ON SS. CAITIUS AND COMPANIONS: QUINTASIUS, SEPTIMINUS OR SEPTIMUS, VENUSTUS, BEATUS, SECUNDUS, DONATUS, SERENUS, CRESCENTIUS, NICETIUS, VITALIS OR NATALIS, FIRMINUS, ERACLIUS OR HERACLIUS, AND EUSEBIUS, MARTYRS,
IN AN UNCERTAIN CENTURY.
FROM THE MARTYROLOGIES AND THE VERY ANCIENT CALENDAR OF CARTHAGE.
Caitius, martyr. (S.)
Quintasius, martyr. (S.)
Septiminus or Septimus, martyr. (S.)
Venustus, martyr. (S.)
Beatus, martyr. (S.)
Secundus, martyr. (S.)
Donatus, martyr. (S.)
Serenus, martyr. (S.)
Crescentius, martyr. (S.)
Nicetius, martyr. (S.)
Vitalis or Natalis, martyr. (S.)
Firminus, martyr. (S.)
Eraclius or Heraclius, martyr. (S.)
Eusebius, martyr. (S.)
BY C. B.
The Corbie Hieronymian apograph in Florentinius's Notes today, after the six African martyrs [Saints in whose announcement the Echternach apograph differs from the Hieronymian ones mentioned here] of whom we have already treated, presently sets these two words, And elsewhere, by which it is indicated that the other Martyrs whom it subjoins suffered not in the same place as these, and continues thus: Of Caitius, Quintasius, Septimus, Venustus, Beatus, Secundus, Donatus, Serenus, Crescentius, Taracus, Probus, Andronicus, Nicetius, Natalis, Firminus, Heraclius, Cassius, Eusebius, Florentius, Victor. With the Corbie one the very ancient Martyrology in d'Achery, which is distinguished by the name of St. Jerome, agrees exactly. Nor does the text of Florentinius, or the Lucca apograph, differ much from this and the Corbie one, if you except a slight difference in the way in which some names are expressed otherwise in it than in those, since after the Martyrs announced in Africa it has thus: And elsewhere, of Caitius. Quintasius. Septiminus. Venustus. Beatus. Secundus. Dontaus. Serena. Criscentius. Taracus. Probus. Andronicus. Nicetius. Vitalis. Firminus. Eraclius. Cassius. Eusebius. Florentius. Victor. But the very ancient Echternach one differs somewhat from these three apographs just adduced: for besides the fact that it wrongly lists yesterday, as I noted just now regarding the African Martyrs, the class of Martyrs of uncertain place which these commemorate today in the announcements just given, it omits Probus, who in those announcements is placed before Andronicus, and substitutes Jocundus for Victor, who in the same announcements occupies the last place; and in this matter I have not thought that it, standing alone as it does, should be followed here.
[2] Besides this it repeats these words and elsewhere after Eraclius, differs, and for the reason alleged here are given separately from the others, and so signifies that the martyrs whom it presently subjoins suffered not in the same place as the same Eraclius with the other martyrs placed before him. Nor does it seem that it should be criticized on this last head. However that may be, certainly of the Martyrs whom it places before Eraclius, at least two, namely Tarachus and Andronicus, suffered in a place altogether other than Cassius and Florentius, whom it subjoins to the same Eraclius. For these, as will be seen below on this very day among the Martyrs who suffered at Cologne and in its neighbourhood, suffered together with Victor in Germany; but those, namely Tarachus and Andronicus, as is evident from their Acts, to be inserted into our Work at the immediately following day, on which they are commemorated in the Roman Martyrology, completed the course of their life together with Probus in Cilicia, by shedding their blood for Christ. Hence it further follows that we have ascertained in which places those six martyrs, namely Tarachus, Probus, Andronicus, Cassius, Florentius and Victor, suffered: and since this is so, and since on the contrary we are entirely ignorant of the place in which the fourteen Martyrs set forth above in the title underwent martyrdom, for that very reason we treat separately here of these alone, as constituting a distinct class of Martyrs of uncertain place, which for that reason does not include those six, however much they are joined with these fourteen in the text of Florentinius, in the very ancient one of d'Achery and in the Corbie apograph. But as usually happens elsewhere when one treats of Martyrs known almost solely by the help of the Hieronymian codices, so here too we with difficulty find anything to say about our fourteen Martyrs.
[3] [and with some things premised about the way in which some of them should be named,] For not only the arena but also the epoch of their martyrdom is in obscurity, and so far is it from being the case that what they did is in any way known, that not even the way in which the names of some of them are to be expressed is known with sufficient certainty. Meanwhile, although one reads Niceta and Firmina in the Echternach Hieronymian apograph, I have thought that one should rather adhere to all the other Hieronymian apographs, in which Nicetius and Firminus are found, than to the Echternach alone; and although Serena occurs not only in the Echternach, but also in the Gellone apograph in d'Achery and in the text of Florentinius itself, yet the other Hieronymian apographs in which Serenus is found are more numerous and not inferior in authority, and hence I have followed those, which Galesinius and the prose Additions made to Wandelbert also support; in such a way that I have expressed in the title, under a disjunction, the names of two Martyrs at once, of whom one holds the third, the other the eleventh place among the fourteen of whom we treat here, because, although of the two ways in which these two Martyrs are called, in the one Septiminus and Vitalis, in the other Septimus and Natalis, the former is founded in the text of Florentinius and in the Echternach apograph, yet the latter is drawn from the Corbie apograph and from the very ancient Martyrology in d'Achery distinguished by the name of St. Jerome, which scarcely yield to the Echternach and to the text of Florentinius in authority and weight. Today, indeed, Vitalis is also read in some Calendars, but these are not of such authority that I should on that account accuse of error the Hieronymian codices in which Natalis is written, and affirm that one must certainly stand by the others in which Vitalis is found.
[4] I would think one should speak otherwise if, besides, as in the two aforesaid uncontracted Hieronymian apographs, Other Fasti, in which they are partly inscribed, so too in some contracted ones Vitalis were written; but these nowhere commemorate Vitalis or Natalis, and, omitting also Septiminus or Septimus, list only a few of our fourteen Martyrs: the Murbach one, namely, which exists in Martène, tome 3 of the Anecdota, mentions only Serenus; the Augsburg one in Sollerius, and likewise Labbe's, set forth along with Serenus only one more, namely Venustus, wrongly mixed in with some African Martyrs of whom we treated above; and to these the Reichenau one, which is also found in the same Sollerius, although it is here more copious than all the other contracted ones, adds only four others, namely Beatus, Secundus, Donatus and Crescentius. And thus I have just enumerated all the Hieronymian apographs, both contracted and others, which I have found to speak of even one of the Martyrs belonging to this class of which we treat here; as regards Bede, Ado and the other martyrologists who flourished in the eighth or ninth century, they keep deep silence about all those Martyrs of ours of uncertain place; but not likewise all those who afterwards enlarged the Martyrologies composed by them.
[5] Certainly with us, before tome 2 of March, in the Arras and Tournai auctaria of Bede, at least two of them, are listed, with the Carthaginian Calendar also added, namely Venustus and Crescentius, although their arena is wrongly assigned to Africa, are commemorated together with St. Victor, a martyr of another class, in this way: In Africa, the feast of SS. Venustus, Crescentius and of St. Victor, martyr. To these are added the prose Additions to Wandelbert. Their author, as soon as he has announced Eusebius and Heraclius in Africa, subjoins: And elsewhere, of Serenus and Crescentius, and thus rightly indicates, with the Hieronymian codices of better note, that these two Martyrs together were crowned not in Africa but in another place. Greven and the author of our manuscript Florarium also commemorate today at least one of our fourteen Martyrs, namely Venustus, who is reckoned fourth among them; but since they do not separate him by interposing the words and elsewhere from Eusebius and Eraclius, whom they mark in Africa, they wrongly make him an African, with the two contracted Hieronymian codices related above, namely the Augsburg and Labbe's. To these two more recent hagiologists Galesinius must further be added. He indeed celebrates today, not Venustus, but likewise at least one of our Martyrs, namely Serenus, who holds the eighth place among them, although he too meanwhile wrongly makes him an African in the same way as they do Venustus. From the Martyrologies, to which we have adhered thus far, let us now come to the very ancient Calendar of the church of Carthage.
[6] This, which Mabillon published, illustrated with his Observations, in tome 3 of the Vetera Analecta, of the edition of the year 1682, and pronounced at their beginning to be older than the seventh century, in which Quintasius is inserted, very probably not different from ours. has the following: On the 6th day before the Ides of October, of saint Quintasius; and on this place of that certainly very ancient monument the said Mabillon observes thus: In the same Martyrology of Jerome, that is, the very ancient one of d'Achery, in which, as he has just said, on the 3rd day before the Kalends of October is found: "And elsewhere, of Januarius, Sosius, etc.," on the 6th day before the Ides of October Quintasius is noted among others
in this way: "In Africa, of Aeraclius, Dionysius, etc. And elsewhere, of Caitius, Quintasius, etc.", whose day seems to correspond to this place. So he, indicating not obscurely that the Quintasus or Quintasius inscribed today in the Calendar of Carthage seems to him to be one and the same with the Quintasius whom today likewise the very ancient one of d'Achery and other uncontracted Hieronymian apographs, as we have seen above, celebrate. And indeed, what seemed so to Mabillon in this matter appears to me also most probable, indeed almost certain; so that I think it can scarcely, or not even scarcely, be doubted that at least one of our fourteen Martyrs of uncertain place is also commemorated today in the very ancient Calendar of which we are speaking here. Nor is it an obstacle that the Hieronymian apographs declare that the Quintasius whom they celebrate suffered in another place than in Africa; for the Calendar of Carthage neither places the arena of the Quintasius whom it commemorates in Africa, nor commemorates only Martyrs who suffered there.
[7] [Mabillon suspects that he was one or the other of the bishops of the same name whom he mentions;] If, therefore, we should come to know the things that concern the Quintasius inscribed today in the Calendar of Carthage, we shall be able to assert almost without doubt that we have at the same time ascertained the things that pertain to the Quintasius (the Echternach alone reads Quintisius) inserted today in the very ancient one of d'Achery and the other Hieronymian apographs related above. And from this, indeed, you will argue not unfittingly in this way: The said Calendar of the church of Carthage bears this title: Here are contained the feast days of the Martyrs and the depositions of the bishops whom the church of Carthage celebrate annually *; but since, as everyone will conclude from this, the Quintasius of the Carthaginian Calendar was celebrated by the church of Carthage with a cult or annual feast, it follows that very probably the Quintasius of the Hieronymian ones also obtained the same honour in it, being, as I said, very probably not different from the Quintasius of the Carthaginian Calendar. But who is this latter Quintasius? Mabillon, after the words transcribed here from him above, continues thus: The letter of the Fathers of Arles given to Pope Silvester is subscribed by several bishops, among whom it is not doubtful that not a few had come there from Africa. Among these is reckoned Quintasius, whose see is unknown to us. Besides, among the bishops of Mauretania Caesariensis who were summoned to Carthage by Huneric with the rest, Quintasius of Muteci has a place.
[8] and this suspicion, indeed, the arguments adduced here show that he Mabillon therefore, as appears from these words of his, inclines to believe that the Quintasius inscribed today in the Calendar of Carthage, and consequently also the Quintasius likewise commemorated today in the Hieronymian apographs, was one or the other of the bishops whom he mentions here. Nor indeed would I dare to pronounce that that writer was so disposed entirely without merit. For although in the Carthaginian Calendar of which we treat here, besides bishops (whom the name Deposition set before them does not compel us to take for martyrs), none other than Martyrs seem to be commemorated, as the title prefixed to that Calendar and transcribed here just now suggests, yet the name of martyr is taken there not only for Martyrs in the strict sense of the name, who died under the torments inflicted on them for the faith, but also for those who, surviving torments long endured for the faith, at length rested in peace, as becomes manifest from Felix of Nola alone, inscribed in the same Martyrology and in the present-day Roman one at the 19th day before the Kalends of February, who certainly, as may be seen at that day in our Work, did not die under the torments inflicted on him. Now since the matter stands so, there is indeed reason why it can deservedly at least be called into doubt whether the Quintasius of the Carthaginian Calendar or of the Hieronymian ones is not one and the same with one or the other of the bishops of the same name mentioned above by Mabillon.
[9] For although indeed the letter of the Fathers of Arles [conceived not without merit; but since it is not certainly true, the time at which Quintasius] given to Pope Silvester I, which Quintasius, bishop of an unknown see, subscribed with others, as Mabillon says, was written in the year 314, as everyone will gather from Pagi's Critica on Baronius at this year, and it is not probable that this bishop suffered after the year 313, since the Church then long enjoyed peace, yet it can happen that, while Diocletian and Maximian were persecuting the Church a little before that time, he endured not a few hardships for the faith, and, surviving them after enduring them long and patiently, passed to the Lord by a blessed end after peace had been restored to the Church. As regards Quintasius, bishop of Muteci, I do not find that he either ended his life by martyrdom, or by torments under which he died; but since he is reckoned in the Notitia of the Provinces and Cities of Africa among the Catholic bishops of Africa who, as Victor of Vita relates in book 4 of the Vandal Persecution, being summoned by Huneric, king of the Vandals, came to Carthage in the year 484 to render an account of their faith, it can happen that he also had a place among the forty-six of them who, on the testimony of the same Victor, were then banished to Corsica, and there, after many hardships endured for the faith, closed his last day.
[10] Since therefore, as follows from what has been said, it can have happened that both bishops mentioned above by Mabillon were held for Martyrs by the church of Carthage, this name not being taken in the stricter signification, it may indeed not without reason be doubted whether one or the other of them was not St. Quintasius, and those who are given here with him suffered, remains uncertain. inscribed today in the Carthaginian Calendar as a martyr. And I indeed incline rather to think that that doubt can be raised about the latter rather than about the former of the two said bishops, because, since he could easily have died in Corsica, as it is easy to gather from what has been said, that opinion can without difficulty be reconciled with the other, by which I think the Quintasius of the Carthaginian Calendar one and the same with the Quintasius of the Hieronymian apographs, who is marked in these elsewhere than in Africa. But there will perhaps also be someone who will contend that the same doubt may rather be raised about Quintasius, the bishop of uncertain see, both because nothing at all prevents him also from being believed to have suffered or died elsewhere than in Africa, and because Quintasius and the other Martyrs of uncertain place who are announced with him today in the very ancient Martyrology in d'Achery distinguished by the name of St. Jerome, already praised above more than once, seem, as Ruinart indicates in his Observations on the Notitia of the African church, page 365, to have been inscribed in it by the first hand, and Quintasius of Muteci is too recent for it to be easily believed that he had a place in it.
[11] However the matter stands, the time indeed at which the Quintasius of the Hieronymian ones, being, as has been said, very probably not different from the Quintasius of the Carthaginian Calendar, died or suffered could be determined here closely enough from the time at which, according to what has been said, the two aforesaid bishops flourished, if it could be proved solidly and certainly from some source that one or the other of them not only could have been, which follows from what has been said, but also in very fact was, the Quintasius of the Carthaginian Calendar. But since that cannot be done, and nothing prevents it from being believed that another Quintasius, who deserved to be inscribed both in the Carthaginian Calendar and in the Hieronymian apographs for his blood shed for Christ elsewhere than in Africa, could have lived in the first century or in one of the three following, I would not dare to tie the passion or death of our Quintasius, any more than that of the other thirteen martyrs whom we have given here with him, to a determined century, and hence I have written above in the margin, In an uncertain century.
Annotata* the church of Carthage celebrates annually