ON SS. NIMFIDUS OR NYMPHUS AND SATURNINUS, MARTYRS,
AT ALEXANDRIA IN EGYPT.
From the Martyrologies.
CommentaryNimfidus or Nymphus, M. at Alexandria in Egypt (S.)
Saturninus, M. at Alexandria in Egypt (S.)
J. S.
A wonderful variety of the Martyrologies in commemorating these Martyrs: The Hieronymian transcripts announce today various Martyrs of Alexandria, but with a wonderful variety and with the names much changed. The text in Florentini has thus: At Alexandria, the birthday of the holy Nemfidus, Saturninus, and the deposition of blessed Ingenuus the bishop with his Companions. The Corbie codex brings forward this: At Alexandria, the birthday of the holy Memfidus, Sturnina. The deposition of blessed Ingenuus with his Companions, whose names God knows. The most ancient Antwerp codex seems to recount the same class of Martyrs twice, with some change, however. First it has thus: At Alexandria, of Eutecus, Maximus, Nimpus, Saturninus. I suspect that the two former were wrongly transferred hither from the preceding day, on which among the number of the martyrs of Ancyra are Eustichus and Maximus; or that they are the same as Eutyches and Maro, whom Notker transferred to this day: but the two latter I judge to be no others than those whom the same transcript afterward commemorates with Ingenuus thus: In the city of Alexandria, of Nimfida, Saturnina. Of Ingenuus the bishop. In the more abridged transcripts none of these is reckoned at Alexandria; but Ingenuus is commemorated in various ones without a place; and in fact Ingenuus is not even in the preceding texts so joined with the two others that it is necessary to say that he belongs to their number. Rabanus, who alone of the martyrologists of his time adopted these Martyrs of Alexandria (and with whom certain interpolated copies of Bede agree), does not clearly remove the doubt about Ingenuus, announcing them thus: And at Alexandria, of Nymphus and Saturninus, and the deposition of Bl. Ingenuus the bishop.
[2] Nevertheless, since he announces Ingenuus rather as a confessor than as a martyr, Ingenuus the bishop, doubtfully numbered with them, seems to belong elsewhere; as the word deposition insinuates, Rabanus is rather to be judged to separate Ingenuus from the others than to join him with them. The same may be observed in the two transcripts given before, in which likewise the word deposition occurs; although otherwise in them he would seem to be commemorated as a martyr, because there is added, With his companions. Greven commemorates only two, without Ingenuus, in this manner: At Alexandria, of Nymphius and Saturninus. And in fact these two only seem to be attributed to Alexandria, although perhaps they had not a few anonymous Companions, who in the two transcripts first praised are wrongly joined to Ingenuus, as I suspect on account of the word deposition, and because Ingenuus seems to belong elsewhere, as I shall now show. Castellan in the Universal Martyrology at this day announces St. Ingenuinus, or Genuinus, bishop of Säben, who in the Roman Martyrology is found together with St. Albuinus bishop of Brixen on the V of February, where we too have treated of both. The same author in the annotations to the Roman Martyrology translated into French, at the day V of February, asserts without hesitation that St. Ingenuinus died on the V of September; and from this it is clear that he did not doubt that he is that Ingenuinus who is today announced in various Martyrologies under the name of Ingenuus.
[3] and perhaps he is St. Ingenuinus, bishop of Säben. Further, this opinion appears to me exceedingly probable and likely, and therefore I shall here allege the reasons passed over by Castellan. First, Ingenuus in the various Hieronymian transcripts already given, and in other like interpolated Martyrologies, is commemorated in such a way that he seems to be numbered among confessors rather than among martyrs; and hence it is probably inferred that he is not of the class of the Alexandrian Martyrs. Secondly, in the more abridged Hieronymian Martyrologies in our tom. 7 of June he is announced without those Alexandrians and without a place, namely in the Augsburg codex under the name of Ingenuinus, in the Labbean, of Ingenuus. But in the Tours codex in Martène tom. 3 of the Thesaurus of Anecdota is set, Of Ingenuus the bishop. I pass over other Martyrologies in which the bare word of Ingenuus occurs. But now these bring in the greater suspicion of Ingenuinus of Säben, because his name is not found on other days in the more ancient Fasti, although his ancient cult is established. Thirdly and lastly, it cannot stand in the way that he is now venerated on the day V of February, and that some for that cause have said that he died on that day: for since he is venerated together with St. Albuinus, the latter's death-day seems to have been chosen for the veneration of both together. And so I am wholly persuaded that this opinion of Castellan is not indeed altogether certain, but probable enough: and therefore I have reckoned in the title Nimfidus or Nymphus and Saturninus alone, although these perhaps had several anonymous companions.