ON THE HOLY MARTYRS ALEXANDER, COLUTHUS, AND BARBARUS
HONORED AT CONSTANTINOPLE.
CommentaryAlexander, Martyr, honored at Constantinople (S.)
Coluthus, Martyr, honored at Constantinople (S.)
Barbarus, Martyr, honored at Constantinople (S.)
G. H.
Of these three Martyrs there have made mention various Fasti of the Greeks, and first the MS. Synaxarion of Constantinople, preserved at Paris in the Clermont college of the Society of Jesus, has these things on this XIV of May: On the same day the contest of the holy Martyrs Alexander, Coluthus, and Barbarus. Their solemnity is celebrated in the temple of S. Irene at the sea. The same are read in the MS. Menaea of Milan of the Ambrosian library marked with the letter O and the number 148, and others of Dijon of Peter Francis Chifflet. In these is added a distich, by which it is indicated that to them the heads were cut off.
Τρῶν συνάθλων τετμημέναις κάραις Τρία Τριὰς τίθησιν ἄξια στέφη
The heads being cut off of the three contending, the Trinity conferred three worthy crowns.
We subjoin some Acts of a certain S. Barbarus the soldier, whose body at Methone in the Peloponnesus was buried. But whether that one be the same who with these companions, of whom there is no mention, is venerated at Constantinople, we cannot for certain judge, therefore from this one we separate him. But we suppose that the Venetians, among whom the Menaea were printed, since they knew not a proper day for this Saint, took this one, on which they learned from them that some Martyr of this name was commemorated by the Greeks.