. In Ado, both in various parchments described and printed by Mosander and Rosweid, these things are thus expressed: The birthday of S. Juvenal the Martyr. Bede on this day is empty: but the Martyrology afterward printed under his name reports the aforesaid things from Ado. Notker has nearly the same things in this phrase, The nativity of S. Juvenal the Martyr. And these are by Ado and Notker in the first place reported: and concerning him alone Wandelbert has this verse on this day: Saint Juvenal honors the Nones with a pious death. Similar things are in the ancient MS. calendars of Trier of S. Maximinus and of S. Martin, of Liège of S. Lambert, and in the Dijon Supplement to the genuine Martyrology of Bede, and in the MS. Florarium of the Saints: likewise in Maurolycus, Felicius and other more recent ones. These things since they were everywhere thus had, and no place was expressed, it seems that liberty was given to others of attributing this Martyr to their own churches.
[2] Marius de Vipera in his Catalogue of the Saints whom the church of Benevento celebrates, judges that this Saint is there venerated under a double rite on the second day of May, and brings forth this elogium of him: Juvenal the Martyr, distinguished for the frequency of miracles, The body of some Juvenal at Benevento shone forth especially at Benevento. For when the city itself was wonderfully afflicted with pestilence, by his intercession and patronage it was made free and sound. His body in the city itself, within the venerable temple of S. Sophia, under an altar specially dedicated to him is kept, and with great concourse of the people is venerated: especially on the sixth of the Nones of May, on which day his feast is celebrated at Benevento: cultus on May 2 as from the deeds of the glorious Martyr himself, in the same church it is had. And we confess him to be the one, of whom the Roman Martyrology under the seventh day of this month treats, and we believe this day to be that of the Translation. Thus Vipera, citing in the margin an ancient MS. Martyrology of the library of Benevento marked with the number 178, besides which, if there are had any deeds of some S. Juvenal of Benevento, we desire them to be communicated to us, who are about to treat of him separately, lest the disputations be multiplied. At the same second day of May the name of S. Juvenal is inscribed in the ancient Martyrology of the Queen of Sweden often alleged by us. May 3, But on the day III of May in the MS. Roman one of Cardinal Barberini toward the end is added: Elsewhere of S. Juvenal the Martyr. In Greven also, after the reported S. Juvenal the Bishop, from Usuard is added: On the same day of Juvenal the Martyr. But on the fifth day of May in the MS. of Monte Cassino, May 5 and 6. among other Martyrs, is the name of S. Juvenal: and again on the sixth day is reported S. Juvenal the Martyr in four MS. Calendars of ours. Which all things concerning S. Juvenal, referred to this VII day, seem to be understood.
[3] Baronius in the Notes to the Martyrology at the day III and this VII of May, whether the one here referred is the Bishop of Narni is of opinion that S. Gregory makes mention of him in Homily 27 on the Gospels, as if S. Juvenal the Martyr were the Bishop of Narni, and in that church buried. But Ferrarius in his Catalogue of the Saints of Italy
at this VII of May, of S. Juvenal the Roman Martyr writes these things: On this day Juvenal the Martyr in the Martyrology of Usuard and the Roman one is commemorated: whom Baronius is of opinion to have been Bishop of Narni, of whom S. Gregory the Pope in Homily 27 speaks. But we, since at Narni no memory of Juvenal the Martyr exists, or the Deacon of S. Alexander the Pope, distinct from Juvenal the Bishop and Confessor; rather believe this Juvenal to be the Deacon of S. Alexander the Pope, of whom Peter Galesinius in his Martyrology treats on the day III of May, and ancient MSS. cites. But that those MSS. of Galesinius do not deserve much credit we have often shown, and we have accurately discussed the acts of S. Alexander, without any mention of Juvenal the Deacon.
[4] or the Bishop of Terni? The same Ferrarius in each Catalogue at this VII of May refers S. Juvenal Bishop of Terni: from whose Acts, if they were extant, it would be perceived whether he was different from Juvenal Bishop of Narni. For this one S. Proculus Bishop of Terni, the second of that name, built a church on a hill, to which from the holy Bishop the name is given, in the territory of Terni. Thus he. In the Milan Missal of the year MDXXII and the Breviary printed in the year MDXXXIX no mention is made of S. Juvenal the Bishop and Confessor on the day III of May, but his memory is transferred to this VII of May: which things concerning S. Juvenal of Narni are to be understood. Of whom we have sufficiently treated on May III, and we have shown that there is no reason why besides this one another Bishop of the same name of Narni or of Terni should be established.