Evidence ID
E03257
Type of Evidence
Literary - Hagiographical - Accounts of martyrdom
Martyrdom of Fides, Spes and Caritas (BHL 2968b)
We have not examined this text, published by Simonetti 1989, 681-688. However, for the Greek Martyrdom and a detailed summary of the story, see E06900.
Source
The Martyrdom of *Fides, Spes and Caritas is an anonymous literary account of martyrdom written long after the great persecutions of Christians that provide the background of the narrative. It is part of a widely spread literary genre, that scholars often designate as "epic" Martyrdoms (or Passiones), to be distinguished from earlier, short and more plausible accounts, apparently based on the genuine transcripts of the judicial proceedings against the martyrs.These texts narrate the martyrdom of local saints, either to promote a new cult or to give further impulse to existing devotion. They follow widespread stereotypes mirroring the early authentic trials of martyrs, but with a much greater degree of detail and in a novelistic style. Thus they narrate how the protagonists are repeatedly questioned and tortured under the order of officials or monarchs, because they refuse to sacrifice to pagan gods but profess the Christian faith. They frequently refer to miracles performed by the martyrs and recreate dialogues between the protagonists. The narrative generally ends with the death of the martyrs (often by beheading) and their burial. These texts are literary creations bearing a degree of freedom in the narration of supposedly historical events, often displaying clear signs of anachronism. For these reasons, they have been generally dismissed as historical evidence and often remain little known. However, since most certainly date from within the period circa 400-800, often providing unique references to cult, they are an essential source to shed light on the rise of the cult of saints.
It is generally agreed that this Martyrdom was originally written in Greek (see E06900), and subsequently translated into Latin, Syriac and Georgian. According to Vocino, there are four variant early Latin translations originating in Rome on the basis of the earliest Greek version, BHG 1637y:
BHL 2968b (closest translation), first attested in Vienna, ÖNB, 420, f. 159r-165v (8th-9th c.); Würzburg, Universitätsbibliothek, Mp.th. f.34, fol. Br (fragment, 8th-9th c.)
BHL 2968d (with a significant lacuna), first attested in Brussels, Bibliothèque des Bollandistes, 14, f. 154v-155v (9th-10th c.); Rome, Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale, Farf. 29, f. 246r-250r (9th-10th c.)
BHL 2968f (contaminated with another Greek translation: BHG 1637x), first attested in Verona, Biblioteca Capitolare, XCV, f. 151r-162v (9th-10th c.)
BHL 2971 (abbreviated), first attested in Zürich, Zentralbibliothek, C. 10.i, f. 97r-100r (9th c.); Vatican City, Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, Vat. lat. 5770, f. 327v-330r (9th-10th c.). This version is the most widely diffused according to the database Bibliotheca Hagiographica Latina Manuscripta (bhlms.fltr.ucl.ac.be) with more than 30 manuscripts preserved.
Probably in the 8th or 9th century (according to Vocino), BHL 2968f was reworked in Milan, by a priest named Iohannes, to produce BHL 2966 (only attested in later manuscripts).
Discussion
The grave on the via Aurelia of Sophia and her three daughters features in three of the lists of saintly burials that we have from seventh-century Rome: the Monza papyrus of 590/604 (E06788); the Notitia Ecclesiarum of 625/649 (E00689); and the Itinerarium Malmesburiense of 642/683 (E07896).Already attested in manuscripts from the 8th-9th century, the earliest Latin translations are of uncertain date; Vocino argues that a plausible context of composition is provided by the papacy of Paul I (757-767), who was particularly active in translating relics to the church of S. Silvestro in Capite. However, the evidence that these saints were attracting cult by around 600, suggests that at least one of the translations could well be earlier.
Bibliography
BHL 2968b and BHL 2968d:Simonetti, A., “Le fonti agiografiche di due drammi di Rosvita", Studi medievali 30 (1989), 681-688 and 689-695
BHL 2968f and BHL 2971: unpublished
Further reading:
Vocino, G., “L’Agiografia dell’Italia centrale (750-950),” in: Goullet, M. (ed.), Hagiographies. Histoire internationale de la littérature hagiographique latine et vernaculaire en Occident des origines à 1550, vol. VII (Turnhout, 2017), 95-268, at 152-155.
Record Created By
Matthieu Pignot
Date of Entry
08/06/2018
| ID | Name | Name in Source | Identity | S00554 | Sophia/Sapientia, and her three daughters, martyrs of Rome, buried on the via Aurelia | Fides, Spes, Caritas | Certain |
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