ON SS. PUBLIUS AND COMPANIONS: VICTOR, HERMES, PAPIAS, JUSTUS, AND VITALIS, MARTYRS IN AFRICA,
CommentaryPublius, martyr in Africa. (S.)
Victor, martyr in Africa. (S.)
Hermes, martyr in Africa. (S.)
Papias, martyr in Africa. (S.)
Justus, martyr in Africa. (S.)
Vitalis, martyr in Africa. (S.)
G. V. H.
Of the holy African martyrs whose memory is celebrated today, neither the names nor the number agree in the various martyrologies. For which reason we transcribe in order the announcements of the individual martyrologies. The Bern copy: In Africa, of Sts. Puplianus, Victor, Hermes, Justus, Vitalis, pope. The Echternach copy: In Africa, of Puplianus, Victor and Puplia, Syxtus, Hippolytus and Lawrence, Hermes, Justus, Vitalis, pope. The Lucca copy: In Africa, the heavenly birthday of Sts. Polianus, Victor, Hermes, Justus, Vitalis, pope. The Corbie copy is mutilated here for one day. The Ottoboni Martyrology: In Africa, the heavenly birthday of Sts. Poplicianus, Victor and Justus. At Rome the deposition of Vitalis, pope. The manuscript martyrologies of the church of St. Mary at Arras and of St. Lambert at Liessies, in Francesco Maria d'Aste in the notes to the Roman Martyrology at the 2nd day of November, from the Bollandist edition of Bede: In Africa, the heavenly birthday of Sts. Victor, Hermes and Justus. The manuscript Martyrology of Tournai of the monastery of St. Martin, in the same author: In Africa, the passion of Sts. Pupliatius, Victor, Hermes, Justus, Vitalis. The manuscript Roman Barberini Martyrology in the same author adds: and of Papias. Rabanus: In Africa, the heavenly birthday of Publius, Victor, Hermes, Justus and Papa. Galesini: In Africa, of the holy martyrs Publius, Victor, Papias and Hermes. The Roman Martyrology: In Africa, the heavenly birthday of the holy martyrs Publius, Victor, Hermes and Papias. Among these Africans some copies interpose those very well-known Romans Sixtus, Hippolytus, Lawrence, as does the Echternach. The Bern and Lucca copies place first the Dedication of the basilica of Sts. Sixtus, Hippolytus and Lawrence: which, as they do not pertain here, we have passed over.
[2] The names common to most martyrologies are Publius, Victor, Hermes and Papias, to whom others add Justus and Vitalis. Some have taken Vitalis for Pope Vitalian, and have written of Vitalis, pope: although from the rest it seems manifest that it is not a matter here of some Pope Vitalis, but that Papa or Papias is the proper name of an individual martyr. Various blunders have been committed in the name of Publius, whom they call Puplianus, Poplicianus, Polianus, Pupliatius; to whom the Echternach copy has further added a Puplia. Whence it comes about that by what proper name this martyr is called remains doubtful. We have preferred to call him Publius with the Roman Martyrology. A greater doubt is brought by the name of Puplia: whether she was a woman martyr or a useless blunder of some name introduced into the text from a corrupt codex, we leave undecided.