ON SS. SATURNINUS AND COMPANIONS: LUPUS, AMPODUS, MODESTUS, LUCIAN, SIMPLICIUS, SATURUS, AND PLACIDUS, MARTYRS IN CAPPADOCIA,
From the Hieronymian copies and other sacred calendars.
Century uncertain.
CommentarySaturninus, Martyr in Cappadocia. (S.)
Lupus, Martyr in Cappadocia. (S.)
Ampodus, Martyr in Cappadocia. (S.)
Modestus, Martyr in Cappadocia. (S.)
Lucian, Martyr in Cappadocia. (S.)
Simplicius, Martyr in Cappadocia. (S.)
Saturus, Martyr in Cappadocia. (S.)
Placidus, Martyr in Cappadocia. (S.)
C. B.
Martyrs who suffered in Cappadocia, whom the Hieronymian ones announce today, The eight athletes of the Christian faith here set forth are mentioned by the Lucca Hieronymian copy in Florentini, or, if you prefer, by the very text of this Hieronymian hagiologist, assigning them today Cappadocia as their arena, thus: In Cappadocia, of Lupus, Ampodus, Modestus, Lucian, Saturninus, Simplicius, Saturus, Placidis. That in the last of these names the final letter is redundant there is no need for me to point out. In the Corbie Hieronymian copy, which is extant in the same Florentini and in d'Achery in the Spicilegium, is read not Placidis but Placidi; but the copyist or scribe of this Copy, taking the two quite distinct names of Lupus and Ampodus not for two but — most probably because in the older manuscript exemplar of the Hieronymian ones which he was transcribing they were neither written neatly enough nor sufficiently separated from one another — for one and the same word, and taking the last letter I of the first for R, made out of those two Martyrs a single one, named Lupranpodus, or rather Luprampodus; and hence it came about that, although he still commemorates likewise today in that region the six others whom the already praised Lucca one announces in Cappadocia after Lupus and Ampodus, he can seem to list not eight, as this one, but only seven as crowned there with martyrdom.
[2] not seven only But that by him in the said Corbie copy the names of Lupus and Ampodus were wrongly combined into one is proved by the fact that no other Hieronymian copy, whether major or more contracted, is found in which this is done, and that, on the contrary, in the Reichenau one, published with us by Sollerius in tome XII of June among the contracted Hieronymian copies, the names of Lupus and Ampodus are marked today expressly separated from one another, no otherwise than in the major Lucca one, in this manner: Of Lupus, of Ampodus. Wherefore, since the name Luprampodus marked in the Corbie copy must be divided into two names, of which one is Lupus, the other Ampodus, the Lucca Hieronymian copy indeed rightly announces today not seven only but eight Martyrs in Cappadocia, and even the Corbie one itself supports it in this matter.
[3] Further, even more than eight Martyrs will have to be numbered today in Cappadocia, but, as the things which are here if we are to stand by the Echternach or Antwerp copy, which is reckoned among the major or uncontracted Hieronymian copies, and which likewise is extant in Florentini. For after it has announced the deposition of Paulinus in Kent, which is absent from all the other Hieronymian copies, it has thus: And elsewhere, of Cappadocia, of Campania, of Saturus, of Lupus, of Ampodus, of Modestus, of Lucian, of Saturninus, of Simplicius, of Saturus, of Placidus, of Domnus, of Lupus: where twelve Martyrs are listed, if the copyist took the name of Campania for the name of a martyr, or certainly, if he did not do this, at least eleven; but the Echternach or Antwerp Hieronymian copy seems quite confused and disordered in the present entry of the Saints which it supplies.
[4] brought forward, persuade, For first, after it has announced at Rome Callistus the bishop, it presently subjoins: And the deposition of Paulinus the bishop, and then, a punctuation mark, by which a sense is usually closed, having been added between the word bishop and the words which it next subjoins, in Kent and elsewhere of Cappadocia, of Campania, it lists the eleven Cappadocian martyrs of whom we are now speaking; and thus it wrongly marks the deposition of St. Paulinus not in Kent or Cantium, where it took place, but at Rome, as it appears, and leaves it doubtful whether it means to signify by the name of Campania a martyr or a region, which, transferred here perhaps from the twelfth day of this month, on which it had mentioned some heavenly ones in Campania, by an untimely and inept repetition, it set before those eleven martyrs. Secondly, ascribing two Saturuses, contrary to what is done in all the other Hieronymian copies, and likewise two Lupuses, to Cappadocia, it tears the last of these, by a commemoration of the translation of St. Justus wrongly interposed, as it appears, which is absent from the others, from the announcement by which he is marked at Córdoba with Aurelius, or rather Aurelia, in the Corbie and Lucca Hieronymian copies, and transfers him to the class of the Cappadocian Martyrs.
[5] Wherefore, since neither is Domnus, whom it also counts with these, neither more nor fewer than eight are to be reckoned. known from elsewhere, that Hieronymian copy alone, so corrupted, disordered and confused today from what has been said, cannot bring it about that I should think either the second of the Saturuses, and likewise the second of the Lupuses, omitted in absolutely all the other Hieronymian copies, should not be struck out of the number of our Cappadocian martyrs, or that the name of Campania, whatever anyone may wish to be signified by it, should be retained; and since nothing occurs which is apt to prove this opinion foreign to the truth, there is certainly reason why neither more nor fewer Cappadocian Martyrs should be established than the eight expressly set out today in the Lucca Hieronymian copy.
[6] two of these, namely Saturninus and Lupus, by Pseudo-Dexter to Spain, Further, two of these, namely Saturninus and Lupus, are also marked today in several Supplements to Usuard in Sollerius and in other sacred calendars, and in the present-day Roman Martyrology itself; but nowhere in these is the place where they suffered found expressed. Hence it came about that he who forged the spurious Chronicle under the name of Flavius Dexter, intent on every occasion of dragging whatever Saints he could into Spain, finding those two Martyrs apt for this aim of his, placed them, at the year 285, at Deobriga in Spain, as may be seen at this day in Tamayo in the Spanish Martyrology, where also some things for the knowledge of this place are adduced from Bivar, the commentator and patron of Pseudo-Dexter, without any ancient guarantor of proved credibility; but in this way he is opposed by the Hieronymian copies just praised, which ascribe these two Saints to Cappadocia, and in this matter find credence now with all; and so he is not to be listened to.
[7] Nor only Pseudo-Dexter, and Tamayo who followed him, Saturninus and Lupus, but also Galesini Ampodus and Modestus and all our other Cappadocian Martyrs, [and Ampodus and Modestus and others by Galesini to Rome, for a reason not that which Florentini] augmented also by a Fortunatus unknown to the Hieronymian copies, yet not all and each expressed by name, wrongly marks elsewhere than in Cappadocia, announcing them in his Martyrology today, after Callistus marked at Rome, at the same place thus: At Rome, moreover, of the Holy Martyrs Ampodius, Modestus, Fortunatus, Lucian and others, or, as I think, the rest who today, together with Ampodus, Modestus and Lucian, are ascribed to Cappadocia in the already mentioned Hieronymian copies; and Florentini supposes that all these, and accordingly Saturninus and Lupus too, were consigned to Rome by that Martyrologist, since he had nowhere found the place where they suffered noted, according to the custom by which, as he says, he was mostly wont to ascribe Martyrs whose arena he did not know to this most celebrated field of the bravest champions of the Christian faith, in which almost innumerable of these contended, shedding their blood for Christ.
[8] alleges, but driven to it by another here assigned, But in the very ancient Martyrology in Martène, tome 3 of the New Treasury of Anecdota, which is noted as written about a thousand years ago, and in two contracted Hieronymian copies which are extant with us in tome 7 of June, namely the Augsburg and the Labbe, published by Sollerius, in which, as also in the Gellone Martyrology which d'Achery presents in the Spicilegium and which is reduced to the class of the Hieronymian ones, the copyists today, after St. Callistus, Pope and M., announced at Rome without a punctuation mark subjoined by which a sense is closed, presently commemorate other Martyrs — in the former indeed Ampodus, Modestus, Saturus, Lupus, and in the rest the first three of these, the place of the passion which was marked in the manuscript they were transcribing being omitted through carelessness — in the following manner: At Rome, of Callixtus the bishop, of Ampidus, of Modestus, of Saturus, of Lupus, or, the last of these names being suppressed, At Rome, of Calistus the bishop, of Ampotus, of Modestus, of Saturus; and so they give a handle for ascribing all these, no otherwise than Callixtus, to Rome. What, then, if the manuscript book which Galesini praises today in the Notes for Ampodus, Modestus and their companions, announced by him at Rome after St. Callixtus, Pope and M., was similar either to the two Martyrologies already mentioned or to another of the Hieronymian copies just praised, and hence that Martyrologist, after Callistus announced at Rome, marked at the same place, moreover, Ampodus, Modestus and their Companions?
[9] are wrongly ascribed. That Galesini did this certainly impelled by this reason rather than by the other assigned by Florentini, no one, if I am not mistaken, who has attentively weighed the matter will fail to think with me. Further
it appears probable that, in a manner also not altogether dissimilar, it came about that in the Corbie and Lucca major Hieronymian copies Saturus is announced today at Rome together with Pope Callistus, wrongly transferred there, as it appears, from the class of the Cappadocian Martyrs, and nevertheless presently mentioned in this one too. The copyists, namely, who wrote those two major Hieronymian copies did this from an older manuscript which was similar to the two contracted Hieronymian copies mentioned above, and which accordingly marked today at Rome, together with Pope Callistus, SS. Ampodus, Modestus and Saturus; and when they saw these three Saints attributed to Cappadocia in several other Hieronymian ones, they likewise ascribed the first two of them to that region, but left the last, or Saturus, joined to St. Callistus the Pope at Rome, lest otherwise they should mark two Saturuses in Cappadocia alone, as the Echternach Hieronymian copy wrongly does. But in this way indeed he is wrongly thrust in as a companion of Callistus in Martyrdom, contrary to the credibility of the Acts of this holy Pontiff, and also of the Little or old Roman, which relate that Callistus underwent Martyrdom not with Saturus but with Privatus the soldier, already brought into our Work at the XXVIII day of September. Wherefore, since Saturus and the other seven Martyrs here set forth, for determining the epoch of whose Martyrdom nothing is available, are to be ascribed to Rome no more than to Spain, nothing remains but that they be attributed to Cappadocia, as being marked there, as I have already shown, in the major Hieronymian copies praised above, by which one must altogether stand.