ON THE HOLY MARTYRS OF ANTIOCH: DIONYSIUS, BISHOP, JANUARIUS, FAUSTINUS, MARTIAL, PRIVATUS, ERACLUS, JULIAN, AND PELAGIA,
FROM THE HIERONYMIAN MARTYROLOGIES.
Of uncertain century.
CommentaryDionysius, bishop, martyr, at Antioch. (S.)
Januarius, martyr, at Antioch. (S.)
Faustinus, martyr, at Antioch. (S.)
Martial, martyr, at Antioch. (S.)
Privatus, martyr, at Antioch. (S.)
Eraclus, martyr, at Antioch. (S.)
Julian, martyr, at Antioch. (S.)
Pelagia, martyr, at Antioch. (S.)
The Echternach Martyrology, or, as Fiorentini calls it, the most ancient Antwerp Martyrology, called of St. Jerome, of the Saints in the Hieronymian Calendars somewhat disordered on this and the following day, records SS. Julian, Martial, Privatus, Fastinus, or rather Faustinus, and Pelagia both on the 8th day of October and on the day before that day, adding to the Saints just named, at the 8th day of the same month, Dionysius, bishop, Januarius and Eraclus. At the 7th day it has thus: At Antioch, of Dionysius, bishop, Januarius, Faustinus, Martial, Privatus, Eraclus, Julian, Pelagia. But at the 8th day of October it announces Pelagia indeed at Antioch, but Julian, Martial, Privatus, Fastinus or Faustinus elsewhere: and Dionysius, who at the 7th day was joined with these, is announced on the following day at Rome together with Eusebius, Eraclus and Candidus. The Echternach Martyrology is therefore disordered at these days, as I said; nor does it seem that it can better be restored to integrity than from other Hieronymian codices of good mark, in which the above-mentioned saints all seem to be announced at Antioch and to constitute only one class of Saints. Fiorentini's Lucca codex has thus: At Antioch, of Dionysius, bishop. Januarius. Faustinus, martyr. Martial. Privatus. Eraclus. Julian and Pelagia. The Corbie codex in the same: At Antioch, of Dionysius, bishop, Januarius, Faustinus, mart., Martial, Privatus, Eraclus, Julian, Pelagia. The Hieronymian codex of d'Achery: At Antioch, of Dionysius, bishop, Januarius, Faustinus, mart., Martial, Privatus, Eraclius, Julian, Pelagia; with which the Gellone codex in the same also agrees, a certain Victor however being added besides.
[2] And of the other Hieronymian codices there come to the Lucca, Corbie, d'Achery and Gellone ones mention. the Augsburg and Labbe Martyrologies, edited by Du Sollier in volume VII of June: the former has thus at the 8th day of October: Of Dionysius, Januarius, Julian, Faustinus, Martial: the latter: At Antioch, of Dionysius, Januarius, Privatus, Victor, Heraclus, Julian, Pelagia, Faustinus, martyr, Martial. I pass over the Hieronymian Martyrology of Murbach and the twin Corbie one praised in Edmond Martène; as also the Corbie and Reichenau ones edited by our Du Sollier cited, all of which at the Eighth day of October recount Dionysius either alone or with at least some of his above-mentioned Companions. For these reasons we have given on this day SS. Dionysius and his Antiochene Companions, otherwise not known to us: the name of Pelagia indeed is celebrated; but which she is who is marked today in the Hieronymian codices is not sufficiently plain. It is a matter, says Du Sollier in the words cited above on page 249, obscure, and in which it is not easy to decide anything with certainty: nor is it remote from probability, what Du Sollier says besides, that Usuard added the name of Penitent to the Pelagia inserted in today's lists of the Hieronymian codices, because she was the best known among those of the same name. The celebrity of Pelagia the Penitent above the other holy women of this name may perhaps have brought it about that it seemed less probable to Usuard that she had been altogether excluded from the Hieronymian codices, and so that he judged that she was most probably mentioned there today: but even these things, if they are so, do not exceed the force of conjecture. Concerning Pelagia the Penitent consult also what was said in the Commentary prefixed to her Life, on the page praised above. For the rest, the Pelagia inserted in the Hieronymian codices at this day, as she probably was not the same as the Penitent, so also she does not appear to me at least to have been the same as the Pelagia brought into the Hieronymian codices at the 19th day of October; because neither the day, whether of cult or, if you prefer, of death, nor the names or number of the other Saints inscribed in the list of that day seem to agree sufficiently with this our Pelagia and with the Saints mentioned together with her in the said codices at this day.