ON ST. THEOGENES, OR THEUGENIUS, OR THEAGENES, MARTYR, AT ANTIOCH,
FROM THE HIERONYMIAN MARTYROLOGIES AND THE MENAEA.
CommentaryTheogenes, martyr, at Antioch. (S.)
BY J. S.
The name of this Antiochene Martyr is given in various forms, The Martyr set forth in the title is announced by the copies of the Hieronymian martyrology with great variety in his name. Fiorentini, from his codices, with the Blum codex also agreeing, published: In the city of Antioch, of Thugenus. But the Corbie codex has: At Antioch, of Theogenes. The Echternach: At Antioch, of Theotistus. The Reichenau: And at Antioch, of Theoctistus. The Augsburg, without a place: Of Theogenes, as does the Gellone also. The Labbe codex, however: Of Theugenus. The shorter Corbie codex: At Antioch, of Theogenes. The most ancient in Martène has: Of Theugenus. Another, the first in Martène, volume 6 of the Amplissima Collectio: And of St. Theogenes. The Appendix to Ado: At Antioch, of St. Theugenius. In the augmented copies of Bede, from the Arras codex: At Antioch, the heavenly birthday of St. Theogenes. Greven, with the name corrupted, has: At Antioch, of Cheugenius. In the manuscript Martyrology of St. Maximin, of which we have a copy, it reads thus: At Antioch, of saint Theogonis. Singular is what is found in the manuscript Florarium: At Antioch, of saint Theugenius, bishop and confessor. But the author of the Florarium is not of such authority as to make it probable to us that he was a bishop and confessor whom the rest celebrate as a Martyr. From the passages alleged I observe, first, that all the codices in which it is not omitted agree that Antioch was the Martyr's arena; second, that only one Martyr is announced at Antioch, whose name seems to have been Theogenes, just as we shall see that one is announced among the Greeks. For that he is written Thugenus and Theugenus or Theugenius in various sources probably came about from a slight corruption of the Greek name among the Latins.
[2] whence Fiorentini believed there were two, Greater is the diversity of the name in two codices of good note, since in the one he is called Theotistus, in the other Theoctistus. Hence Fiorentini in his Annotations suspects that there were two Martyrs, Theoctistus and Theogenes, and alleges in favour of that opinion the Aachen Martyrology communicated to him by our Bolland. In the said Martyrology, which I have before me, after the elogium of the two Ewalds the following comes: On the same day in Egypt, of Marcus and Marcianus. Of Candidus. At Antioch, of Theodistus. Of Eugenus. Of Victor. Of Leodegarius. Of Ampimus. Fiorentini says of these: Although the names are confused, they nevertheless seem to bear witness to Theotistus and Thugenius together. And in confirmation of his opinion or suspicion he cites the Sirletian Menology, in which Theogenes and Theotecnus are commemorated with Adauctus.
[3] which does not seem probable. But I cannot admit that suspicion of Fiorentini as a sufficiently probable conjecture, both because in that Aachen codex many things are corrupt and confused, so that the name Eugenus could have arisen even from the corruption of some other name. And if Eugenus really was put for Theugenus, the authority of a single codex cannot suffice for admitting Theoctistus and Teugenius together: for the compiler of the Martyrology, finding Theoctistus in one older codex and the name Theugenius in another, could have believed they were different Martyrs and set down both names. But we ought not to believe one Martyrology against the authority of all the rest, in which a single Antiochene Martyr is set down. The Greeks do not help Fiorentini's opinion, even though the Menaea announce not only Theogenes and Theotecnus but also Theoctistus, since each is set down separately, and they are even read to have been crowned by different punishments, so that two Antiochene companions cannot be asserted from them, even if one should wish to hold all of them as certain.
[4] The one of them who is probably the same as the Antiochene Martyr recorded in the Hieronymian martyrologies is announced thus in the Sirletian Menology: Perhaps the same is commemorated among the Greeks. On the same day the commemoration of the holy martyr Theogenes, who for the confession of Christ endured the flame of fire. In the Menaea he is commemorated very briefly, with these little verses however added.
Ως ἦλθεν ἐν χρῷ τῆς πυρᾶς Θεαγένης, Ἐισήλθεν ἀυτὴν, οὐ ταραχθεὶς τῇ θέᾳ.
When Theagenes came up close to the pyre, He entered it, not troubled by the sight.
Here the name is written not Theogenes but Theagenes. We have nothing more about this Martyr.