Maxima

ON ST. MAXIMA, MARTYR AT ROME,

AT ROME.

Under Diocletian.

Her cult, martyrdom, and various observations.

Maxima, M., at Rome. (S.)

BY J. P.

The Roman Martyrology announces

this Saint thus on this

day: At Rome, of saint Maxima

the martyr, She is found in the Roman Martyrology: her Acts in Peter de Natalibus: who, having confessed Christ

together with saint

Ansanus, in the persecution of Diocletian,

while she was beaten with cudgels, gave up her spirit. The few things

which we have of this Saint are mixed with the Acts

of St. Ansanus the martyr, who is in the said Martyrology

at the 1st day of December, for which day we keep them.

Peter de Natalibus in the Catalogue of the Saints,

bk. 1, ch. 13, treats of him, whence I transcribe

this: Ansanus the martyr, a Roman citizen, the son

of the noble Tranquillinus, at twelve years of age was secretly,

his father not knowing, taught in the faith of Christ

by Protasius the priest and baptized, and was raised from the sacred font

by Maxima the virgin, of the territory of Tonagritum:

who, being denounced by his father to the emperors Diocletian

and Maximian in the thirteenth year of their reign,

together with that same virgin Maxima, was by them

seized and delivered to prison for many days. Which

sacred Virgin the aforesaid emperors caused to be beaten

with cudgels so long that she breathed out her spirit.

Thus he there concerning St. Maxima; but the very few things

which follow pertain to St. Ansanus. From

his Passion Ferrari drew a brief summary concerning her in the Catalogue of the Saints of Italy on this

day, in which it is narrated that sight was restored by them to a blind man.

I report the matter from the Passion of St. Ansanus itself,

which we have, even though it may not seem of great

moment: And when morning came they rose to

go to the emperors, and they found on the way a blind

man, to whom by God's mercy they restored

sight.

[2] whether virgin and martyr: the time Here now, reader, are some observations for you.

First, Peter de Natalibus in the place cited writes of

this Saint as of a virgin and martyr.

Arturus in the Gynæceum also gives her both titles;

but the Roman Martyrology calls her martyr

only; Ferrari calls her a Roman woman,

and that in conformity with the Acts of St. Ansanus,

in which I read this: There was there a woman Maxima,

very Christian, etc. Secondly, Baronius writes that St.

Ansanus was crowned with martyrdom under the persecution

of Diocletian and Maximian in the year 303,

as may be seen in him in the same place, n. 121.

The same year he thus proves in his notes on St. Ansanus

at the 1st day of December: He suffered (as the Acts

of the church of Siena, which he had cited and said that he had received

in Ms., declare) in the consulship of Diocletian for the eighth time

and Maximian for the seventh: that

is, according to the Fasti of Onuphrius, the three hundred and third

year from Christ the Lord: in which the famous tenth persecution

was begun.

[3] This too seems to be indicated in the transcripts

of ours of the martyrdom of St. Ansanus, of the passion, etc. in which it is called

a savage persecution: but the note of time by the thirteenth

year of the reign of the said emperors they neither

set down distinctly, nor in agreement with the year 303 just

designated: for since the year 286 was the third of Diocletian

as emperor, and the first of Maximian

as emperor, it follows that the eleventh year of the latter

falls in 296, which was the thirteenth

of the former. In our transcript from a Roman Ms. this clause

is also set down: And there were running the years

of the Lord … CCXCVI. But Castellanus places St.

Maxima about the year 304: whom I above

at n. 1 marked under Diocletian, following the Roman

Martyrology, since the year is not clear to me.

Thirdly, what the name Tonagritan in

Peter de Natalibus means I do not for my part understand,

after I have sought it out with sufficient labor, but in vain.

In our transcripts cited it is written Onacritan,

Olimphitan, and Olimphinat: but I suspect

that a fault has crept in everywhere. Fourthly, I have announced

our Saint at Rome, and without the title of virgin,

with the Roman Martyrology. Fifthly, her body,

taken up by the Christians, was buried on the IV

of the Nones of September, according to Ferrari, designated before.

And although I do not remember reading these things in our aforesaid Mss.,

nevertheless on this day we give Maxima

with the same Martyrology.

ON ST. TIMOTHY, MARTYR AT ANTIOCH,

AT ANTIOCH.

Of the 11th of September.

Timothy, M., at Antioch. (S.)

J. P.

This Saint, known to us not by his deeds

but by his cult, is inscribed in various

Martyrologies. For the ancient one

which Florentini published

reports him thus: At

Antioch, the birthday of saint Timothy.

In the same place in the notes, the Corbie Martyrology:

At Antioch, the birthday of saint Timothy the martyr.

More briefly in the same place the Martyrology of St. Willibrord:

At Antioch, of Timothy. With the Corbie one agrees the Martyrology which d'Achery published in vol. 4 of the Spicilegium.

ON SS. AITHALAS AND AMMUN, MARTYRS AT ADRIANOPLE IN THRACE,

AT ADRIANOPLE IN THRACE.

Aithalas, M., at Adrianople in Thrace. (S.)

Ammun, M., at Adrianople in Thrace. (S.)

J. P.

The great printed Menæa of the Greeks

record these two holy Champions,

and adorn them with the following elogium: These holy Martyrs,

while Rabdus administered

the prefecture of Thrace

which was at Adrianople,

were accused as Christians.

And being questioned about their condition and office,

they confessed that they were Christians. And when they could not

be brought to sacrifice to the idols, the tyrant,

being at a loss and doubtful as to their answers, tried

to shake the firmness of their faith with sinews.

They were therefore so tortured with such great torments that in them

they gave up their spirit to God. Nor have I more

to say of these Saints.