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 9 October.
Evidence ID
E04981
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 9 October the following feasts:
*Diodoros and Hērakleōn, martyrs in Laodikeia, (S01094),
*Salsa, virgin and martyr of Tipasa, North Africa (S02130),
*Eusebius, priest and martyr of Rome under Constantius II, ob. 356/361 (S01413),
*Other saints, on 8 October in the Martyrologium Hieronymianum: in Africa and elsewhere (S02123),
*Gereon, martyr of Cologne, 4th cent. (S02122),
*Afra, martyr of Augsburg (S01797),
The burial of *Mauritanian martyrs with 330 others (S02129),
*Many martyrs of Vienne (S02128),
*Dionysius/Denis, bishop and martyr of Paris (S00349) and his companions Eleutherus and Rusticus,
*Marcellinus, Genuinus, Nuvius, Primina, martyrs of Rome, (S02127),
*Tarachos, Probus, and Andronikos, martyrs of Anazarbos, Cilicia, southeastern Asia Minor, ob. c. 304, (S00710),
*Other saints, on 9 October in the Martyrologium Hieronymianum: in Africa and elsewhere (S02131).
BnF 10837:
'On the seventh day before the Ides of October, in Frigia, [the feast of] Diodorus and Dionisus.
In Africa, [the feast of] Eusebus, Eradus, Dionisus, Septima, Secunda, Saisa.
And elsewhere, [the feast of] Caitus, Quintisus, Septiminus, Venustus, Beatus, Secundus, Donatus, Serena, Criscentus, presbyter Taracus, Andronicus, Nicetas, Vitalis, Firmina, Eraclus.
And elsewhere, [the feast of] Cassus, Eusebus, Florentus, Iocundus, Agripina.
The burial of the Mauritanian martyrs with 330 others.'
Bern 289:
'On the seventh day before the Ides of October, in Laodicea in Frigia, [the feast of] Diodorus.
And elsewhere, [the feast of] Atticus, Buttolus, Luddolus, Septimus, Iulius.
In Gaul, in the city of Cologne, the feast of Gereon with his companions, three-hundred-and-eighteen martyrs, whose names God knows.
In the province of Crete, the city of Augusta, the feast of Afra martyr.
In the city of Vienne, [the feast of] many martyrs.
In Paris, the feast of bishop Dionisus, presbyter Eleutherus, and deacon Rusticus.
In Rome, [the feast of] Marcellinus, Genuinus, Novius, and between the two laurel trees, [the feast of] Primina.
In Cilicia, [the feast of] Taracus, Probus, and Andronicus.'
Weissenburg 81:
'On the seventh day before the Ides of October, in the city of Laodicea in Frigia, the feast of Diudorus.
And elsewhere, [the feast of] Atticus, Buddulus, Luddolus, Septimus, Iulius.
In Gaul, in the city of Cologne, the feast of 317 martyrs, whose names God knows.
In the province of Crete, the city of Augusta, the feast of Afra martyr.
In the city of Vienne, [the feast of] many martyrs.
In Paris, the feast of bishop Dionisus, presbyter Eleutherus, and deacon Rusticus.
In Rome, [the feast of] Marcellinus, Genuinus, Nuvius, and between two laurel trees, [the feast of] Primina.
In Cilicia, [the feast of] Taracus, Probus, and Andronicus.'
Quentin follows the manuscripts to an extent.
Delehaye has his own assortment of saintly commemorations; he also introduces a few other commemorations which are not recorded in the early manuscripts.
Translation and comments: M. Vukovic.
FestivalsBurial site of a saint - unspecified
RelicsEcclesiastics - lesser clergy
Saint’s feast
Cult PlacesBurial site of a saint - unspecified
Burial site of a saint - cemetery/catacomb
RelicsBodily relic - entire body
Protagonists in Cult and NarrativesEcclesiastics - lesser clergy
Ecclesiastics - bishops
Women
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 Maastrict (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 three early manuscripts of the Martyrologium Hieronymianum record on 9 October the commemoration in Phrygia of *Diodōros, (martyr in Laodikeia and companion of Herakleon, S01094). He is also commemorated in this collection on 8 October (E04980). Manuscript BnF 10837 also records the saint Dionisus in Phrygia.Manuscript BnF 10837 records the same saint Dionisus to have commemoration in Africa. His name appears among the commemorations in Paris, according to Bern 289 and Weissenburg 81, and his identification will be explained later. Further among the saints in Africa, BnF records the saints Septima and Secunda in Africa, who are unidentified. The saint Salsa is *Salsa, (martyr of Africa, S02130). Delehaye seems to have been aware of this saint; he mentions her commemoration on 20 May in this collection (E04820). Manuscript BnF 10837 also repeats some of the saints from the day before (E04980), such as Eradus, who must be *Herakleon, (martyr in Laodikeia and companion of Diodoros, S01094), and *Eusebius, (priest and martyr of Rome under Constantius II, ob. 356/361, S01413). The saints Eradus and Dionisus have the same saint's card in this database.
Further follow the saints commemorated 'elsewhere', Caitus, Quintisus, Septiminus, Venustus, Beatus, Secundus, Donatus, Serena, Criscentus, Taracus, Andronicus, Nicetas, Vitalis, Firmina, Eraclus, Cassus, Eusebus, Florentus, Iocundus, and Agripina, who appear in BnF 10837 and who are not identified. Some of these saints reappear on 10 October (E04981).
Also, Atticus, Buddulus/Buttolus, Luddolus, Septimus, and Iulius, recorded to have commemoration in an unknown place in Weissenburg 81 and Bern 289 are not identified. Some of them are recorded also a day earlier, on 8 October (E04980), among *Other saints, on 8 October in the Martyrologium Hieronymianum: in Africa and elsewhere (S02123).
Manuscript Bern 289 records on 9 October the commemoration of *Gereon, (martyr of Cologne, 4th cent., S02122). The number of his companions in this manuscript is 318. Weissenburg 81 gives an insufficient information; it mentions only 317 companions.
Manuscripts Weissenburg 81 and Bern 289 record in Crete the commemoration of *Afra, (martyr of Augsburg, S01797), whom BnF 10837 records the day before (E04980).
BnF 10837 records on this date the burial of *Mauritanian martyrs with 330 other martyrs (S02129).
Weissenburg 81 and Bern 289 record the commemoration on 9 October of *Many martyrs of Vienne (S02128). Delehaye adds that their principal commemoration day is 19 September (E04961), when the translation of the bodies of many saints occurred in a basilica in Vienne.
Weissenburg 81 and Bern 289 record the commemoration on 9 October of *Dionysius/Denis, (bishop and martyr of Paris, S00349). They also bring in his two companions, Eleutherus and Rusticus, who are registered in the same saint's card. BnF 10837 mentions the three saints on the day before (E04980). This manuscript also mentions Dionisus commemorated in Phrygia and in Africa, which could possibly be a confusion with the same saint, *Dionysius/Denis, (bishop and martyr of Paris, S00349).
Weissenburg 81 and Bern 289 record the commemoration on 9 October in Rome of four saints: *Marcellinus, Genuinus, Nuvius, Primina, (martyrs of Rome, S02127). BnF 10837 records them the day before (E04980).
Weissenburg 81 and Bern 289 repeat the commemoration of *Tarachos, Probus, and Andronikos (martyrs of Anazarbos, Cilicia, south-eastern Asia Minor, ob. c. 304, S00710) from the day before (E04980).
Unidentified saints are listed by us among *Other saints, on 9 October in the Martyrologium Hieronymianum: in Africa and elsewhere ($S02131).
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VII iđ oct̃ frigia diodori et dionisi | UII. ID. OCTUB. IN LAUDICIE frigie ciuitate. Sc̃i Diodori. | UII ID. OCT. In ciuit̃ laudotiae frigiae nł sc̃i diudori | In Laodicia Frigiae civitate natale Diodori | In Laodicia Frigiae civitate natale Diodori | in Laodicea Frigiae civitate natale Eraclii 〈et〉 Diodori. | ||
| aff̃ eusebi eradi dionisi septimæ secundae salsae | |||||||
| et alibi caiti quintisi septimini venusti beati secundi donati serenae criscenti taraci prƀ andronici nicetae vitalis firminae eracli | et alibi Attici. Buttoli Luddoli. Septimi. Iulii. | et alibi attici budduli luddoli septimi iulii | et alibi Attici Lugduli Septimi Iuli. | et alibi Attici Buttoli Lugduli Septimi Iuli. | |||
| IN GALL. CIUIT. colonie. Agripini. Natał Sc̃orum. Gereon cū sociis suis tricentorum decim et VIII martyrum quorum nomina d̄s scit. | In gałł ciuit̃ coloniae agripini. nat̃ sc̃orum CCCXVII mar̃ quorum nomina ds̃ scit. | in Galliis civitate Colonia Agrippina sancti Gereon et aliorum CCCXCII martyrum quorum nomina Deus scit. | in Galliis civitate Colonia Agrippina sancti Gereon et aliorum CCCXCII martyrum quorum nomina Deus scit. | in Galliis civitate Colonia Agrippina sancti Gereon et aliorum CCCXCII martyrum quorum nomina Deus scit. | |||
| et alibi cassi eusebi florenti iocundi agripinae | |||||||
| IN PROUINTIA creta ciuitate agusta. NatałSc̃e Afre. mar̃ | In prouincia creta ciuit̃ agusta nał sc̃ae afrae mar̃ | in provincia Creta civitate Agusta natale Affreniae | in provincia Creta civitate Agusta natale Affreniae martyris. | in provintia Retia civitate Agusta natale Afrae veneriae martyris. | |||
| depõs sc̃or mãr maurorum cum alĩs CCCXXX. | |||||||
| IN UIGENNA Ciuit̃ Multorum martyr̃ | In ciuit̃ uienna multorum martyr̃ | in Vigenna civitate multorum martyrum. | |||||
| PARISIUS. Natał Sc̃orum. Dionisi ep̃i Eleutheri presbit̃ et Rustici. diaconi. | parisius natł sc̃orum dionisi ep̃i eleutheri prƀi et rustici diac̃ | Parisiis civitate sanctorum Dionisi Eleuteri presbyteri et Rustici diaconi. | Parisiis civitate sanctorum Dionisi episcopi Eleuteri presbyteri et Rustici diaconi. | Parisiis civitate sanctorum Dionisii episcopi, Eleutherii presbyteri et Rustici diaconi. | |||
| ROME. Marcellini. Genuini. Nouii ET INT. DUOS lauros. Sc̃e Primine | Romae marcellini genuini nuuii et inter duos laurus sc̃ae priminae | Romae Marcellini Genuini Nuvii. et inter duos lauros sanctae Priminae. | Romae Marcellini Genuini Nuvii. et inter duos lauros sanctae Priminae. | Romae inter duos Lauros Genuini. | |||
| IN CILICIA Taraci. Probi. et andronici. | In cilicia taraci probi et andronici. | in Cilicia Taraci Probi et Andronaci. | in Cilicia Taraci Probi et Andronaci. | in Cilicia Taraci, Probi et Andronici. | |||
| in Centulo monasterio translatio corporis beati Richarii confessoris. | |||||||
| Corbeia monasterio depositio Theodefridi abbatis. |
Record Created By
Marijana Vukovic
Date of Entry
19/12/2021
| ID | Name | Name in Source | Identity | S00349 | Dionysius/Denis, bishop and martyr of Paris, and his companions Rusticus and Eleutherius | Dionisus; Eleutherus; Rusticus | Certain | S00710 | Tarachos, Probos, and Andronikos, martyrs of Anazarbos, Cilicia | Taracus; Probus; Andronicus | Certain | S01094 | Herakleon and Diodoros, martyrs of Laodicea | Diodorus/Diudorus; Eradus | Certain | S01413 | Eusebius, priest and martyr of Rome under Constantius II, ob. 356/361 | Eusebus | Certain | S01797 | Afra, martyr of Augsburg | Afra | Certain | S02122 | Gereon, martyr of Cologne, 4th cent. | Gereon | Certain | S02123 | Other saints, on 8 October in the Martyrologium Hieronymianum | Atticus; Buddulus/Buttolus; Luddolus; Septimus; Iulius | Certain | S02127 | Marcellinus, Genuinus, Nuvius, Primina, martyrs of Rome | Marcellinus; Genuinus; Novius; Primina | Certain | S02128 | Many martyrs of Vienne | Multorum martyrum in Vienna | Certain | S02129 | Mauritanian martyrs | Maurorum martyrum | Certain | S02130 | Salsa, virgin and martyr of Tipasa | Salsa | Certain | S02131 | Other saints, on 9 October in the Martyrologium Hieronymianum: in Africa and elsewhere | Septima; Secunda; Caitus; Quintisus; Septiminus; Venustus; Beatus; Secundus; Donatus; Serena; Criscentus; Taracus; Andronicus; Nicetas; Vitalis; Firmina; Eraclus; Cassus; Eusebus; Florentus; Iocundus; Agripina | Certain |
|---|
Please quote this record referring to its author, database name, number, and, if possible, stable URL:
Marijana Vukovic, Cult of Saints, E04981 - http://csla.history.ox.ac.uk/record.php?recid=E04981