ON ST. AGATHOCLIA, A HANDMAID, M.,
From the Roman and Greek Fasti.
PrefaceAgathoclia, a handmaid, M. (S.)
J. S.
St. Agathoclia, inserted in the Roman Martyrology from the Greek, Baronius inserted Agathoclia the martyr into the Roman Martyrology from the Greek Fasti, announcing her thus: On the same day, of holy Agathoclia, the handmaid of a certain unbelieving woman, who, having been long vexed by her with beatings and other hardships that she might deny Christ, being at last presented to the judge and more savagely mangled, when she persisted in the confession of the faith, her tongue being cut out, was cast into the fire. So Baronius, for the greater part from the Sirletian Menology; but the Greek Fasti in setting forth St. Agathoclia's tortures somewhat disagree among themselves, and do not altogether agree with Baronius. In the Sirletian Menology she is called in Latin Agathochia; but I should think it a typographical error, since in the remaining Fasti Agathoclia is constantly read, as also in the index of the Sirletian Martyrology. In it this is read: The holy martyr Agathochia, the slave of a certain Nicolaus, a Christian man, and of Paulina his wife, being a Christian and fearing God, was daily tortured by her mistress, an unbelieving woman and worshipper of idols, who for eight years beat Agathochia on the crown of the head with rough stones, and compelled her to walk barefoot in winter and cold to gather wood, striving through all those eight years to persuade her to adore the idols. And when she altogether refused, she was mangled and her tongue cut out: and being cast into prison, she was afflicted with hunger: at last, fire being thrust upon her neck, she exchanged the present life for the eternal.
[2] The printed Menæa exhibit an elogium nearly agreeing with this. she is praised in an elogium as a martyr: Nevertheless there St. Agathoclia is not called a slave, but rather is said to be the daughter of Nicolaus and Paulina. Certainly the Greek words seem to be so expounded: ἥτις ἐγένετο Νικολάου θυγάτηρ ἀπὸ Χριστιανῶν, καὶ Παυλίνης τῆς αὐτοῦ γυναικός. She was the daughter of Nicolaus, a Christian, and of Paulina his wife. Of the prison, in which she was afflicted with hunger, the Menæa likewise have nothing. The rest agrees well enough: and the two little verses which are added also have it that she was killed by fire thrust upon her neck. The Basilian Menology differs in several points, since it has it thus: The martyr Agathoclia, a Christian by profession, the slave of a certain Nicolaus and of Paulina his wife, who had formerly been Christians, and then, falling away from Christ, worshipped idols: she too was urged to deny Christ and to transfer herself to the worship of idols. But when she could not be brought to it, she was tortured for eight years, different torments being applied on each several day. For sometimes she was beaten with rough stones on the vertebra and the face, sometimes with rods on the head and shoulders. But when she remained constant in the faith of Christ, she is crushed with an iron mallet: then, her tongue being cut off, she is cast into prison, an interdict being published that no one should bring her food. But by God's disposing, a little nightingale, bringing fruits of the trees, fed her. At last her mistress, entering the prison,
killed her with a glowing iron bar. In this all the Greeks agree, that she was not handed over to a judge; but was dreadfully tortured by her mistress and killed by fire. And this is not more rightly understood in any other way than if we believe that she was killed by a glowing iron applied to her neck. But how certain some of the circumstances are cannot be determined for want of better writers.
[3] she does not seem to be ascribed to Spain. You see, I suppose, that neither the place nor the time of the martyrdom is indicated by anyone. So much the more easily could John Tamayo de Salazar ascribe her to Spain in the Martyrologium Hispanicum on this day, where he announces her at Octogesa among the Ilergetes of Spain, and says that she suffered under Domitian, in the year of the Lord XCIV. But he only praises Flavius Dexter, the author, namely, of a fictitious Chronicle, and others more recent who followed him. Wherefore those statements of Tamayo ought to be held as not made, as the learned Spaniards know. Greek is the name of Agathoclia, and she was of old celebrated by the Greeks alone, so that we ought not to doubt that she suffered somewhere in the Eastern Church.