ON SS. DASIUS AND COMPANIONS: DASIUS, ZOTICUS, AND CAIUS, MARTYRS, AT NICOMEDIA IN BITHYNIA,
IN THE YEAR 303.
COLLECTION.
The fortunes of their names in the Martyrologies. Their service in the court of Diocletian. The occasion and manner of their martyrdom.
Dasius, martyr, at Nicomedia. (S.)
Caius, martyr, at Nicomedia. (S.)
Zoticus, martyr, at Nicomedia. (S.)
BY V. D. B.
At the present day in the Hieronymian lists, besides some individual Saints, four
groups of holy Martyrs we find, The Martyrologies being distributed into four classes, the Nicomedian, the African, the Nicene and the Puteolan; of which the first has become known to other martyrologists also and is here (as far as may be done) to be illustrated by us. Before all else, however (since the chief difficulty arises from this), it must be kept before the eyes that on the preceding day in the more complete Hieronymian codices there are celebrated at Puteoli SS. Dasius or Datius, Zosimus, Dorothea or Dorotheus, Zosimus or Susimus, Januarius or Januariana, and then at Nicomedia SS. Eutychius, Promachus, Lucius, Marcellinus and Bermiacus, and perhaps also SS. Zosimus or Susimus and Januarius or Januaria Compare Acta SS., vol. VIII, pages 829 and 830.. Next it must be considered that in most Hieronymian codices, or in those at least that have affinity with them, a twofold kind of abbreviation is quite often observed; one by which the names of places are omitted, the other by which the bands of holy Martyrs are not recounted in full. I pass over other manners of alteration. These things being premised, the ancient commemorations of our holy Nicomedian Martyrs which are made in the Martyrologies seem to be distributed into four principal classes.
[2] of which the first and second, The first class comprises those lists in which on the preceding day SS. Dasius, Zosimus and others are assigned to Puteoli, but today SS. Dasius, Zoticus and Caius are celebrated at Nicomedia. In this number come, in Fiorentini [Vetustius Occidentalis Ecclesiae Martyrologium, page 929; compare the Mantissa of errata at the end.], the Lucca codex, beginning thus at this day: "At Nicomedia, of Dasius, Zoticus, Gagus, with twelve thousand"; the Antwerp or Echternach one: "At Nicomedia, of Dascionetes, Zoticus, Gaius and twelve soldiers"; the Corbie one Ibid., and in d'Achery, Spicilegium, folio edition, vol. II, page 20.: "At Nicomedia, of Dasius, Zoticus, Gaius with twelve thousand Martyrs"; the shorter Corbie one edited by Martène Thesaurus Anecdotorum, vol. III, col. 1584.: "At Nicomedia, of Dasius, Zoticus, Gagus with twelve Martyrs"; a similar one edited by Sollerius Before part II of Usuard, page 36. reports: "With twelve soldier Martyrs"; and finally the Usuardine codex of Brussels In Sollerius's Usuard, pages 614 and 617.. The second class is made up of those sacred calendars which on the preceding day have neither the Nicomedian nor the Puteolan band of Martyrs, but on the present day agree with that first class; and in this place come the ancient Martyrology of Auxerre, edited by Martène Amplissima Collectio, vol. VI, col. 726. and quite often different from the rest in many things; then the Little Roman of the eighth century (as they would have it), brought to light first by Rosweyde, then by Giorgi; which was also the source of Ado, published by the same; and this guided Notker Lectiones of Canisius, Basnage's edition, vol. II, part III, page 182., though running one day ahead (as has already been observed among those passed over at the 20th of October Acta SS., vol. VIII of October, page 814.), and also Usuard: from whom finally the same stream flowed down into the Catalogue of the Saints of Peter de Natalibus Book XI, number 297., into the Martyrology of Maurolico and into the Roman of Baronius. Through all these calendars, moreover, almost the same announcement is found, namely: "At Nicomedia, the heavenly birthday of the holy Martyrs Dasius, Zoticus, Caius with twelve soldiers." It does not seem worth the trouble to copy out the variant readings, except that Notker has twelve thousand. To the same class belong several sacred lists of the Eastern Church, above all the Menaea, both printed and manuscript, which we shall indicate further below; then the Slavonic codex of Assemani Kalendaria Ecclesiae universae, vol. V, page 313.; and finally the Basilian Menologium edited in the year 1727: and here everywhere the names of Dasius, Gaius and Zoticus are read, but nowhere is there here any mention of soldiers or other companions.
[3] and also the third and fourth are described, The third class embraces those codices which, the names of places being omitted, divide these holy Martyrs themselves; so that they seem to announce two on the 20th of October, the one remaining on the 21st. In this reckoning comes the Hieronymian codex of St. Germain of Auxerre of the eighth century, reporting this In Martène, Thesaurus Anecdotorum, vol. III, col. 1561.: "On the 13th before the Kalends of November: of Dasius, Zozimus, Promachus, etc. On the 12th before the Kalends: of Gagus, Modestus, etc."; the Murbach Calendar of the same age Ibid., col. 1570.: "On the 13th (before the Kalends): of Dasius, Zozimus, Eutyches. On the 12th (before the Kalends): of Gagus, Modestus, Justus"; Sollerius's Augsburg one, somewhat corrupted Before part II of Usuard, page 22.; Sollerius's Labbe one, closest to that of St. Germain of Auxerre Ibid., page 29.; and likewise d'Achery's Gellone one Spicilegium, vol. II, page 35.. But it must be firmly held that on the 13th before the Kalends Zozimus is always written in these, never Zoticus. The fourth class, finally, consists of those calendars in which on the 20th of October Dasius and Zosimus of Puteoli are marked, but on the 21st Caius of Nicomedia himself and all the other Martyrs of this city are omitted: of this kind is the Fulda Martyrology edited by Giorgi After Ado, page 686. and three auctaria to the Martyrology of Bede or Florus which Papebroch made public Acta SS., before vol. II of March, page XXXA..
[4] [it is shown that SS. Dasius, Zoticus and Caius of Nicomedia are different from Dasius and Zosimus of Puteoli;] These things being distinguished in this way, it is easy to discern, first, that the arena of those holy Martyrs was Nicomedia; second, that their names were Dasius, Zoticus and Caius; and finally, third, that they were different from Dasius, Zosimus and the Puteolan companions celebrated on the preceding day. Which last argument, more difficult than the rest, can be made clear by the help of those classes. For by the first and second class these three names Dasius, Zoticus and Caius are by no means to be separated, and the less so because they are still celebrated together by the Greeks; and indeed on the 20th of October Zoticus and Caius appear in no codices, but only Dasius and Zosimus, and the form of no other name approaches Caius. Next, as Dasius and Zosimus are constantly assigned to Puteoli on the 20th, so also Dasius, Zoticus and Caius to Nicomedia on the 21st of October. Moreover the more complete Hieronymian codices exhibit distinct Puteolan and Nicomedian groups, although in both Dasius appears as the leader: and who does not see that it was more likely that on account of this sameness of name both announcements would be fused into one, than that one would be torn into two? And certainly, after the names of places had been removed from the lists, it is no wonder that it was all over with both bands, as we find in the third class of codices, or also as in the fourth. That the second class omitted the Puteolan band on the 20th seems to be traced to the fact that these were drawn not from the Hieronymian lists but from the Little Roman, which is scarcely abundant in names.
[5] the original Hieronymian text commemorates other companions of theirs, Concerning the companions of SS. Dasius, Zoticus and Caius a twofold doubt remains, the first whether they had companions, the other whether they were twelve thousand or twelve soldiers. The first doubt is raised by the silence of the Greeks, who are deeply silent about companions: for which reason it occurred to Fiorentini to doubt whether under the number of twelve thousand the contest of St. Ursula and her companions was being celebrated; "for on this day," he says Vetustius Occidentalis Ecclesiae Martyrologium, page 929., "it is recalled by Bede, Wandelbert, the Appendix of Ado and others." Which conjecture pleased Sollerius, who writes Martyrology of Usuard, page 616.: "Nor indeed does a not unfounded suspicion seem to be rejected so far, especially if those things are true which Chastelain asserts in his little note, namely, that in some ancient codices not twelve but only eleven thousand are reckoned, and that this number is not referred to the Nicomedians but applied to the Martyrs of Cologne themselves." But from the foregoing distinction of the codices into four classes it is evident that the reading "twelve" (for we are not yet dealing with the word "thousands" or "soldiers") is genuine, and that the number eleven (if it occurs anywhere) is too rare for account to be taken of it; next, that that reading is not an addition but belongs to the primitive Hieronymian text itself; and thirdly, finally, that from this the eleven thousand Virgins are excluded, who were only later brought into the sacred lists. Farewell, therefore, must be said to that conjecture of Fiorentini; and indeed he himself at once adds: "But it is the constant report that these were not twelve but eleven thousand virgins, and they are venerated at Cologne, not at Nicomedia. The reading approved by Baronius, therefore, and confirmed by the most ancient Antwerp manuscript, 'of twelve soldiers,' seems altogether to be retained."
[6] [and indeed 12,000, who however are venerated on other days, and so are to be omitted here.] But by these things we are led to the other doubt, namely whether one should read "with twelve thousands" or "with twelve soldiers." For this latter reading Sollerius stands, deciding the matter thus Ibid., loc. cit.: "Among the Hieronymian codices, as the Echternach or Antwerp one is the most ancient, so today it is the most correct; for where the others almost all read: 'At Nicomedia, of Dasius, Zoticus, Gagus with twelve thousands,' an enormous number unknown to the Greeks themselves, this one better restricts it in this way: 'With twelve soldiers.'" For this latter reading, therefore, Baronius, Fiorentini and Sollerius contend; to whom you may add Giorgi as well Martyrology of Ado, page 540.. But if after such great men I may be permitted to bring forward an opinion, I should believe the genuine reading to be "with twelve thousands"; in such a way, however, that on this day SS. Dasius, Zoticus and Caius are properly celebrated, while commemoration is made of other Martyrs who suffered at Nicomedia under Diocletian. For this custom is commonly found in the Hieronymian calendars, that on the occasion of one Saint others are commemorated who were sharers in the sufferings; next, from this it is understood for what reason the Greeks today commemorate only Dasius, Zoticus and Caius; in a word, everything flows most easily. Namely, the Greeks celebrate on the 18th of March ten thousand holy Martyrs at Nicomedia in Bithynia Acta SS., vol. II of March, page 617.; of whom there is no mention in the Hieronymian calendars; whole crowds of Nicomedians come also on other days; so that the number of twelve thousand can by no means be called enormous, much less unknown to the Greeks; and indeed, if you read Lactantius On the Deaths of the Persecutors, if Eusebius in book VIII of the Ecclesiastical History and others, whom Tillemont most happily brought together into one, you will discern on the one side the admirable constancy of the Nicomedians in the faith, on the other the blind ardour of the persecutors, by which they delivered as many Christians as they could to death: so that those most rapid punishments were employed which, since the hanging blade was not quick enough, were also used sixty years ago in France. Nor may you say that most of the monuments favour the twelve soldiers, and that Ado, Usuard and other more recent martyrologists accordingly wrote twelve soldiers; for these they themselves drew from the Little Roman; which of all these
is the one source, and whose author was certainly guided by some Hieronymian codex similar to the Antwerp one; wherefore no more documents stand on this side than on the other. Since this is how the matter seems to me to stand, it follows that I should here omit the twelve thousand companions, whom I judge to have been celebrated already on other days, or the twelve soldiers, who I have said were introduced by a slip.
[7] [SS. Dasius, Zoticus and Caius are beaten with scourges and thrown into the sea with millstones;] The manner of death of SS. Dasius, Zoticus and Caius was passed over in silence by all the Martyrologies of the Western Church, down to Baronius; who, using the Menologium which Cardinal Sirleto had compiled from the Menaea of the Greeks (for these venerate the holy martyrs on this day), added to the former announcement these words: "Who after various torments were drowned in the sea." And these torments are explained more precisely in the Menologium formerly written out by order of Basil Porphyrogenitus; in which at this day there is read in Greek: "The contest of the holy Martyrs Dasius, Gaius and Zoticus. These holy Martyrs were renowned in the city of Nicomedia. When a public feast day of the idols was being kept, boldly and piously overturning the things that had been placed upon the altars, they were judged by the foolish unbelievers to have acted impiously. Wherefore, chains having been cast upon them, they are hurried to the judge: by whom they underwent whatever torments could be devised, most severe beatings, the rack (the stocks), blows, their sides cut open with scourges, their flesh lacerated with haircloth rags. And when they not only disregarded all these things but also rebuked the vanity of the idols and testified with a loud voice that Christ alone is the true God, with stones hung from their necks they were thrown into the deep they were pierced with arrows; and there attaining the end of martyrdom, they gave thanks to Christ the king of ages until death, that they had been held worthy by him to meet death for him." So Cardinal Annibale Albani rendered it into Latin, when he had scarcely passed the seventeenth year of his age: I shall therefore be permitted to correct two places in this version: and indeed after the word "rack" I have placed the word "stocks," enclosed in brackets; for in Greek it is written: Καὶ ἐπὶ ξύλων ἐκρέμασε· that is, the ξύλον was not a rack but the stocks or plank, by which, almost after the manner of cattle, with cords binding the hands and feet and sometimes the neck, the accused were held fast Compare the Auctarium to vol. V of October, page 46.. "They were pierced with arrows" seems to be superfluous: for in Greek it is written: λίθους μεγάλους τοῖς τραχήλοις αὐτῶν περιθεὶς, εἰς τὸν βυθὸν κατηκόντισεν· of which the last word only indicates that the Martyrs were plunged into the deep like a javelin. The Menaea have the same, but a little more briefly: in which these are the last words of the encomium: ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ ἀπεῤῥίφησαν; concerning which you may note that here no mention is made of shooting with arrows; then that from here were taken the words of Baronius: "They were drowned in the sea"; and indeed Nicomedia lies on a gulf of the sea or of the Propontis, as the common geographers and the maps of Asia Minor set before the eyes.
[8] [from Lactantius and Eusebius it is shown that they were household servants of Diocletian and were put to death on the occasion of the burning of the palace.] Further, if we compare this kind of Passion of theirs, more rarely employed, with what Lactantius, Eusebius and others relate about the beginnings of the persecution of Diocletian, one will be led to conclude that these holy Martyrs were servants of Diocletian, and indeed household servants. For when on the 23rd of February of the year 303 Diocletian had first issued the edict by which the churches of the Christians were ordered to be destroyed and the sacred scriptures burned, and the fury against the faithful of Galerius, the instigator of those evils, was not sated by this fodder, he caused fire to be set to Diocletian's palace twice by his own people; with which crime the Christians, and above all the eunuchs of the palace, were to be charged, as though they had contrived the death of both emperors by the fire. Galerius did not fail in his plans. At once Diocletian began to rage against all. "The eunuchs, once most powerful, were slain. Presbyters and ministers were seized. Men of every sex and age were hurried off to burning. Nor singly, since so great was the multitude, but in herds they were surrounded with a ring of fire; THE HOUSEHOLD SERVANTS, WITH MILLSTONES TIED TO THEIR NECKS, WERE DROWNED IN THE SEA. Nor did the persecution press less violently upon the rest of the people." Thus Lactantius On the deaths of the persecutors, chapter 15.. But Eusebius somewhat more precisely Ecclesiastical History, book VIII, chapter 6.. For he, having mentioned the burning of the palace, says: "And when public rumour, by a false suspicion, had spread it abroad that our people were its authors, by imperial command all the worshippers of God who were there perished in heaps with their households, some consumed by the sword, others by flames. Then, roused by a certain divine eagerness which cannot be explained in words, men together with women are said to have leapt into the burning pyre. Countless others also, bound and placed in boats, the executioners threw into the deep sea. And even the bodies of the imperial chamberlains, which after death had been committed to fitting burial, their lawful masters themselves judged must be dug out of the tomb and thrown into the sea, lest anyone, reckoning them, laid in tombs, as gods, as they indeed supposed, should worship them in future. And these things indeed were done at Nicomedia at the very beginning of the persecution." And all these things seem to pertain to the household servants of Diocletian, although Tillemont thought otherwise [Mémoires pour servir à l'histoire ecclésiastique, vol. V, page 24, edition of 1702.]. For the title of this chapter is: Περὶ τῶν κατὰ τοὺς βασιλικοὺς οἴκους; then, after Eusebius has mentioned the burning τῶν κατὰ τὴν Νικομήδειαν βασιλείων, speaking of those who were held suspect of the fire and punished in those various ways, he designates them by the indication τῶν τῇδε θεοσεβῶν, or as Valesius renders it: "All the worshippers of God who were there" (that is, in the palaces). If we now put all these things together, we shall have, first, that SS. Dasius, Zoticus and Caius were household servants of Diocletian, not however chamberlains or eunuchs; second, that they suffered at the beginning of the persecution, or in the year 303; third, that, with millstones (not indeed those great ones, but the smaller ones that were moved by hand) hung from their necks, they were thrown into the sea; and fourth, finally, that they were not cast headlong from a cliff, as they are painted in the Martyrology of Basil, but from boats, as Eusebius narrates. More escapes us.