The 6th/7th c. recension of the Latin Martyrologium Hieronymianum, as transmitted in 8th c. manuscripts, records the feasts of a number of saints on 3 January.
Evidence ID
E04583
Type of Evidence
Liturgical texts - Calendars and martyrologies
Major author/Major anonymous work
Martyrologium Hieronymianum
The Martyrologium Hieronymianum is preserved in a number of early manuscripts which share much in common, but also diverge, making it impossible to reconstruct from them a single authoritative text. Below, we therefore offer separate English translations of each important early manuscript. By clicking 'Latin Text' (above), you can view these different versions in their original Latin, set side-by-side for ease of comparison, with also the editions and interpretations of the text suggested by the scholars Quentin and Delehaye. For a full discussion of the Martyrologium, click 'Discussion/Bibliography.'
The Martyrologium Hieronymianum commemorates on 3 January the following feasts:
*Theagenes, martyr of Parium, (S02211),
*Narcissus, Argeus and Marcellinus, brothers or slaves, martyrs of Tomis or Rome, (S02737),
*Anteros, bishop and martyr of Rome, (S00170),
The burial of *Genovefa/Geneviève, ascetic of Paris, ob. c. 502, (S01156),
The burial of *Florentus, bishop of Vienne, later 4th c., (S02213),
The death of *Erembertus, bishop of Toulouse and monk of Fontenelle, ob. c. 675 (S02215),
*Other saints, on 3 January in the Martyrologium Hieronymianum: in Tomis and Africa (S02214).
BnF 10837:
'On the third day before the Nones [of January], in Hellespontus, in the city of Parethia, [the feast of] Ciricus, Primus, Theoginis.
And in the city of Tomis, [the feast of] Claudo, Eugenis, Rodus, three brothers, Argeus, Narcissus, and Marcellinus, of a Christian boy, and Dioginus, Eugentus, Rodo, Prima.
In Africa, [the feast of] Martialis, Statulianus, Constantus, Possesor, Hilarinus, Firmus, Candidus, Rogatianus, Eugenia, Lucida, Acuta, Paenica.
In Paris, [the feast of] the virgin Genefeva.
In Vienne, the burial of Florentus.'
Bern 289:
'On the third day before the Nones of January, in Hellespontus, in the city of Pharetia, [the feast of] Cyricus, Primus, Theugenis.
And in the city of Tomis, [the feast of] Claudio, Eugenus, Rodus, and three brothers, Argetus, Narcissus, and Marcellinus, of a Christian boy, of bishop Anifilus, and Digoiunus, Eugentus, Codo, Prima.
In Africa, [the feast of] Lucideus, Marcialis, Statulianus, Constantus, Possesor, Hilarinus, Penniceus, Firmus, Candedus, Rogatianus, Eugenia, Acuta.
In Rome, [the feast of] Pope Antherus.
In Paris, the burial of the virgin saint Genoueua.
In Vienne, the burial of the blessed bishop Florentus.'
Weissenburg 81:
'On the third day before the Nones of January, in Hellespontus, in the city of Parethia, [the feast of] Ciricus, Primus, Theugenes.
And in the city of Tomis, [the feast of] Claudio, Eugenus, Rodus, and three brothers, Argeus, Narcissus, and Marcellinus, of a Christian boy, of bishop Felus, who [suffered] under Licinius, and Digoiunus, Eugentus, Rodo, Prima.
In Africa, [the feast of] Lucideus, Marcialis, Statulianus, Constantus, Possessor, Hilarinus, Pennica, Firmus, Candedus, Rogatianus, Eugenia, Aguta.
In Paris, the burial of the virgin Genoueua.
In Vienne, the burial of blessed bishop Florentus.
And the death of bishop Ermbertus.'
BAV 238:
'On the third day before the Nones of January, in Hellespontus, in the city of Parethia, [the feast of] Ciricus, Primus, Theugenes.
And in the city of Tomis, [the feast of] Claudio, Eugenus, Rodus, and three brothers, Argeus, Narcissus, and Marcellinus, of a Christian boy, of Filus the bishop, who under [the emperor] Licinius was taken from amongst the military recruits because he did not want to fight, was condemned to death, sent to prison and placed in fetters until, in response to an order (?), he was drowned but his body was carried to the shore; it was buried by highly religious people at the villa of Amantus, a man of religion, where great prayers are made, at the village of Iuvinus, of Eugentus, Sodo, Prima.
In Africa, [the feast of] Lucida, Marcialis, Statulianus, Constantus, Possessor, Hilarinus, Penniceus.'
Quentin follows all the manuscripts (including BAV 238).
Delehaye offers a corrected version of the commemoration of Theagenes (see Discussion).
Translation and comments: M. Vukovic.
Festivals
Saint’s feast
Cult PlacesBurial site of a saint - unspecified
RelicsBodily relic - entire body
Source
The Martyrologium Hieronymianum ('Martyrology of Jerome'), is the oldest extensive martyrology of the Latin West, listing the feast days of the saints for the entire calendar year, generally also specifying where their feasts are held (which is normally their place of burial). It derives its name from prefatory letters copied at the start of the martyrology, which attribute the text to the Church Father, Jerome of Stridon (ob. 420). These letters are present in all the earliest manuscripts, but it is uncertain when they were first attached to the text. The Hieronymianum is the primary source of all later martyrologies of the Latin world.It is universally accepted that the attribution to Jerome, intended to give the text greater authority, is false, and the predominant scholarly view is that the first version of the martyrology was compiled in northern Italy during the 5th century (probably in Aquileia), though no manuscript of this Aquileian redaction has survived. The text was then evidently revised and added to in Gaul, probably in Burgundy, around AD 600. The north Italian origin of the text, and its Gallic revision, are deduced from the presence in the martyrology of saints from northern Italy, and then of saints from Frankish Gaul. This Gallic version (sometimes referred to as the recensio gallica), just like its north Italian predecessor, does not survive in its original form in any manuscript (Lifshitz 2006, 14).
At some point in the 7th century, and no later than the early 8th, the Martyrologium reached Northumbria (in northern Britain), where it underwent some further revision and additions (Lapidge 2005, 45-46). From Northumbria, the text returned to the continent in the 8th century, and it is here that the earliest surviving manuscript copies were made, as listed below (Lapidge 2005, 73).
Some of the sources that were used by the compilers of the Martyrologium in northern Italy, and subsequently in Gaul, can be identified: the so-called Chronography of 354, a mid-4th-century list from Rome of saintly commemorations, primarily of local martyrs (E010151 and E01052); a lost Greek martyrology compiled at Nicomedia around 360 (drawn basically from Eusebius' Ecclesiastical History and Martyrs of Palestine), which was also a prime source for the Syriac Martyrology of 411 (E00465); the African Calendar of Carthage of 505/535 (E02195 - E02205); and early local calendars from Aquileia and Auxerre (Lifshitz 2006, 20).
The four earliest manuscripts of the Martyrologium Hieronymianum (three of them complete, one a fragment), on which all editions, including our own, are based, are all from eastern Francia and were copied in the eighth and early ninth centuries. They are as follows:
Ms Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF), lat. 10837
Written in the abbey of Echternach (in present-day Luxembourg) by a single scribe, Laurentius, between 703 and 710 (Lifshitz 2006, 32). The Catalogue of the BnF, which publishes BnF lat. 10837 on-line, also provides brief information about the dating: https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b6001113z/f22.image (click Information). The text of the Hieronymianum is at fol. 2r-32v.
Ms Wolfenbüttel, Herzog August Bibliothek, Weissenburg 81
From the abbey of Weissenburg in Alsace. Dated to around 800 by the Wolfenbüttel on-line catalogue: http://diglib.hab.de/?db=mss&list=ms&id=81-weiss&lang=en. Lifshitz argues that the manuscript dates from around 772, and was written in the Carolingian royal sphere, in or around Maastricht (Lifshitz 2006, 4). The text of the Hieronymianum is at fol. 7r-103r.
Ms Bern, Burgerbibliothek, Bongars 289
From the abbey of Saint-Avold, near Metz. De Rossi and Duchesne, in the introduction to their edition, argue that Bern 289 must have been written after 766. The text of the Hieronymianum is at fol. 53v-129v. This manuscript is not yet available on line, but we have been able to check it through a microfilm.
Ms Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, Pal. lat. 238
From the abbey of Lorsch, near Worms. The manuscript contains only a fragment (five pages) of the Hieronymianum, covering 25 December to 3 January, and 27 January to 31 January, written in Lorsch in the first half of the 9th century: http://bibliotheca-laureshamensis-digital.de/bav/bav_pal_lat_238). The fragment is at fol. 74-75, 1-2.
The standard edition of 1894, by G. B. de Rossi and L. Duchesne, published these four manuscripts in parallel columns. In 1931, H. Quentin produced a new edition, with a commentary by H. Delehaye, which attempted to collate the different manuscript readings into a single text.
Even though all the early manuscripts are believed to descend from the same redaction, they are by no means identical. In particular, BnF lat. 10837, the earliest of all, often contains a text which differs markedly from Bern 289 and Weissenburg 81, which are much closer to each other. Because the text varies between manuscripts, in content as well as spelling, it is now universally agreed that it will never be possible to create an 'authoritative' single text of the Martyrologium Hieronymianum. De Rossi and Duchesne in 1894, facing the same problem, decided to print for each day of the year the text of all four early manuscripts, in four columns, and we have followed their lead. Our edition is essentially based on their edition, though we have checked their readings against the manuscripts, and corrected or removed some letters, words, diacritical marks, and comments introduced by the editors that do not exist in the manuscripts. We have then added three more columns: for Quentin’s text for the feast day, which sometimes comes in one version, sometimes in two, and for Delehaye’s reconstruction of much of the text, drawn from his Commentary. Delehaye's erudition was, and remains, unmatched, and we have leaned heavily on his commentary (which is in Latin), but it should be noted that his reconstructed text often departs markedly from the manuscripts. Using his extraordinary knowledge of the saints and their hagiography, he felt able to combine different parts of the Hieronymianum's text, and to correct garbled versions of names, to produce a more coherent 'original'. We consider each of his principal suggestions in our Discussion (below), and attempt a judgment as to how plausible they are. In Delehaye's extensive notes there are also other, more tentative, suggestions, which we have not discussed systematically.
The reason the Martyrologium Hieronymianum is such a difficult text is because it consists primarily of long lists of names (with no punctuation and no consistency in the use of capital letters), which were often unfamiliar to copyists and so easily garbled. Generally, we cannot get behind these garbled variants, but occasionally we can, allowing us to shed light on how the text evolved into its current, often confused, state. For instance, an entry for 9 March (E04711) probably originally read something like 'In Armenia minore Sebastia milit(um) XL', 'In Lesser Armenia, at Sebasteia, [the feast of] the Forty Soldiers' - in other words a commemoration of the 'Forty Martyrs of Sebaste' (S00103), prominent saints in the East, but less well-known in the Latin West. In one of our manuscripts (Weissenburg 81) this has become 'In arminia minore sabastiani et milia XL', 'In Lesser Armenia, [the feast of] Sebastianus and the forty-thousand'; somewhere in the process of transmission, the city of Sebasteia has become the martyr Sebastianus, and the 'soldiers' (militum) have become 'thousands' (milia).
Discussion
All four of the earliest manuscripts of the Hieronymianum appear to open their entry for 3 January with the commemoration of three saints from the province of Hellespontus (in north-west Asia Minor), with only minor name variations - Ciricus/Cyricus, Primus, and Theoginis/Theugenis/Theugenes. The latter, as Delehaye argues, is certainly *Theagenes, martyr of Parium (S02211), which is in Hellespontus. Theagenes' Martyrdom is known (see below, and see our detailed summary and discussion at E06776), which dates his death to 4 January, while the Synaxarion of Constantinople (of around AD 1000) commemorates him on 3 January, just like the Hieronymianum. Parethia/Pharetia, the city of commemoration mentioned by the Hieronymianum is presumably a corruption of Parium. Ciricus/Cyricus and Primus appear in the Hieronymianum as companion martyrs of Theagenes, but they are not attested in his Martyrdom, and Delehaye argues that 'Cyrici Primi' is actually a corruption of 'Cyzici prima', and that we should read 'civitate Par(io) (quae est) Cyzici prima', 'in the city of Parium (which is) the first of Cyzicus', Cyzicus being the capital of the Roman province. A reconstruction along these lines is plausible.The martyrs commemorated in Tomis (on the Black Sea) - Claudio, Eugenis/Eugenus, Rodus, the three brothers Argeus/Argetus, Narcissus, and Marcellinus, Dioginus/Digoiunus, Eugentus, Rodo/Codo/Sodo, and Prima - are for the most part not readily identifiable. However, a Martyrdom from Rome, identified by Delehaye, includes the story of three slaves with exactly the same names as these three brothers (Argeus, Narcissus and Marcellinus), killed at Cora (near Rome), but with no reference to their being brothers (see our discussion of these saints, based on Delehaye, at E05071). Delehaye wonders whether the 'three brothers' of this Tomis entry actually refers to the preceding saints, Claudio, Eugenis and Rodus
Towards the end of the list, three of the early manuscripts (but not BnF 10837) appear to include a bishop Anifilus/Felus/Filus, Weissenburg 81 telling us that he suffered under Licinius; BAV 238 also says this and interrupt its list of martyrs with a summary account of a martyrdom (see next paragraph). Quentin and Delehaye dismiss the existence of Bishop Anifilus/Filus, arguing that 'Fili episcopi', '[the feast] of Filus the bishop', should read 'filii episcopi', '[the feast] of the son of a bishop'. They are certainly correct in this: this phrase and the 'pueri Christiani', 'of a Christian boy', which immediately precedes it, belong with the martyrdom summary (see next paragraph).
The summary martyrdom account given by BAV 238 was rightly identified by Delehaye as closely fitting that of Theagenes of Parium (summarised by us at E06776): Theagenes was a Christian boy, the son of a bishop, who, in the reign of Licinius, refused to serve in the army, and was eventually killed by being drowned in the sea, after which his body was miraculously recovered and buried. Somehow this summary became detached from the entry for Theagenes and migrated into the account of the martyrs of Tomis, creating along the way a non-existent Bishop Filus/Anfilus. Presumably it was originally a gloss in the margin of a manuscript of the Hieronymianum, which then got copied into the main text - but in entirely the wrong place! [Theagenes' bishop father continued to cause havoc with his son's hagiography - by the tenth century, in both the Menologion of Basil II and the Synaxarion of Constantinople, Theagenes had himself become bishop of Parium.]
The saints listed as commemorated in Africa - Lucideus/Lucida, Martialis/Marcialis, Statulianus, Constantus, Possesor, Hilarinus, Penniceus/Paenica/Pennica, Firmus, Candedus/Candidus, Rogatianus, Eugenia and Acuta/Aguta - are not otherwise known.
Ms Bern 289 alone records on 3 January a commemoration of *Anteros (bishop and martyr of Rome, S00170).
Three of the early manuscripts of the Hieronymianum (but not BAV 238) record commemoration in Paris for *Genovefa/Geneviève (ascetic of Paris, ob. c. 502, S01156), two manuscripts making it precise that this was the day of her burial.
The same three manuscripts record commemoration in Vienne (southern Gaul) of the burial of *Florentus (bishop of Vienne, S02213); he is known to have attended the Council of Valence in 374.
Finally, Ms Weissenburg 81 alone records the death of *Erembertus (bishop of Toulouse, and later monk of Fontenelle, ob. c. 675, S02215).
All unidentified saints are listed by us among *Other saints, on 3 January in the Martyrologium Hieronymianum: in Tomis and Africa (S02214).
Bibliography
Editions:De Rossi, G. B., and Duchesne, L., Martyrologium Hieronymianum ad finem codicum adiectis prolegomenis. Acta Sanctorum Nov.II.1 (Brussels, 1894).
Quentin, H. and Delehaye, H., Acta Sanctorum Nov.II.2 (Brussels, 1931).
On the Martyrologium Hieronymianum:
Duchesne, L., "A propos du martyrologe hiéronymien," Analecta Bollandiana 17 (1898), 421-447.
Lapidge, M., The Roman Martyrs. Introduction, Translations, and Commentary (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2018).
Lapidge, M., "Acca of Hexham and the Origin of the Old English Martyrology," Analecta Bollandiana 123 (2005), 29-78.
Lifshitz, F., The Name of the Saint. The Martyrology of Jerome and Access to the Sacred in Francia, 627-827 (Notre Dame, Indiana: University of Notre Dame Press, 2006).
Ó Riain, P., "A Northumbrian Phase in the Formation of the Hieronymian Martyrology. The Evidence of the Martyrology of Tallaght," Analecta Bollandiana 120 (2002), 311-363.
On the manuscripts of the Martyrologium Hieronymianum:
Butzmann, H., Die Weissenburger Handschriften (Frankfurt am Main: Klostermann, 1964), 242-243.
Muller, J. C., "Trois manuscrits liturgiques de l'abbaye d'Echternach à Paris," in Abteistadt Echternach, éd. P. Schritz, A. Hoffmann (Luxembourg, 1981), 202-206.
Ó Cróinín, D., "Rath Melsigi, Willibrord, and the Earliest Echternach Manuscripts," Peritia 3 (1984), 17-49.
Libaert, P., "Notice sur 43 manuscrits d'Echternach conservés à la bibliothèque nationale de Paris," Hémecht 1 (1985), 53-73.
McKitterick, R., Books, Scribes and Learning in the Frankish Kingdoms, Sixth-Ninth Centuries (Aldershot: Variorum, 1994).
On saints and calendars:
Farmer, D. H., Oxford Dictionary of Saints (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1978).
Nilles, N., Kalendarium Manuale utriusque Ecclesiae Orientalis et Occidentalis I-II (Farnborough: Gregg International Publishers Ltd, 1971).
Watkins, B., The Book of Saints: A Comprehensive Biographical Dictionary (London: Bloomsbury T&T Clark, 2015).
Datum Table
| BnF 10837 | Bern 289 | Weissenburg 81 | BAV 238 | Other Mss | Quentin | Quentin | Delehaye |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| III Nõ in helispoñ civĩ parethia cirici primi theoginis | III NON. IAN. In helisponto ciuitate pharetia cyrici primi Theugenis | III NON. IANUARIUS. In elisponto civitate parethia cirici primi theugenis | III. Non Ianuar̃. in ellesponto civit̃ parethia Cirici Primi Theugenis | In Helisponto civitate Parethia Cirici Primi Theogenis. | In Helisponto civitate Par(io) quae est Cyzici prima, Theogenis pueri christiani filii episcopi, qui sub Licinio inter tirones comprehensus, cum nollet militare, caesus ad mortem, carceri mancipatus, missus in ceppo est donec relatione esset responsum; demersoque in mare, delato corpore eius in litore, a religiosissimis viris depositum est in villa Amanti religiosi viri, ubi fiunt orationes magnae. | ||
| et in civĩ tomis claudonis eugenis rodi trium f̃frm argei narcissi et marcellini pueri xp̃iani et diogini eugenti rodonis primae | et in ciuit̃ Thomis. claudionis Eugeni. Rodi. et trium fratrum arget Narcissi et marcellini pueri xp̃i Anifili ep̃i et digoiuni. Eugenti Codonis. primae | et in civitate thomis claudionis eugeni rodi et trium fratrum argei narcissi. et marcellini pueri cristiani feli ep̃i qui sub licinio et digoiuni. eugenti. Rodonis primȩ. | Et in ciũ tomis Claudionis Eugeni Rodi et trium fratrum argei Narcissi et marcellini pueri xp̃iani Fili ep̃i qui sub licinio inter tyrones conp̃hensus cum nollet militare cesus ad mortem carcere mancipatus missus in ceppo est donec relatione esset responsũ dimersoq. in mare delato corpore eius in litore a religiosissimis viris depositū ē in villa amanti religiosi viri ubi fiunt orationes magnȩ et vico iuuini Eugenti Sodonis Primae | et in civitate Tomis Claudionis Eugenis Rodi et trium fratrum Argei Narcissi et Marcellini pueri christiani filii episcopi qui sub Licinio inter tyrones comprehensus cum nollet militare caesus ad mortem carcere mancipatus missus in ceppo est donec relatione esset responsum demersoque in mare delato corpore eius in litore a religiosissimis viris depositum est in villa Amanti religiosi viri ubi fiunt orationes magnae et Diogini Eugenti Rodonis Primae. | ---------------- | ||
| in af̃f martialis statuliani constanti possesoris hilarini firmi candidi rogatiani eugeniae lucidae acutae paenicae | In africa. lucidei marcialis statuliani constanti. possessoris Hilarini. pennicei. firmi candedi Rogatiani. eugeniȩ Acutae. | In affrica lucidei marcialis statuliani constanti possessores hilarini pennice firmi candedi rogatiani eugeniȩ agute | in Africa Lucidae Marcialis Statuliani Constanti Possessoris Hilarini Pennicei | in Africa Lucidei Martialis Statuliani Constanti Possessoris Hilarini Pennicei Firmi Candidi Rogatiani Eugeniae Lucidae Acutae Paenicae. | ---------------- | ||
| ---------------- | Rom̄. Antheri. papȩ. | --------------- | ---------------- | ---------------- | |||
| parisĩ genefevae virgiñ | parisius depõs sc̃ae genoueuȩ uirginis. | parisius depositio genoueuȩ virginis | Parisius depositio sanctae Genefevae virginis. | Parisius depositio sanctae Genefevae virginis. | |||
| vieñ depos̃ florenti | Uienna dep̃os. beati florenti ep̃i | Uienna depositio beati florenti ep̃i. | Vienna depositio beati Florenti episcopi. | Vienna depositio beati Florentii episcopi. | |||
| et est transitus domni Ermberti epi. | Romae Antheri Episcopi. |
Record Created By
Marijana Vukovic and Bryan Ward-Perkins
Date of Entry
13/05/2020
| ID | Name | Name in Source | Identity | S00170 | Anteros, bishop and martyr of Rome | Antherus | Certain | S01156 | Genovefa/Geneviève, ascetic of Paris, ob. c. 502 | Genefeva/Genoueua | Certain | S02211 | Theogenes, martyr of Parium in Hellespontus | Theugenes; Cyricus/Ciricus; Primus | Certain | S02213 | Florentus, bishop of Vienne, later 4th c. | Florentus | Certain | S02214 | Other saints, on 3 January in the Martyrologium Hieronymianum: in Tomis and Africa | Claudio; Eugenis/Eugenus; Rodus; Dioginus/Digoiunus; Eugentus; Rodo/Codo; Prima; Lucideus/Lucida; Martialis/Marcialis; Statulianus; Constantus; Possesor; Hilarinus; Penniceus/Paenica/Pennica; Firmus; Candedus/Candidus; Rogatianus; Eugenia; Acuta/Aguta | Certain | S02215 | Erembertus, bishop of Toulouse and monk of Fontenelle, ob. c. 675 | Ermbertus | Certain | S02737 | Narcissus, Argeus, and Marcellinus, brothers or slaves, martyrs of Tomis or Rome. | Argeus, Narcissus, Marcellinus | Certain |
|---|
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