ON ST. SEBASTIAN BISHOP.
CommentarySebastian Bishop (St.)
G. H.
Among other Saints sometimes occurs the name
of St. Sebastian. Under this most celebrated to the whole world
is St. Sebastian Prince of the militia
under Diocletian, who by his order
pierced with arrows is venerated XX January. Another Sebastian was
among the Theban Martyrs, with St. Alverius reported by us
on day 11 January: of whom many more things remain to be said
by us in the Supplement of the same month from MSS. sent
to us from Fossano: and would that meanwhile it might happen to find
the history of their finding, which to Baldesanus about the Thebans
about to write was communicated, but which afterwards never again seen
by them the Bishop and Canons of Fossano complain. Another
Duke Sebastian, by St. Victor converted to the faith, and with
the same and St. Photina crowned with martyrdom is noted on day
XX March. A third Sebastian also, in Armenia with SS.
Dionysius and Aemilianus a Martyr, is celebrated VIII February.
And so elsewhere others will occur, as on this day St. Sebastian Bishop,
inscribed in four ancient Martyrology Hieronymian
apographs, as also in the Cologne Martyrology of the Church
of St. Mary ad Gradus: but everywhere is mentioned of this
St. Sebastian Bishop a deposition, that even from this could
a suspicion arise, that he should rather be considered Confessor than Martyr.
In the MSS. of Augsburg, of St. Udalric, and Paris
of Labbe the bare name of St. Sebastian is brought forth. The rest are hidden,
perhaps to be found at other times, and to teach what was his
Episcopal See and at what time he lived: meanwhile we judge
it referable to the four prior centuries of Christ, since
in all the aforementioned Hieronymian Martyrologies follows
St. Marcellianus, the second Bishop of the Church of Auxerre,
of whom we are now about to treat.