ON SS. PRIMUS AND COMPANIONS: CAESARIUS, GREGORY, PORPHYRIUS, SATURUS, AMANTUS, PUBLIUS, SECUNDA, VICTORINA, PERPETUA, VICTOR, AND QUARTUS, MARTYRS IN AFRICA,
AT AN UNCERTAIN TIME.
CommentaryPrimus, martyr in Africa. (S.)
Caesarius, martyr in Africa. (S.)
Gregory, martyr in Africa. (S.)
Porphyrius, martyr in Africa. (S.)
Saturus, martyr in Africa. (S.)
Amantus, martyr in Africa. (S.)
Publius, martyr in Africa. (S.)
Secunda, martyr in Africa. (S.)
Victorina, martyr in Africa. (S.)
Perpetua, martyr in Africa. (S.)
Victor, martyr in Africa. (S.)
Quartus, martyr in Africa. (S.)
BY J. V. D. G.
[1] Of these martyrs only the names Having recited the names of these African martyrs, Fiorentini exclaims: Again Africa abounds in martyrs Vetustius eccl. occid. Martyrolog., at the 4th day of November.. Yet concerning these too the wish which Morcelli expressed remains all too barren Africa christiana, vol. II, p. 357.: Would that others might one day be able by diligence or good fortune to bring it about that the deeds of each might come forth from their hiding places and be brought at last into the light of men for imitation. For so far, neither in any Passions nor in the very many archaeological monuments which, especially in these most recent times, have been found for illustrating the African martyrology [Cf. Paul Allard, La Persécution de Dioclétien, vol. I, pp. 426 – 435; vol. II, pp. 289 – 292, and Analecta Bollandiana, vol. IX, pp. 106 – 134.], has anything come forth that might contribute to the knowledge of these martyrs, whether of their deeds or of their time. Hence we must be content to have inserted here those observations which the mere enunciation of the names suggests.
[2] and the place of the passion are known. First, today's commemoration of African martyrs is again expressed under the same altogether indeterminate formula which has rather often been noted on other days, In Africa, concerning which the renowned Louis Duchesne lately observed Les Sources du martyrologe hiéronymien, p. 32. that it holds a place in the African catalogue similar to that formula, namely At Rome, which is used in the Roman calendar, even if it is a matter of saints of Albano or of Nomentum or others. It must be noted, however, that one or another of the Hieronymian lists, namely those of Reichenau and of Fulda, while they assign Africa to some of the martyrs of whom we treat, relate that others, namely St. Victurina in the Fulda list, and SS. Victorina and Perpetua in the Reichenau list, suffered elsewhere. We do not, however, on that account think that it is thereby signified that they underwent martyrdom outside Africa, but only in another place of the same region, and perhaps apart from the rest of the band. As also rather often happens among the African athletes of Christ, we meet once more a whole congregation of martyrs; for nowhere else did the rage of the persecutors so frequently vent itself on entire assemblies of Christians.
[3] They are recited in different ways in the Hieronymian martyrology, Our martyrs are absent from the Roman martyrology, but are recited in all the Hieronymian catalogues, though with great diversity both of names and of number. Thus in the Augsburg list only Caesarius is recorded, in the shorter Corbie list Primus and Caesarius, in the Trier and Gellone lists Primus and Gregory, in the Fulda list Primus and Victorina, in Labbe's list Primus, Gregory and Caesarius, in Blume's list Amantius, Secundus, Victorinus and Beatus,
who is everywhere lacking in the others, and either takes the place of Quartus through a copyist's error or stands as the epithet of an omitted proper name; in the Reichenau list Primus, Gregory, Amantius, Saturus, Victurina, Perpetua; in the Ottoboni list Primus, Porphyrius, Amantius, Publius, Secundus, Victorius. The Bern codex and the greater Corbie codex record the entire series, whose tenor is this: In Africa, of Primus, Caesarius, Gregory, Porphyrius, Amantus, Publius, Saturus, Secunda, Victorina, Perpetua, Victor, Quartus; that is, twelve. The Antwerp codex has thirteen, because it repeated Caesarius twice. This very series was taken up by Rosweyde, who nevertheless recites only two names: In Africa, of Primus, Caesarius, with ten others; and by Fiorentini, when he published the Older Martyrology; and by Morcelli in his Martyrology of the African Church.
[4] whose genuine series is investigated. But to one examining the various names more deeply, several things occur to be noticed, from which perhaps the whole series might be brought to a truer standard. For the Amantius who appears in this company of African martyrs seems to be none other than St. Amantius, bishop of Rodez in Gaul, whose memory is also kept today. This is suggested above all by the fact that wherever Amantius is cited among the African martyrs in the Hieronymian lists, for example in the Bern and Reichenau lists, his name is not repeated afterwards as bishop of Rodez; while on the contrary, whenever, as for example in Labbe's, the Corbie, Fulda, Trier and Gellone lists, he is absent from the order of the African martyrs, the name of Amantius appears afterwards recorded as prelate of Rodez. It must be admitted, however, that the Ottoboni list does not stand by this rule, which brings forward at the same time both the African Amantius and the one of Rodez; but it is not of such authority as to break the argument from which we have thought it must be conjectured that St. Amantius does not belong to the series of the aforesaid Africans. The force of this argument increases from the fact that this name of Amantius sounds altogether unusual in Africa. Fiorentini shows himself inclined to exclude Porphyrius also, with whom we judge we should agree, since on the same day Porphyrius, the Ephesian martyr, wholly different from the Africans, is celebrated. And the Perpetua who occurs in the same place, is she not that St. Perpetua, wife of St. Peter, whom the Usuardine fasti venerate today? The same perhaps must be said of Gregory, who may be one with Gregory, abbot of Burtscheid, whom some hagiological fasti celebrate on this day, whence his name was intruded into some Hieronymian codices. As regards the other names, the codices agree well enough among themselves, with only this difference, that somewhere Subli is written in error for Publi, in Blume's list Victorina becomes Victorinus, and sometimes others mix up Secunda and Secundus. Moreover, in the form of the names nothing departs from the words which come into use in Africa, if only Publius and Gregory are excepted, which so far do not recur in the Corpus of African Inscriptions, although the derived name Publianus has been found. Since the names of Amantius and Porphyrius are also absent, a new indication arises from this, especially given the reason brought forward above, that they should be struck out. The names of the rest, however, are usual and common in the African martyrology, above all Secunda, Perpetua, Saturus, Victor, Primus.
[5] Of the cult of SS. Primus and companions in other fasti, Besides the Hieronymian fasti, our martyrs are contained, among the additions to Usuard, in the Brussels codex, where you have this: In Africa, the natal day of SS. Primus, Caesarius, Gregory and Porphyrius. Greven retains the same names, to which he adds: and of others. The additions to Bede record: In Africa, of Primus, whom the Tournai addition omits, of Caesarius, who is in the Barberini alone, of Gregory, for whom Gerius is read in the codex of Saint Cyriacus, of Porphyrius. Galesini and Ferrari present only seven of the companions of Primus; that is, they omit Victor, Perpetua, Publius, Secunda, and for Saturus write Saturninus. The martyrology of Rabanus contains eight names; besides the seven which are found in Galesini and Ferrari it adds Perpetua.
[6] and of the time of their martyrdom. Concerning the time at which our martyrs suffered, it is not granted to assert anything certain. This one thing it is lawful to affirm, that they by no means belong to the persecution of the Vandals, since in the Hieronymian martyrology no martyr slain in that age is commemorated Duchesne, Les Sources du martyrologe hiéronymien, p. 33.