ON SS. THE AFRICAN MARTYRS: LUCIUS, VICTOR, DASIUS, LEUCIUS, VICTORICUS, BERESUS, BISHOP, VICTRIX, FAUSTINUS OR FAUSTINA, AND MARTIALIS,
IN THE 3RD CENTURY OR AT THE BEGINNING OF THE 4TH.
HISTORICAL SYLLOGE.
Lucius, Martyr in Africa. (S.)
Victor, Martyr in Africa. (S.)
Dasius, Martyr in Africa. (S.)
Leucius, Martyr in Africa. (S.)
Victoricus, Martyr in Africa. (S.)
Beresus, Bishop, Martyr in Africa. (S.)
Victrix, Martyr in Africa. (S.)
Faustinus or Faustina, Martyr in Africa. (S.)
Martialis, Martyr in Africa. (S.)
A. T.
The names of these Saints variously In the Calendar of Carthage in Mabillon Vetera Analecta, p. 166, new edition., after the memorial of the Saints of Bolita consigned at the 16th day before the Kalends of November, there follows at once this announcement: … Kalends of November, of Saints Leucus and Victurinus, martyrs; or, as Ruinart Acta Martyrum sincera, p. 619. Amsterdam edition. and Münter Primordia Ecclesiae Africanae, p. 255. have edited: … Kalends of November, of Saints Lucus and Victuricus, martyrs. In which announcement indeed the numeral note, which had been erased, must be judged to have been none other than XV; since on this very day in which we are engaged, the 15th day before the Kalends of November, the same SS. Leucius or Lucius and Victoricus also appear with several other African Martyrs in the Hieronymian Martyrology, from which Morcelli enumerates them all thus in his Martyrology of the African Church Africa Christiana, volume II, p. 373.: In Africa, of the holy Martyrs Lucius, Victor, Dasius, Leucius, Victoricus, Beresus, bishop, Victrix, Faustina, Martialis. Among these, I do not know why Morcelli adopted the feminine name Faustina, which the codex of Echternach or Antwerp has In Fiorentini, Vetustius Occidentalis Ecclesiae Martyrologium, p. 923., in preference to the masculine Faustinus, which is read in the codices of Lucca Ibid., Blume Ibid., p. 1069. and Corbie Ibid., p. 923, and in d'Achery, Spicilegium, volume II, p. 20, new edition.; unless perhaps he was moved to it by the next name, Victrix, likewise feminine. Further, the Lucca codex writes Victoricis for Victricis, as also Boresi for Beresi, differing from the other codices in this spelling. But the Echternach codex, where the others present the three names Dasius, Leucius, Victoricus, in their place faultily, unless I am mistaken, brings forward only two, Dasila, Gesaricus.
[2] enumerated in various fasti. Among the contracted Hieronymian Martyrologies edited by Du Sollier at the end of our June, the Labbean, after the other Saints of this day Page 29., also makes mention of Beresus, Dasius and Leucius, but with Eutyces or Eutyches wrongly interposed between the first two, who ought to have been joined to Januarius named before; just as the designation of place Potioli (that is, Puteoli), which is wrongly placed there between the names of Hermes and Justus, as though some Saint Potiolus were to be designated, belongs to Januarius and Eutyches. And the same blunders which are in the Labbean may be seen exactly in that of Gellone in d'Achery Volume cited, p. 35., where moreover the erroneous spelling Berefus is to be noted; nor is a dissimilar disorder seen in the Augsburg one of Du Sollier Page 22., in which, of our Africans, Beresus alone is commemorated, mention of Dasius and Leucius being omitted. The Barberini Auctarium of Bede subjoins to the announcement of Januarius and Eutyches Volume II of March, p. XXXV.: And elsewhere, of Victrix, Martialis. Similarly Greven, having related the memorial of Januarius and Eutyches (who by a typographical fault is called by the name of Citrix in both editions of the years 1515 and 1521), says Cf. Du Sollier, Martyrology of Usuard, p. 610.: Likewise of Victrix, Martialis; and moreover, Victorinus and Hermes having been interposed as having suffered at Nicomedia, he adds at the end: In Africa, of Victor and Faustus, who is probably Faustinus.
[3] Among them Leucius or Lucius and Victoricus Now of most of these martyrs I have nothing to say; nor indeed does it appear certain to me that all belong to one and the same class; just as I also remain in doubt whether St. Beresus alone was a bishop, or whether the same title likewise fits the five who are named before him. Beresus is absent from Morcelli's catalogue of the bishops of the African Churches Work cited, volume I, p. 377 and following.; nor has any Saint of this name besides today's met me in the fasti of the Saints. Saints Dasius are to be found therein at the 5th of August, the 4th, 20th and 21st of October and the 20th of November, but different in homeland or arena Cf. volume II of October, p. 412., so that I have found only this one Dasius among the Saints of Africa, who is commemorated today. But the other names related before, as will easily be clear to anyone turning over the Martyrologies or our work and other hagiological works, are each common to very many African Martyrs and bishops. Being content, therefore, to have observed these things concerning SS. Beresus and Dasius in particular and the five others in general, I must discuss a little more only about Leucius and Victoricus, inscribed in the Calendar of Carthage, or rather examine what has been said by others.
[4] from their Carthaginian namesakes For Mabillon, in the annotation added to the announcement of that Calendar already related by me Place cited, note b., if he does not openly assert, at least seems to intimate that these Saints Leucius or Lucius and Victoricus are the same who, with Montanus, Julian, Flavian and others, not long after St. Cyprian, whose disciples they had been, underwent an illustrious martyrdom, and were inserted in the Roman Martyrology at the 24th day of February, at which Surius and Henschen edited the Acts of their passion, which Baronius At the year 262, volume III, p. 107 and following. Lucca edition. and Ruinart Work cited, p. 230 and following. also present. That annotation of Mabillon then impelled Chastelain, in the hagiological Index at the end of his Martyrology, to assign to Lucius and Victoricus of Carthage not only the 24th of February and the 23rd of May, as he had already done in the body of the Martyrology P. 97 in the margin, likewise p. 257., but also the 18th day of October Pp. 1141 and 1180.: for I do not doubt that at the name of Victoricus the figure 8 was put by a typographical error for 18. Expressly likewise Morcelli, at the place of the Calendar of Carthage of which we are treating Work cited, volume III, p. 265.: Lucius and Victoricus, he says, of the clergy of Carthage, Martyrs distinguished with others, of whom we have written above; and he refers to what he had written of Montanus and the other disciples of St. Cyprian already praised, at the year 259 Volume II, p. 153 and following.: which opinion, from Mabillon and Morcelli, Münter also makes his own Place cited, note 33..
[5] who most probably suffered on the 23rd day of May But Ruinart dissents from these writers in the Admonition which he set before the Passion of SS. Montanus and companions; where he speaks in this manner Place cited: Their feast, however, other Martyrologies too, with the Roman, assign to the 24th day of February… Although the natal day of Lucius and Montanus is recorded not only by certain Martyrologies but even by the most ancient Calendar of Carthage itself on the tenth day before the Kalends of June; the authority of which Calendar certainly ought to be preferred to any others. There also the passion of Flavian is celebrated on the 8th day before the Kalends of June, which agrees with the Acts themselves … But of Julian and the rest it has nothing. For Leucus or Lucius and Victoricus, of whom it treats on the … Kalends of November, seem to be different from those who are commemorated in these Acts. And in very truth, since it is established from the Acts themselves that SS. Montanus, Lucius, Julian and Victoricus were crowned two days before Flavian, it is by far most probable that their natal days are the very ones which the Calendar of Carthage, keeping that interval of two days, marks thus In Mabillon, p. 164.: On the 10th day before the Kalends of June, of Saints Lucus and Montanus, and on the 8th day before the Kalends of June, of Saint Flavian and Septimia. And not Ruinart alone judged so, but Papebroch had judged so before him Volume VI of May, pp. 25 and 26., and before Papebroch Mabillon himself, in a twofold annotation on the said Calendar Place cited, notes l and m, had not obscurely signified that it so seemed to him; and to these were added Chastelain, who asserts this matter as certain Place cited, and Morcelli, whose words concerning the passion of St. Flavian are these Volume II, p. 157.: That these things were accomplished on the 8th day before the Kalends of June we know from the Calendar of Carthage, in which the memory of the other Martyrs too is celebrated on the 10th day before the same Kalends, that is, two days before the martyrdom of Flavian, which the ancient Martyrologies also confirm; consonant with which words the same Morcelli writes where he enumerates the Saints inserted in that Calendar in the month of May Volume III, p. 263.. Add Münter, who reduced Mabillon's annotations to a compendium, Morcelli being cited at the same time Work cited, pp. 252 and 253, notes 11 and 12..
[6] seem to be distinguished. If, therefore, in the Calendar, in which, as the title prefixed to it states, are contained the natal days of the Martyrs and the depositions of the Bishops whom the Church of Carthage celebrates annually, St. Lucius, disciple of Cyprian, was inscribed by name with his companion Montanus at that very day which, Mabillon, Chastelain, Morcelli and Münter not denying, nay rather asserting, seems to have been his true natal day; I do not indeed conceive by what reason these writers persuaded themselves that the same Lucius is commemorated there again at another day of the year, namely the 18th of October: especially since no other example, as I think, exists in this Calendar of one Martyr venerated by the church of Carthage on two days of the year. Surely no one will say that because Victoricus is joined to Lucius in this place, just as the Lucius who suffered in the month of May had a certain Victoricus as companion, this suffices to prove the identity of the two. For, to say nothing of the fact that the names both of Lucius and of Victoricus were most frequent among the Africans, the other partners of the martyrdom are certainly enumerated as different in each case: in the month of May Montanus, Julian, Flavian, with fellow-captives who however suffered at another time, Primolus, Renus, Donatian, likewise Victor, Successus, Paul, Quartillosia with her husband and son; but in the month of October, as has been shown above, Lucius, Victor, Dasius, Beresus, Victrix, Faustinus or Faustina, Martialis, of whom, if not all (which I have already professed to be doubtful to me), at least some, it is credible, completed their contest together with Lucius and Victoricus. Wherefore I think one must assent to Ruinart, who distinguishes those two pairs of holy Martyrs of the same name from each other. But as regards the time of their martyrdom, since nothing certain is found about it, it seemed good to indicate in a general phrase the third century or the beginning of the fourth, as I did at yesterday's day concerning the Martyrs of Bolita.