ON SAINT MARCELLIANUS
BISHOP OF AUXERRE IN GAUL.
ABOUT A.D. CCCXIV
CommentaryMarcellianus, Bishop of Auxerre in Gaul (St.)
G. H.
The ancient Bishops of the Church of Auxerre and other
Presbyters seem to have been very much given over to the veneration
of the Saints. Hence the ancient Hieronymian Martyrology apographs
which we have, everywhere
have subjoined the prior holy Bishops of the Church of Auxerre, so that
their very protograph of the rest seems to have been preserved by them. Sacred cult. There is venerated on this XIII May St. Marcellianus
Bishop of Auxerre by the Ecclesiastical office of three lessons,
as the ancient Breviaries of the same Church indicate, sent
to us by Peter le Venier, Penitentiary of the said Church: of whom the cited Hieronymian Martyrology
apographs of Echternach, Blumian and Corbey of Paris
printed have these words: In the city of Auxerre the deposition
and translation of St. Marcellianus the Bishop. In the apograph
of Lucca it is said the deposition and translation of the body
of St. Marcellinus the Bishop. But the deposition of St. Marcellianus
the Bishop alone have the ancient MSS. of Trier
of St. Maximinus, and another of the Queen of Sweden published by Holstenius,
and the MS. Florarium, and with them Notker, Greven,
Maurolycus, Canisius; likewise the Martyrology of Cologne and Lübeck
printed in the year 1490, in which Marcellianus is said.
But Marcellinus, in MSS. of Reichenau and some of Trier
of St. Maximinus. Of him a long encomium is published by Saussaius in
the Gallican Martyrology, which can there be read.
[2] The History of the Bishops of Auxerre from MSS. drawn out
by Philip Labbe and printed in volume I of the New Library,
chapter 2 about St. Marcellianus has these things. Marcellianus, by nation
faithfully laboring, with happy course migrated
to Christ on III Ides of May, and was buried on the mount
Autricus. He was however in the times of Alexander and
Maximus the Emperors, Aurelian and Marcellinus
being Consuls; presiding at the city of Rome Felix
and Eutychianus. Thus far that text. There were Aurelian
Emperor for the III time, and T. Avonius Marcellinus Consuls
in the year CCLXXV, in which year also St. Felix I Pope was succeeded
by St. Eutychianus: but far from that year are the Emperors
above indicated. For Alexander after thirteen years of empire
killed in year CCXXXV was succeeded by Maximinus, who above
is called Maximus. But lest by this manifest fault of history the reader
be disturbed, let him remember that we have shown on the Kalends of May, on
the Life of St. Amator the Bishop, that the names of Emperors and Pontiffs
with great confusion of things had been inserted into the said history.
The predecessor of St. Marcellianus is said to be St. Peregrinus,
the first Bishop of Auxerre sent by St. Sixtus II,
Roman Pontiff, and not long afterward crowned with martyrdom
XVI May: Time of his see. after whom are placed SS. Marcellianus the second Bishop,
Valerius the third, and Velerianus the fourth, of whom
we have treated on VI May, and have said that St. Valerianus was designated
Bishop around the year CCCXXXIV, therefore from the martyrdom of St. Sixtus
the Pope until his Episcopate intervene LXXXVI
years: of which in the said History are assigned to St. Marcellianus
thirty-nine, and to St. Valerius seventeen: and so
twenty years are found, in which the See would have been vacant, which
we would judge could be conceived as the next from the martyrdom of St. Peregrinus.
What if Marcellianus should be said ordained when Aurelian
and Marcellinus were Consuls? Thus he would have survived to about the year
CCCXIV or the following. We here affirm nothing for
certain: only some things as more probable to further
discussion of others we propose. Bucelinus mentions the same
in the Benedictine Sacrarium, that at Auxerre in the monastery
of St. Germain he was buried.