Victorinus

ON SAINT VICTORINUS

MARTYR IN THE TERRITORY OF BOURGES.

Victorinus, Martyr in the territory of Bourges (S.)

G. H.

Massay or Massayum, of the Order of S. Benedict diocese of Bourges in the Archpresbytery of Graçay, was a monastery dedicated to S. Martin by Charles the Great, relate the Sammartani in volume 4 of Christian Gaul page 626. Philippus Labbe in the Hagiology of Franco-Gallia, from the ancient Martyrology of the Abbey of S. Lawrence of Bourges excerpted, writes these things: In the territory of Bourges, in the monastery of Massay, of S. Victorinus the Martyr. In the MS. Carmelite Martyrology which is preserved at Cologne, also in the same printed at Cologne and Lubeck in the year 1490, also in Greven in the Auctarium of Usuard printed in 1515 & 1521, & in the Germanic of Canisius these things are read: In the territory of Bourges, in the monastery of Madiacum, of Blessed, or S. Victorinus the Martyr. But, with the monastery omitted, the rest are had in MS. Florarium of the Saints, in Ferrarius in the general Catalogue, & Saussay in the Supplement of the Gallican Martyrology. These however are all the things which about S. Victorinus in the said eight Martyrologies are had: the rest lie hidden. Ferrarius in the Notes thinks him to be the one, who at Clermont with Cassius & Maximus, on the preceding day, in the Roman Martyrology is reported. But that the body of S. Victorinus the Martyr of Clermont was preserved there in the Church of S. Cassius, we showed on XV May at the Acts of these. Wherefore we prefer to propose these things separately for further inquiry. There will be perhaps someone who the time & manner of martyrdom, or certainly the occasion of veneration in the said monastery will indicate.

ON S. ABDIESUS BISHOP, XVI PRESBYTERS, IX DEACONS,

VI MONKS, VII VIRGINS, ALSO ABDAS BISHOP, PRESBYTERS,

DEACONS, VIRGINS XXVIII,

MARTYRS IN PERSIA.

ABOUT 350

Abdiesus Bishop, Martyr in Persia (S.)

Presbyters XVI, Martyrs in Persia (SS.)Deacons IX, Martyrs in Persia (SS.)Monks VI, Martyrs in Persia (SS.)Virgins VII, Martyrs in Persia (SS.)Abdas Bishop, Martyr in Persia (S.)

Presbyters, Deacons, Virgins, XXVIII, Martyrs in Persia (SS.)

BY THE AUTHOR G. H.

A most accurate encomium of these Martyrs is had in a very ancient Greek MS. Synaxarium of the Church of Constantinople, belonging to the Clermont College of the Society of Jesus at Paris, Encomium from a Ms. Synaxarium, & in Latin expressed thus sounds: On the same day XVI May, the contest of the holy Martyrs Abdas & Abdiesus Bishops, & sixteen Presbyters, nine Deacons, & six monks & seven Virgins, from the country of Chaschara. S. Abdiesus the Bishop established in the city of Persia Beth-Chaschar, by his own paternal cousin was circumvented & denounced to the King of the Persians. He was apprehended therefore & to him led down, with thirty-nine other Christians. Interrogated by the King he confessed Christ: & with the said companions thirty-nine sent away to Arseth the King's brother, that by him he might be subjected to torments. When he came, him with divine speeches prudently refuting, he affected with stupor. Wherefore bound by ropes, & between woods compressed, & his bones broken. So also the other Saints were with such vehement violence crushed, that from their bones a sound and crackling came forth. With which torment seven times a day they were afflicted: then as if dead in prison thrown, with no command of the tyrant given for food: having received however bread & water, through some woman through a window extended, they glorified God. After these things also Abdas the Bishop was apprehended, with twenty-eight, Presbyters, & Deacons, & Virgins holy women, into the same prison was thrust. Whence drawn out, with grave blows they were beaten, & the mouths of them crushed with stones; & afterwards their heads cut off. After some days drawn out the holy Abdiesus with his own, & he himself was beheaded. Thus far that MS. Synaxarium.

[2] The same, here and there contracted, are read in the Menology Greek of Basil Porphyrogenitus the Emperor: in which are said twenty-eight with Abdas the Bishop thrust into prison, & other Menologies & Menaea. & by S. Abdiesus the Bishop instructed. With the Synaxarium plainly the same, but on XV May, are read in MS. Menaea of Milan of the Ambrosian library marked with letter O & number 148, & double of Turin of the Duke of Savoy, in the first of which they were also reported on XV May, in others on this XVI, as also in MS. Menaea at Dijon with Petrus Franciscus Chifletius found. In the printed Menaea & in Maximus Bishop of Cythera a thin compendium is had. Their mention in Sozomen & on 22 April. We treated on the day XXII April of various Persian Martyrs, & gave Acts of martyrdom from the Ecclesiastical History of Sozomen book 2, chap. 10 & three following, where no. 5 among various Bishops are reported Abdas & Abdiesus with an infinite multitude of Presbyters, Deacons, monks & holy Virgins; nor do we doubt that these, by us on this day reported, there are recensed, & are together under Sapor King of the Persians killed. But since they have this & the preceding day consecrated to their memory, we have judged their Acts, as we had them, here to be reported.

[3] The Chiffletian as I said MS. above the rest to the praises of each attentive, after his manner after the just-related encomium subjoins these distichs: Ἄμφω πρὸ τῶν σῶν Ἀβδᾶ Μάρτυς ὀμμάτων, Τομεὺς κεφαλῆς καὶ βραβεὺς θείου στέφους. Both before your eyes, Martyr Abdas, are the Giver of the heavenly crown & the cutter of the head. Ἐκδοὺς ἑαυτὸν Ἀβδιήσους τῷ ξίφει, Ὁρᾷν Ἰησοῦν ἀξιώθη τὸν μέγαν. While Abdiesus delivered himself to the sword, to see Jesus the great he was made worthy. Τοὺς ἱερεῖς σου Σῶτερ ἔκτεινε ξίφος, Την ἱεράν σου μὴ προσδόντας ἀξίαν. The sword killed, O Christ, your Priests, who did not betray your dignity. Τοὺς τρισσάκις τρεῖς Λεϋίτας τετμημέν ους, Στὲφει Θεὸς δὶς, ὡς ἀθλῆται λέβητας. Three times three Levites beheaded God twice crowned, as athletes the cauldrons. Where you ought to remember the athletic prizes, in which everywhere are named cauldrons. Thus Aeneas in Virgil book 5 in the nautical contest to the victors makes third gifts twin cauldrons of bronze. But as the very gifts crowned were proposed, & with these the victorious athletes doubled the crown, by imposing in addition their own; thus is indicated God, who for nine Levites, with the Levitic crown already before notable, had contended, the same as reported by Him with the prizes of glorious contest imposed another crown. Universally however among guest-gifts were numbered cauldrons, thus to the departing Telemachus Menelaus Odyssey o offers Ἠέ τινα τριπόδων εὐχάλκων ἠὲ λεβήτων. & in Ovid you read, Twenty great cauldrons of wrought bronze. Finally on the numbers of seven Virgins & six monks, this distich plays. Εἰ Παρθένων δέδωκεν ἑπτάδα ξίφει, Πῶς οὐ παρέξει κᾂν μονὴ την ἑξάδα; If a cell to the sword has given seven Virgins, will not even a single one give the senary number? But there is a play in the word, which oxytone μονὴ a cell, monastery; paroxytone μόνη single, simple is.

[4] In the Menology of Sirletus these things are read: Of the holy Martyrs Audesius (rather Abdiesus) Bishop, of sixteen Presbyters, of nine Deacons, imperfect memory in Sirletus & Baronius, of seven Virgins from the country Charcar, omitting the six monks. With which Menology cited these things are read in today's Roman Martyrology: In Persia of the holy Martyrs Audas Bishop, of seven Presbyters, of nine Deacons & of seven Virgins, who under Isdegard the King with various kinds of torments tortured, completed glorious martyrdom. Thus there. But of S. Abdiesus the Bishop, not of Audas or rather of Abdas were the companions, & indeed Presbyters sixteen, Deacons nine, monks six, Virgins seven, who together with S. Abdiesus were thirty-nine reported above. S. Abdas indeed the Bishop had companions twenty-eight, from Presbyters, Deacons & Virgins, who all were beheaded. Other than this is S. Abdas Bishop in Persia, much younger & under Isdegerdes the King having suffered, of whom we treated among the Passed Over on the day XXXI March, on account of the authority of Baronius then opining one and the same to be, which the whole matter better discussed we retract; & in the Supplement of March about him & Beniaminus and others then having suffered martyrdom will be to treat.