ON THE HOLY MARTYRS OF ALEXANDRIA IN EGYPT: FAUSTUS AND BIBUS OR ABIBUS AND DIONYSIUS AND CYRIACUS AND ANDRONICUS AND THEOCTISTUS AND MACARIUS AND ANDREW AND SARAPAMBO AND CYRIACUS THE OTHER AND ANDROPELAGIA AND THECLA OR THEOCLA AND CALODOTA, MARTYRS, THE PRESBYTER, THE DEACON, THE LECTOR, THE ACOLYTE, THE SOLDIER, THE SHIP-MASTER, THE VIRGINS AND THE MARRIED WOMAN,
AT ALEXANDRIA IN EGYPT.
From the Greek and Latin Martyrologies.
About CCL.
CommentaryFaustus, presbyter, martyr at Alexandria in Egypt (S.)
Bibus or Abibus, deacon, martyr at Alexandria in Egypt (S.)
Dionysius, lector, martyr at Alexandria in Egypt (S.)
Cyriacus, acolyte, martyr at Alexandria in Egypt (S.)
Andronicus, soldier, martyr at Alexandria in Egypt (S.)
Theoctistus, ship-master, martyr at Alexandria in Egypt (S.)
Macarius, martyr at Alexandria in Egypt (S.)
Andrew, martyr at Alexandria in Egypt (S.)
Sarapambo, martyr at Alexandria in Egypt (S.)
Cyriacus the other, martyr at Alexandria in Egypt (S.)
Andropelagia, virgin, martyr at Alexandria in Egypt (S.)
Thecla, virgin, martyr at Alexandria in Egypt (S.)
Callodata, a married woman, martyr at Alexandria in Egypt (S.)
BY J. S.
The Roman Martyrology, from the Greek calendars, today announces various Alexandrian Martyrs in this manner: Alexandrian martyrs, variously reported in the calendars, At Alexandria, the passion of the holy Martyrs Faustus the presbyter, Macarius, and ten Companions, who under the emperor Decius and the governor Valerius completed their martyrdom for the name of Christ, their necks being cut off. Baronius adds in his annotations: The Greeks treat of the same men also in the Menology, and report the names of each; namely, after Faustus and Macarius are reckoned Dionysius the lector, Cyriacus the acolyte, another Faustus, Andronicus the soldier, Theotistus the ship-master, Andropelagia and Thecla. More are read in the Menology in Sirletus, who has thus: On the same day the birthday of the holy Faustus, Macarius, Andrew, Abibus the deacon and monk, Dionysius the lector, Cyriacus the acolyte, holy Faustus, Andronicus the soldier, Theoctistus the ship-master, and of the holy wom[ ] Andropelagia and Thecla, (who) under the emperor Decius, with Valerius as governor, at Alexandria were beheaded for the confession of the Christian name, and commending their holy souls to God passed into heaven. We have here eleven Martyrs named, all of whom Ghinius also enumerates, with the one exception of Andrew. There is variation also in the name
of Abibus the deacon, whom with Galesinius he calls Abibas. We shall see that the same man is named Bibus by others.
[2] But as regards the number of these Martyrs, they are said in the Basilian Menology to have been thirteen in all, they seem to have been thirteen in number: and the names of all these are read in the manuscript Menæa once communicated by Sirmond, which appear more accurate than the printed Menæa, in which eleven are thus expressed by name; so that they are not all the same as the eleven enumerated in Sirletus: for in the printed Menæa only one Faustus is read, whom we shall show to have been in fact only one, but Cyriacus is doubled. He is likewise doubled in the manuscript Menæa, where besides there is added Parapambo and Calodote a married woman, who is the thirteenth, and who is also announced in the printed Menæa, but separately. I shall render the eulogy of the said Menæa into Latin, but first in Greek, because on account of the lack of punctuation and the barbarous words, and especially because the proper names do not begin with capital letters, one may now and then doubt of the right interpretation; because here the truth must be sought by conjectures. Whoever, therefore, does not admit my interpretation will be able to substitute his own. With these things premised, I subjoin the Greek words.
[3] their eulogy from the manuscript Menæa; Ἄθλησις τῶν ἁγίων μαρτήρων Φαύστου πρεσβυτέρου, βίβου διακόνου καὶ μονάζοντος, διονυσίου ἀναγνώστου, κυριακοῦ ἐπακολούθου τοῦ μακαρίου Φαύστου, ἀνδρονίκου στρατιώτου, θεοκτιστου ναυκλήρου, μακαρίου πολιτευομενοῦ, ἀνδρέου κουρεκτοριανοῦ, σαραπάμβονος βολευτοῦ, κυριακοῦ δημότου, ἀνδροπελαγίας καὶ θεοκλῆς παρθένων ἀδελφῶν, καὶ καλοδότης γυναικὸς κύρου ἐνκυμονούσης. Οὗτοι ἐμαρτήρησαν ἐπὶ τῆς βασιλείας δεκίου ἐν ἀλεξανδρία πόλει τῆς αἰγύπτου συσχεσθέντες παρὰ βαλεριανοῦ κουρίκτορος καὶ ἠγεμόνος, καὶ διὰ τὴν ἐ;ν Χριστὸν ὁμολογίαν πολλὰ δεινὰ ὑποστάντες τὰς κεφαλὰς ἀπετμήτησαν, ὅντες τὸν ἀριθμὸν δεκὰ τρεῖς
The contest of the holy martyrs Faustus the presbyter, Bibus the deacon and monk, Dionysius the lector, Cyriacus the acolyte of blessed Faustus, Andronicus the soldier, Theoctistus the ship-master, Macarius an administrator of the commonwealth, Andrew κουρεκτοριανοῦ, Sarapambo the decurion, Cyriacus a citizen, Andropelagia and Theocla, virgins and sisters, and Calodota the wife of Cyrus, who was with child. These obtained the crown of martyrdom, under the reign of Decius, in the city of Alexandria in Egypt: seized by Valerian the judge and governor, and having suffered many dreadful things for the Christian faith, they were beheaded, thirteen in number. Thus far the eulogy, whose interpretation I shall illustrate with some observations.
[4] First, there seems to have been only one Faustus among these Martyrs, from whose Greek text it is shown that there was only one Faustus among them: just as only one Faustus is named in the printed Menæa. Sirletus indeed reckoned two Fausti in the Menology which he turned into Latin; but I think that this happened only from the Greek words being ill understood. For where there is read τοῦ μακαρίου Φαύστου after the reckoning up of Bibus the deacon, Dionysius the lector, and Cyriacus the acolyte, no other Faustus seems to be designated as a martyr, but rather it seems to be signified that the three clerics named were of Faustus the presbyter: for the article τοῦ shows that the Faustus already named before is meant, and the same is again suggested by the word μακαρίου, blessed, which is added to none of the Martyrs in the whole text. Besides, the quality of each of the Martyrs is set forth, which would have been omitted of that second Faustus, if he really were a second: and finally, since these Martyrs are said to have been thirteen in number; and since that number is reached without that second Faustus, it does not seem to be doubted that he was added by error, especially since Sirletus seems to have had the same Greek words in his Greek Menology, as is gathered from the word Sancti, which is prefixed to the second Faustus in him.
[5] Secondly, the names of the Martyrs enumerated present no great difficulty, various observations on the offices of these martyrs: because most are sufficiently obvious, and all are read also in the printed Menæa, with the single exception of the name of Sarapambo, who is omitted in the printed Menæa, and yet seems to belong to the rest, both on account of the number thirteen and from the whole context. Thirdly, the offices of certain of them are more doubtful on account of the ambiguity or barbarity of the words. For Macarius is called πολιτευόμενος: which word signifies various things, as a magistrate, one conducting public business, an administrator of the commonwealth, a curial, a decurion, and several others. I have expressed the generic word by a generic Latin one likewise, and have called him an administrator of the commonwealth. The office of Andrew is set forth by the entirely barbarous word κουρεκτοριανος. I think the word is derived from the Latin word corrector, which was also in use among the Greeks in the middle ages. Yet I doubt of the signification, and therefore I have left the Greek word without interpretation: for the corrector himself is not designated by the word κουρεκτοριανος: because Valerian himself was corrector or governor, as is said in the same eulogy, and there was but one corrector in Egypt. Wherefore by that word may be designated some one of the corrector's ministers, or even one performing some office unknown to us, unless it was a surname of Andrew. He who follows, Sarapambo, is called βολευτὴς, which I suppose to be the same here as βουλευτὴς, a counselor, a senator, and in the middle ages a curial, a decurion, as I have expressed the word in Latin. Finally the other Cyriacus is written δημότης, which word properly signifies a plebeian citizen, or one of the common people. The three women who follow present no difficulty: this only I observe, that Calodota in the printed Menæa was separated from the others, and wrongly joined to the Martyrs of Militina.
[6] another eulogy of the same from the Menology. For the rest, since nothing more about these Alexandrian Martyrs presents itself to me except a brief eulogy in the Basilian Menology, I transfer it here: The holy martyrs Faustus and Abibus, under the emperor Decius — the latter a deacon, the former a presbyter of the Alexandrian church — lived at the time when Fabian too, patriarch of Rome, and Alexander of Jerusalem, underwent martyrdom for Christ. Being therefore detained by the prefect of Alexandria, and grievously tortured because they would not fall away from Christ, they are thrust into prison. And being brought out thence again, they are compelled to offer sacrifice to the idols. But so far were they from bringing their minds to do this, that they even refuted the prefect, and despised the error and vanity of the idols. Wherefore the heads of the holy Men, thirteen in number, were cut off. But their holy souls, commended to the hands of Christ our God, intercede unceasingly for us Christians, and add strength to our faithful emperors against their enemies, and vigor for the glory of Christ, for whom they shed their blood. The name of the prefect is here passed over in silence. In the Sirletian Menology he is called Valerius, in the manuscript Menæa Valerian: that name was much in use at that time among illustrious men with the Romans, and frequently joined to other names. About the time of the martyrdom there can be no great difficulty, if they suffered under Decius: for thus they probably suffered in the year 250, in which St. Fabian too was crowned at Rome; although they could also have suffered in the following year.