ON SS. VICTOR AND URBANUS AND SAPARGUS, MARTYRS IN AFRICA,
FROM THE MARTYROLOGIES.
CommentaryVictor, M., in Africa. (S.)
Urbanus, M., in Africa. (S.)
Sapargus, M., in Africa. (S.)
J. S.
These three Martyrs are commemorated in the Hieronymian martyrologies, The three Martyrs set forth in the title are announced fairly consistently in the Hieronymian Fasti, and from them have flowed into certain others. In Fiorentini it reads thus in the text of the Martyrology: In Africa, of Victor. Of Urbanus. Of Separgus. The Echternach has: In Africa, of Victor, Urbanus, Sapargus. The Corbie: Africa, of Victor, Urbanus, Sapargus. The Blum codex likewise agrees. In the more contracted codices, too, something is read about these Martyrs. Two are commemorated thus in the Reichenau: In Africa, of Victor, Urbanus. In the Augsburg all three are read, but mixed in with others that follow, and with the names dislocated, in this manner: Aphr. (that is, Africa) of Victor … of Scapargus (for Sapargus), of Orbanus (for Urbanus). In the Labbe codex Afri is put for Africa, but the names of the Martyrs are read entire thus: Of Victor, … Sapargus, Urbanus. In the Gellone: Africa, of Victor, … Sapargus, Urbanus. The martyrologists who flourished in the eighth and ninth centuries handed down nothing about them.
[2] and in some other more recent ones. Yet something about them was afterwards added to their Martyrologies. For in the Appendix to Ado they are rightly read thus: In Africa, of Victor, Urbanus, Sapargus. Greven published thus in Usuard: In Africa, of Victor, Urbanus, Sapargus. Likewise the Florentine codex makes mention of the holy martyrs Victor and Spargus, for Sapargus. In two augmented codices of Bede it reads: In Africa, of Victor, Urbanus. In others too, which I pass over, mention is made of Victor alone. All three are also read in the manuscript Florarium, but without a place. We have nothing more to say about these Martyrs. I think they suffered separately from the three following, who follow in the Martyrologies and will be given at once, because in all the more accurate Martyrologies the words "and elsewhere" are placed before those three. Chastelain inserted Sapargus by express name, and the two others, into his Universal Martyrology.