ON SS. HYACINTH AND ALEXANDER AND TIBURTIUS, MARTYRS,
AMONG THE SABINES.
From the sacred Calendars and the Roman Martyrology.
CommentaryHyacinth M. among the Sabines (S.)
Alexander M. among the Sabines (S.)
Tiburtius M. among the Sabines (S.)
BY J. P.
The announcement from various The memory of these three Champions is today in the Martyrologies not only the more recent, but also in nearly all the most ancient; in these however they are neither everywhere recounted individually together, nor in the same order and manner. Of those which are distinguished by the name of S. Jerome, and which, as the learned know, are in several places disordered, I put first the older Martyrology, published and illustrated with Notes by Florentinius, because that sets forth most of what is delivered about our Saints in the other Hieronymian ones, whether manuscript or printed, more distinctly and more exactly. Thus therefore it has at this day: Among the Sabines, at the XXX milestone from the City, the birthday of the saints Jacentus, Alexander, Tiburtius. At Cæsarea of Cappadocia, the birthday of the saints Donatus etc. To this comes nearest another transcript from the Corbie codex, published under the title of a most ancient Hieronymian by d'Achery in tom. 4 of the Spicilegium; where the announcement is of this kind: Among the Sabines, at the milestone from the City, the birthday of the saints Hyacinth, Alexander, Tiburtius, Juvinus, Silvanus. At Cæsarea of Cappadocia etc. But, as it appears, it faultily diminishes the distance from the City, and increases the number of the holy Martyrs.
[2] For, as will be plain below, in the fuller Calendars there is everywhere added at the thirtieth milestone, Hieronymian ones, but nowhere today is mention made of SS. Juvinus and Silvanus, whom therefore I have not expressed in the title, judging that those names crept into the present day from other days by the error or drowsiness of a copyist. And indeed that suspicion seemed to me altogether well founded, when I observed that S. Sabinus is mentioned there on the preceding day — but in Florentinius Savinus, which word would easily have passed into Juvinus; and that Silvanus is noted more than once both on the preceding and on the immediately following day. The remaining copies of S. Jerome are generally more contracted, and no less at variance with these and with one another. The Rheinau
and Reichenau ones, committed by us to the press after the 7th volume of June, indicate the bare names of the place and of the Saints in this manner: Among the Sabines, of Jacintus, Alexander, Tiburtius. The Labbean one in the same place, and the Gellone one in the praised d'Achery, tom. 13, not only suppress the place, but, with Saints who suffered elsewhere intermixed, disturb the order also. Take the entire text: V of the Ides of September. At Rome, of Gorgonius, Alexander, Hyacinth [\], Donatus, Fortunatus, Tiburtius [\], Protus. The Augsburg one likewise in our hands agrees; but with Protus omitted, and the name of Alexander enlarged, for which Alexandria is read, doubtless by mistake, whether he understood the city or a holy woman. I pass over others either akin to those already enumerated, or in this place more dislocated, such as that most ancient one which Florentinius cites in his Annotations, and which has thus: V of the Ides of September. At Rome, of Gorgonius, and among the Sabines, of Jacintus. At Alexandria, of Tiburius. The praised author subjoined to his edition another transcript, called the Lucca Hieronymian, in which I find nothing except the following: V of the Ides, of Gorgonius and Tiburtius. Let us now consult the remaining classic martyrologists.
[3] from Notker, Ado and Usuard, The memory of our Saints is found only in certain Additions to the venerable Bede, and none in the Martyrology of Rabanus; in this indeed the passion of S. Hyacinth the deacon is recalled today and described at length; but he is another than ours, and we have referred him among the Prætermissi of this day. Notker in this place, more exact than the rest thus far praised, announces them thus: Among the Sabines, at the thirtieth milestone from the City, the birthday of the holy martyrs Hyacinth, Alexander, Tiburtius. From Notker Ado and Usuard do not differ, except in the word martyrs, which they omit. This whoever enlarged Usuard rightly added, in the Lübeck-Cologne edition, but by a notable error subjoined the following: Of whom blessed Jacinctus foretold to his torturer, Today a snake shall devour thee; but the fire and the water by which thou hast caused me to be punished shall do me no harm; at length he is beheaded. For he was deceived by the text of Rabanus, and applied to our Saint what was proper to his Hyacinth.
[4] and from the Roman Martyrology. Further, however much neither the Hieronymian ones — which is most frequent with them — nor the old Roman, whose announcement is this: Among the Sabines, of Hyacinth, Alexander, Tiburtius, nor the ancient Martyrologies adduced adorn our Saints with the title of martyrs, yet I judged that it should by no means be withheld, since it is expressly attributed to them by Notker, by most of the more recent writers, and above the rest by the Roman Martyrology in these words: Among the Sabines, at the thirtieth milestone from the City, of the holy martyrs Hyacinth, Alexander and Tiburtius. Peter de Natalibus, who testifies that he drew whatever he relates about very many Saints in book XI from the Martyrology of Jerome, of Usuard or of Ado, also calls ours martyrs, and besides calls Hyacinth a bishop; but since of this dignity there exist elsewhere no greater traces than of the time in which and the princes under whom our Saints suffered, I should not dare to determine anything certain about it; let the credit rest with the author.
Annotations\ Gellon. Jacyinti.*
\ ibid. Tiburtii.*