ON SS. SEVERUS AND COMPANIONS: SEVERUS, VITALIS, FELIX, ROGATUS, PAPIRIUS, VICTORIA, FLAVIAN, AND VICTOR, MARTYRS OF NICOMEDIA, AND CLAUDIAN, EUTHERIUS, FLAVIAN, JUSTUS, AND VICTOR, MARTYRS OF HIERAPOLIS IN PHRYGIA,
ABOUT THE YEARS CCCIII AND CCCIV.
SYLLOGE.
From the Hieronymian calendars and other Martyrologies. A brief disquisition on the two Hierapolises of Phrygia.
Severus, martyr at Nicomedia (S.)
Vitalis, martyr at Nicomedia (S.)
Felix, martyr at Nicomedia (S.)
Rogatus, martyr at Nicomedia (S.)
Papirius, martyr at Nicomedia (S.)
Victoria, martyr at Nicomedia (S.)
Flavian, martyr at Nicomedia (S.)
Victor, martyr at Nicomedia (S.)
Claudian, martyr at Hierapolis in Phrygia (S.)
Eutherius, martyr at Hierapolis in Phrygia (S.)
Flavian, martyr at Hierapolis in Phrygia (S.)
Justus, martyr at Hierapolis in Phrygia (S.)
Victor, martyr at Hierapolis in Phrygia (S.)
BY V. D. B.
Fiorentini, whose zeal and erudition in publishing the Hieronymian Martyrology every age will always proclaim, [On this day in the best Hieronymian calendars two bands of martyrs are listed, one of Nicomedia, the other of Hieropolis;] reports today's two handfuls of holy martyrs in the following words: At Nicomedia, of Severus, Vitalis, Felix, Rogatus, Paperus, Victoria, Flavian, Victor. At Ierapolis of Frigia, of Claudian, Eutherius, Flavian, Justus and Victor. And of these, according to our custom, it would be necessary to speak one by one; but since in many codices the two bands seem to be confounded, so that one cannot speak of the one without speaking at the same time of the other, one must depart (as we have also done elsewhere) from that customary rule. Moreover the difficulty, almost the only or the chief one, concerns SS. Flavian and Victor, namely whether they are to be counted among those of Hierapolis alone, or also among those of Nicomedia. Fiorentini testifies that in his very ancient Lucca codex he found Flavian and Victor with those of Nicomedia. They are also found in the ancient Corbie codex which d'Achery published, in this form: At Nicomedia, of Severus, Vitalis, Felix, Rogatus, Paperus, Victuria, Flavian, Victor. At Hierapolis of Phrygia, of Claudian, Eutherius, Flavinus, Justus and Victor. The Reichenau codex, published by our Sollerius, is indeed not complete on this day, but is nevertheless to be referred to the same class, since it makes Flavian a martyr of Nicomedia in this way: At Nicomedia, of Severus, Vitalis, Felix, Rogatus, Papirius and Victorinus and Flavian. And at Ierapolis, of Claudian, Theocharius. Similarly the Ottobonian, which Giorgi published after Ado: At Nicomedia, the birthday of SS. Vitalis, Felix, Rogatus and Flavian. At Hierapolis, of Claudian and Clavinus. In these Victor is not seen among the martyrs of Nicomedia, but Flavian is. On the contrary Flavian is omitted, or rather, with the words added at the end: And elsewhere, is placed in the Antwerp, or rather the Echternach, codex of St. Willibrord, where these words were read: On the ninth day before the kalends of November, at Nicomedia, of Severus, Vitalis, Felix, Rogatus, Papirius, Victoria; and at Erapolis of Frigia, of Claudian, Eugarius, Flavian, Victor, and elsewhere of Flavian; but of Victor no mention.
[2] [in others the Hieropolitan band is omitted: in others the arenas are suppressed; in others some things are lacking or superfluous.] In the additions to the Martyrology of Bede, published before our volume II of March and manifestly excerpted from the Hieronymian Martyrology, a similar variety is detected. In the Barberini one there are these words: At Nicomedia, of Vitalis, Felix, Rogatus, Flavian. At Hierapolis of Phrygia, the birthday of SS. Claudian, Eleutherius, Justus and Victor: in the Vatican and that of St. Cyriacus: At Nicomedia, of Vitalis, Felix, Rogatus, Victoria, Flavian, Victor; and nothing of those of Hierapolis, who are also omitted in the Arras, Tournai and Liessies ones. On the contrary, of those of Nicomedia you have in these codices these words: At Nicomedia, the birthday of Rogatus, Flavian and Vitalis, with the names of Felix and Papperius added also in the Tournai and Liessies books. In the shorter Hieronymian Martyrology of Corbie, published by Sollerius, the martyrs of Hierapolis too are omitted; but those of Nicomedia are announced in this way: At Nicomedia, of Severus, Vitalis, Felix, Rogatus. The same plan is observed in the Brussels addition to Usuard, where these words occur: At Nicomedia, the passion of SS. Felix, Paperia, Flavian; and in the Lübeck-Cologne edition, where Vitalis is read in place of Felix: At Nicomedia, the passion of the holy martyrs Vitalis, Papirius and Flavian; and also in the additions interspersed in the Martyrology of Wandalbert, published by d'Achery: At Nicomedia, of St. Vitalis, Felix and Victor. On the contrary Greven's edition of Usuard sins by excess. For in it not only are the arenas of Hierapolis and Nicomedia reported; but that of Nicaea too is introduced in the following way: At Nicomedia, of Severus, martyr. At Nicaea, the birthday of SS. Vitalis, Felix, Rogatus, Flavian, Papirius, Victoria. At Hierapolis of Frigia, of SS. Claudian, Eucherius, Justus, Victor and Flavian. It is pleasing finally to review the Hieronymian codices in which the names of the arenas are omitted, since from these too some light shines. In the Augsburg one, presented to public light by Sollerius, one reads: On the ninth day before the kalends of November, of Vitalis, Felix, Rogatus, Claudian, Eutherius, Flavian, Justus; Labbe's is richer by two names, since it has: Of Vitalis, Felix, Rogatus, Victor, Puperus, Claudian, Eutherius, Flavian, Justus. The Gellone one, published by d'Achery, shows the same names in this order: Of Vitalis, Felix, Rogatus, Claudian, Victor, Paperus, Eutherius, Flavian, Justus. The Calendar falsely called the Martyrology of Bede, and the Calendar of Brescia, both published from Zaccaria
in volume CXXXVIII of Migne's Patrology, contain only the names of Vitalis and Felix.
[3] [To the Nicomedian band belong SS. Severus, Vitalis, Felix, Rogatus, Victoria and Papirius, the origin of whose name among the Nicomedians is indicated,] Now if anyone is not altogether a stranger in the use of the Hieronymian lists, he must surely know that names have very often dropped out rather than been unduly intruded. It seems therefore that it must be held that the martyrs of Nicomedia were eight, namely Severus, Vitalis, Felix, Rogatus, Papirius, Victoria, Flavian and Victor; since they are found in the excellent and very ancient codices of Lucca and Corbie. And indeed of the first six names there can be no controversy, since they are absent from no books of any authority. And if it should seem surprising to anyone that St. Severus, who is as it were the first centurion, is omitted in many codices of inferior note, I should wish him to reflect that on the preceding day there came St. Severus of Adrianople, and that hence the name was easily suppressed, occurring on two successive days, especially in the codices in which the arenas of the martyrs are not inscribed. St. Vitalis is scarcely anywhere missing; and on him there should also be seen what we have collected concerning him in the Passed Over at this day. The fortune of SS. Felix and Rogatus is equally good. St. Papirius, who is also called Paperius, Puperius and in some places Paperia, is read everywhere, though a little more rarely. Castellanus, in his universal Martyrology, where he commemorates only this saint with St. Victoria and four companions, judged that one should write Papyrius. But most certainly Papirius is the genuine name, first introduced at Nicomedia by C. Papirius Carbo, who Dio relates presided over that province at the year of the City 687. Bearing this magistrate there are coins of the cities of Bithynia, of Nicaea, Nicomedia, Prusa, and outside Bithynia of Anusus in Pontus and of Mastia in Paphlagonia; on which coins, besides the name of the cities, one reads inscribed ΓΑΙΟΥ ΠΑΠΙΡΙΟΥ ΚΑΡΒΩΝΟΣ Compare Eckhel, Doctrina numorum veterum, volume II, page 369.. On stones too there are everywhere inscribed Papirius and the tribe Papiria; nowhere Paperius or Papyrius. At Rome the Papirian family was plebeian, at one time very powerful Compare Pitiscus, Lexicon antiquitatum romanarum, under Gens Papiria.. According to custom its name was communicated to freedmen and foreigners, who were in love with great names: beware therefore of believing that St. Papirius was of the Papirian family, although the thing is not absurd. St. Victoria, in place of whom Victorinus is read in some places and elsewhere Victor, is also to be preserved, as being mentioned in the better codices, and not neglected by all the rest.
[4] [and also Flavian and Victor, although the same names recur among those of Hierapolis.] Wherefore, as I pointed out at the beginning, it can be asked of SS. Flavian and Victor alone, whose namesakes come among the martyrs of Hierapolis, whether they are to be admitted or expunged. I have no doubt that both are to be admitted, although the name of Victor is read in fewer books than that of Flavian. In the first place these names are not to be separated, since both are read in the more complete and excellent codices, and since moreover the danger of both is the same, namely that they are announced twice on the same day, once at Nicomedia, once at Hierapolis. That the name of Victor is absent from several books is not at all surprising; since the name of St. Victoria, often changed into Victor, could have persuaded copyists to omit one or the other. If therefore we posit that the pair Flavian and Victor is not to be divided and that the fortune of both must be the same; if then we reflect that Flavian is far more often counted in the abridged calendars among the martyrs of Nicomedia than among those of Hieropolis; we shall doubtless not make much of the solitary Echternach codex on this day, in which Flavian and Victor of Nicomedia are removed and Flavian is announced elsewhere. All these seem to have died in the persecution of Diocletian, which blazed up at the beginning of the year 303 at Nicomedia. Whether they accomplished martyrdom on this day I should not dare to determine; for, as we saw at the 21st day of October, SS. Dasius, Zoticus and Caius accomplished martyrdom at the opening of that persecution, although they are venerated and announced in the Hieronymian calendars after the middle of the month of October. See what we have written at the said day on those three martyrs.
[5] [These are SS. Claudian, Eutherius, Flavian, Justus and Victor. Both bands are announced mixed together on the 23rd of October also.] The martyrs of Hierapolis can be more easily illustrated. The first is Claudian, omitted in no codex in which that band has not been altogether neglected. The second is called Eutherius, changed into Theocharius, Eugarius, Eleutherius and Eucherius; but Eutherius is clearly the genuine form, and is met in far more codices. Flavian comes in the third place, called in some places Flavinus and Clavinus. The fourth is Justus and the fifth Victor, omitted by several, yet to be preserved; since their names are announced in the best codices and have left traces of themselves elsewhere too. This review of the names being finished, it must be observed that in the Hieronymian codices of better note the names of both bands come out mixed at the following day or the 25th of October. In his Lucca codex Fiorentini found: Of Claudian, Rogatus, Papirius, Felix, Vitalis; in the Antwerp or Echternach one: Of Claudian, Rogatus, Pafirus, Felix, Vitalis; in the Corbie one: Of Claudian, Rogatus, Paparus, Felix and Vitalis. No wonder. For the Hieronymian calendars seem to have been collected from many calendars; in which, since the feasts of the saints, through the impediment of concurrent birthdays, were not always noted on the same days, but were sometimes (as is also done now) transferred to the days next following, it could not but come about that in the Hieronymian Martyrology the same names were repeated on different days as well.
[6] They are said to have accomplished martyrdom at Hierapolis in Phrygia, because there were several other cities of the same name, listed by Stephen of Byzantium On Cities and Peoples, page 321 and 322, Amsterdam edition, 1725. in these words: Hierapolis, a city between Phrygia and Lydia, a city abounding in many hot waters, so called [One Hierapolis was in Phrygia Salutaris, the other in Phrygia Pacatiana, each having at some time bishops.] because it had many temples. A second of Crete. A third of Syria, which is also Hieropolis with omicron. A fourth of Caria. But in this reckoning Stephen has omitted at least one, namely the other Hierapolis in Phrygia. For that there were two cities of this name there, the one in Phrygia Salutaris, the other in Phrygia Pacatiana, is not to be doubted. These things must be explained in a few words. Phrygia lies, as is sufficiently known everywhere, in Asia Minor, and has as neighbours to the north Bithynia, to the east Galatia and Lycaonia, to the south Pisidia and Lycia, and to the west Caria, Lydia and Mysia; so that it is altogether inland. But formerly it was much more extended, stretching as far as the Hellespont. After various fortunes, by the testament of Attalus, last king of Pergamum, in the year 133 before Christ it came into the possession of the Romans; who, after joining a part of it for some time to Cilicia, then subjected it to the proconsul of Asia; and this form of government was in use down to the times of Constantine. But he divided the proconsular province into two provinces and assigned to each its own governor; he also divided Phrygia into Pacatiana and Salutaris, and set a governor over each [Compare Belley, Observations sur le titre de Salutaris donné à plusieurs provinces etc. Mémoires des inscriptions etc. volume XXXV, page 661 and 662; Mannert, Geographie der Griechen und Römer, part VI, volume III, page 79 and following; Cellarius and Schwartz, Notitiæ orbis antiqui, volume II, page 123 and following; Pitiscus, Lexicon antiquitatum, under Phrygia, etc.]. Pacatiana, moreover, inclining to the south, with Laodicea as metropolis, took in thirty-nine cities; Salutaris to the north, with Synnada as metropolis, twenty-three. Among these cities of Phrygia Salutaris Hierapolis comes in the second place [The Synecdemus of Hierocles the grammarian, in Banduri, Imperium Orientale, volume II, page 41.]; and although it was unknown to the other geographers, it is certain nevertheless that it existed: for there subscribed to the council of Chalcedon Ἀβερκιος ἐλαχιστος ἐπισκοπος της Ἱεραπολιτων πολεως Φρυγιας Σαλουταριας Compare Lequien, Oriens christianus, volume I, column 835.; and at the second council of Nicaea there comes everywhere after the bishop of Eucarpia Μικαηλ, ἐπισκοπος Ἱεραπολεως Labbe, Collection of Councils, volume VII, column 46, 338 and 665., while there was present there the bishop of the other Hierapolis of Phrygia, Νικολαος ἐπισκοπος Ἱεραπολεως της Φρυγων ἐπαρχια; Ibid. column 62 and 327.. Mannert Geographie der Griechen und Römer, part VI, volume III, page 106 and 107. thinks that Hierapolis of Phrygia Salutaris was a small town, as being scarcely known to anyone; whereas on the contrary Hierapolis of Phrygia Pacatiana was a notable city, as is seen from its ruins down to this day. It was at one time increased with the honours of a metropolis; so that there subscribed to the second council of Constantinople Auxonon, by the mercy of God bishop of the Hierapolitans of the metropolis of Phrygia Compare Lequien, Oriens christianus, volume I, column 835.. That there were therefore two Hierapolises in Phrygia, whose bishops Lequien constantly confounded, is beyond controversy.
[7] [The blessed handful accomplished martyrdom at Hierapolis of Phrygia Pacatiana, which is κατ᾽ ἐξοχην called Hierapolis of Phrygia. Its site and ruins are indicated.] But which of the two was the arena of our martyrs? Without any doubt I pronounce it to be the greater Hierapolis, or that of Phrygia Pacatiana. For whenever Hierapolis of Phrygia is mentioned, to which the birthday of our holy martyrs is attached in the Hieronymian Martyrology, there is always understood Hierapolis of Phrygia Pacatiana. Vitruvius, praising its most celebrated hot baths in book VIII, chapter 3, says: At Hierapolis of Phrygia there boils up a multitude of hot water; similarly Apuleius, On the World, chapter 4: I too, he says, saw at Hierapolis of Phrygia; and Photius, codex CXLII, from the Life of Isidore: Ἐν Ἱεραπολει της Φρυγιας, at Hierapolis of Phrygia; in all which passages the discussion is without doubt of Hierapolis of Phrygia Pacatiana, since in them is celebrated its plutonium, or cavern full of carbonic acid [Compare Cellarius and Schwartz, Notitiæ orbis antiqui, volume II, page 133 and 134.]. I should not wish to say more of this city and its plutonium, since something has already been set forth on them in the preceding volume, in which the Life of St. Abercius, bishop of Hierapolis, was illustrated Acta SS. volume IX of October, page 498.. Its site is now well known and its ruins have been visited by many. Smith, Pococke, Chandler, Cockerell, Arundel and Leake are designated by name by Hamilton Reisen in Kleinasien, Pontus und Armenien, Ritter edition, volume I, page 468., who himself too carefully travelled through all these places and described them; but before them there had already gone there, and perhaps the first of all, a French traveller, Paul Lucas, who, not knowing the old name, called it by the present one Banbourqueser [Deuxième voyage dans la Grèce, l'Asie Mineure etc. volume I, chapter 33, page 240.]. (He should rather have said Pambukkaleh,
or Kalessi, that is, the fortress of cotton, because cotton grows in great quantity in the neighbourhood Reisen in Kleinasien etc. volume I, page 471..) It lies in the angle formed by the river Maeander, now called Mendere, and the Lycus, whose name is now Tchoruk Su; yet so that it is much nearer to the Lycus. It is distant from Laodicea, which is situated on the opposite or southern side of the Lycus, five or six miles Ibid. page 468..
[8] Its Christian glories and the time of the martyrdom. Already in the apostolic age the faith of Christ put down its roots at Hierapolis, as Paul writes to the Colossians Colossians IV, 13.: For I bear him (Epaphras) witness that he hath much labour for you, and for them that are at Laodicea, and them at Hierapolis. This field St. Paul himself had cultivated, since he wrote to Titus Titus III, 12.: When I shall send to thee Artemas and Tychicus, make haste to come unto me to Hierapolis. St. Philip the apostle also laboured there in the vineyard of the Lord and with his two daughters obtained burial and ecclesiastical cult. Concerning St. Abercius, who flourished in the second century, St. Papias, praised by St. Irenaeus and Eusebius, and Claudius Apollinaris, who presented to the emperor Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Verus a notable volume in defence of the Christian religion, nothing else need be pointed out than that it appears sufficiently from them that very great men presided over this church in the first times. For the rest, of these it has already been spoken in our work at the 22nd day of October, the 22nd of February and the 7th of the same month. Yet we nowhere read that it had many martyrs; nor do I know whether any others are known besides those indicated than those who come in the Hieronymian Martyrology at the 17th day of November in these words: At Hierapolis, the birthday of SS. Victor and Alphius and Romula, whose deeds are extant; provided, however, that it is again a question at this place of Hierapolis of Phrygia, and that one should not read Eleutheropolis in place of Hierapolis: which can be examined at the said 17th day of November. And from this it appears that very little of the ecclesiastical history of this city is known, and that what persecutions raged there lies in darkness. It is likely, however, that our martyrs perished by violent death in the reign of Diocletian, both because most martyrs inscribed in the Hieronymian Martyrology poured out their life at that time, and because it is known from other sources that the edicts of Diocletian were most hostile to Phrygia. For who is ignorant that at that time some whole city of Phrygia, since it held nothing but Christians, was destroyed by fire? See what our predecessors have collected on these matters at the 7th day of February from Lactantius, Eusebius and Rufinus. It remains therefore, since nothing more probable occurs to us, that we should determine that the martyrdom of SS. Claudian, Eutherius, Flavian, Justus and Victor was accomplished at Hierapolis in the year 304.