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 16 November.
Evidence ID
E05021
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 16 November the following feasts:
*Augustine and Felicity, martyrs at Capua, Italy, 3rd century, (S01993),
*Fidentian, Valerian, and companions, martyrs at Hippo Regius, Africa, (S01996),
*Eucherius, monk, and bishop of Lyon, ob. 449/451, (S01995),
The vigils for *Anianus, bishop of Orleans (northern Gaul), ob. AD 453, (S01206),
The dedication of a church of *Peter, the Apostle, (S00036) in Metz,
*Other saints, on 16 November in the Martyrologium Hieronymianum: in Africa, Antioch, Capua, and 'elsewhere,' (S02959).
BnF 10837:
'On the sixteenth day before the Kalends of December, in Capua, [the feast of] Agustinus and Felicitas.
In Africa, [the feast of] Vitalis, Ianuarus, Iusta.
And elsewhere, [the feast of] Videntianus, Marcialis, Donatus, Valerianus, Poetianus, Secundianus, Rufianus, Marcus, Valerus, Victor, Paulus, Honoratus, Donatus, Baricus, Vitalis, also Ianuarus, Iustus.
In Africa, [the feast of] Nerus, Paulus, Adrianus, Secundianus, Marcialis, Victor, Antigona, Aurelianus, Marcellus, Marina, Secundina, Frontonus.
In Antioch, [the feast of] Agustinus, Iusta, Aurica, Pontia, Fructuosa, Matrona, Fructa, Vincentia, Marcialis, Picimaria, Festa, Formata, Felicitas.
And in Capua, [the feast of] Vitalis, Ianuarus, Iusta, Iustus, Agustinus.
In Lyon (Gaul), [the feast of] bishop Cessarus.'
Bern 289:
'On the sixteenth day before the Kalends of December, in Africa, [the feast of] Rufinianus, Marcus, Valerus, Victor, Paulus, Honoratus, Donatus, Baricus, Vitalis, also Ianuarius, Iusta.
Also, in another place in Africa, [the feast of] Nereus, Paulus, Adrianus, Secundianus, Marcialis, Victor, Victurus, Anteconus, Aurelianus, Marcellus, Marina, Secundinus, Frontonus.
In Antioch, [the feast of] Agustinus, Iusta, Aurica, Pontia, Fructuosa, Matrona, Fruta, Vincentia, Marcus, Arispicus, Maria, Fista, Furtunata, Felicitas.
And in Capua, [the feast of] Vitalis, Ianuarius, Iustus, Agustinus, also Iustus.
In Lyon in Gallia, [the feast of] bishop and confessor Eucherus and vigilia for Anianus.
On the same day, the dedication of the larger church of the blessed Peter the Apostle in Metz above the bishopric.'
Weissenburg 81:
'On the sixteenth day before the Kalends of December, in Africa, the feast of Rufinianus, Marcus, Valerus, Victor, Paulus, Honoratus, Donatus, Baricus, Vitalis, also Ianuarus, Iustus.
And elsewhere, the feast of Fidencianus, Marcialis, Donatus, Valerianus, Poetianus.
Also in another place in Africa, the feast of Nerus, Paulus, Adrianus, Secundianus, Victorus, Anteconus, Aurelia, Marcellus, Marina, Frontinus, Secundinus.
In Antioch, [the feast of] Agustinus, Iusta, Aurica, Pontia, Fructuosa, Matrona, Fructa, Vincentia, Marcus, Arispicus, Maria, Fista, Furtunata, Felicitas.
And in Capua, the feast of Vitalis, Ianuarus, Iustus, Agustianus.
In Lyon in Gallia, burial of bishop Eucerus.'
Quentin carefully followed all the different readings in the manuscripts.
Delehaye recorded the commemoration of several saints only.
Translation and comments: M. Vukovic
Liturgical ActivitiesSaint’s feast
Cult PlacesCult building - independent (church)
Places Named after SaintVigils
Protagonists in Cult and NarrativesEcclesiastics - bishops
Ceremony of dedication
FestivalsSaint’s feast
Anniversary of church/altar dedication
Cult PlacesCult building - independent (church)
Descriptions of cult places
Places Named after SaintChurch
Non Liturgical ActivityVigils
Construction of cult buildings
Protagonists in Cult and NarrativesEcclesiastics - 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
On 16 November, BnF 10837 of the Martyrologium Hieronymianum opens its entry with a commemoration of *Augustine and Felicity (martyrs at Capua, Italy, 3rd century, S01993), who are also commemorated in the Hieronymianum on November 17 (E05022). Augustine is also commemorated in Antioch on this day in the Martyrologium Hieronymianum, as well in Capua, according to all the early manuscripts.Futher, a number of saints are recorded in Africa, according to all the early manuscripts. Among them, Vitalis, Ianuarius/Ianuarus, and Iustus/Iusta, are not identified. Delehaye believes that they appear in the Martyrologium Hieronymianum on May 8 (E04807). Also, among the saints in Africa, Rufinianus and Honoratus are not identified, but Delehaye suggests that they appear in this collection on February 24 (E04698). Marcus is also not identified, but Delehaye suggests that this saint appears again on May 8 (E04807). Also, Donatus, Victor, Paulus, Baricus and Valerus commemorated in Africa are not identified.
Further below, also in Africa, the saints Nerus/Nereus and Antigona/Anteconus are not identified, but Delehaye suggests that they appear in this collection also on May 8 (E04807). Also, Adrianus, Secundianus, Marcialis, Marcellus, commemorated in Africa, are not identified. Aurelianus/Aurelia, commemorated in Africa is not identified, but Delehaye suggests that this saint may appear in this collection also on February 24 (E04698). Marina, Secundina/Secundinus, and Frontonus/Frontinus, commemorated in Africa, are not easily identified, although Delehaye suggested that these three martyrs are from Antioch, and they are mentioned in a homily by Pseudo-Eusebius (BHO 700).
As for the saints commemorated 'elsewhere,' Videntianus and Fidencianus are probably the same saints as recorded on November 15 (E05020), *Fidentian, Valerian, and companions (martyrs at Hippo Regius, Africa, S01996). Poetianus, commemorated 'elsewhere,' is also not identified. The rest of the saints, Marcialis, Donatus, Valerianus, Secundianus, Rufianus, Marcus, Valerus, Victor, Paulus, Honoratus, Donatus, Baricus, Vitalis, Ianuarus, and Iustus, unidentified, mainly repeat the names of the saints commemorated in Africa.
Furthermore, the saints commemorated in Antioch on this date, Iusta, Aurica, Pontia, Fructuosa, Matrona, Fructa/Fruta, Vincentia, Marcialis, Marcus, Arispicus, Picimaria/Maria, Festa/Fista, Formata/Furtunata in Antioch are not identified. The names Agustinus and Felicitas appear again, as above, and they are *Augustine and Felicity (martyrs at Capua, Italy, 3rd century, S01993).
Bern 289 and Weissenburg 81 record the commemoration of the feast day/or burial of Eucherus/Eucerus, who is identified as *Eucherius (monk, hermit, and archbishop of Lyons, 5th cent., S01995). In BnF 10837, there is probably a confusion with the name Cessarus. This saint is mentioned by Gregory of Tours, who recounts a vision in which *Nicetius (bishop of Lyon in Gaul, ob. 573, S00049), accompanied by Justus and *Eucherius (earlier bishops of Lyon), asserted the value of his dead body (E00064).
Bern 289 also records a vigilia for *Anianus (bishop of Orleans (northern Gaul), ob. AD 453, S01206) on November 16 in the Martyrologium.
Bern 289 also records in the margin that there is a commemoration of the dedication of the larger church of *Peter (the Apostle, S00036) in Metz above the bishopric on 16 November.
Unidentified saints are listed by us among *Other saints, on 16 November in the Martyrologium Hieronymianum: in Africa, Antioch, Capua, and 'elsewhere,' (S02959).
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| XVI k dē in capua agustini et felicitatis | In Capua Agustini et Felicitatis | in Capua Agustini et Felicitatis. | |||||
| in af̃f vitalis ianuari iustae | XUI KL. DEC. IN AFRICA. Rufiniani Marci. Ualeri. Uictoris. Pauli. Honorati. Donati Barici. Uitalis. It. Ianuarii Iustȩ. | XUI KL. DEC. in africa ntł sc̃orum rufiniani marci ualeri uictoris pauli honorati donati barici uitalis Item ianuari iusti | in Africa Vitalis Ianuari Iustae. | in Africa Rufiani Marci Valeri Victoris Pauli Honorati Donati Barici Vitalis item Ianuari Iusti. | |||
| et alibi videntiani marcialis donati valeriani poetiani secundiani rufiani marci valeri victoris pauli honorati donati barici vitalis it̃ ianuari iusti | et alibi nł sc̃orum fidenciani marcialis donati ualeriani poetiani. | et alibi Videntiani Marcialis Donati Valeriani Poetiani Secundiani Rufiani Marci Valeri Victoris Pauli Honorati Donati Barici Vitalis item Ianuari Iusti. | et alibi natale sanctorum Fidenciani Marcialis Donati Valeriani Poetiani. | ||||
| it̃ af̃f neri pauli adriani secundiani marcialis victoris antigonae aureliani marcelli marinae secundinae frontoni | It. Alio. loco. IN AFRICA. Nerei. Paułi. Adriani. Secundiani. Marcialis. Uictoris. Uicturi. Anteconi. Aureliani Marcelli. Marinȩ Secundini. Frontoni. | Item alio loco in africa ntł sc̃orum neri pauli adriani secundiani uictori anteconi aurelia marcelli marinae frontini secundini. | item alio loco in Africa Neri Pauli Adriani Secundiani Marcialis Victoris Antigonae Aureliani Marcelli Marinae Secundinae Frontoni. | item alio loco in Africa Neri Pauli Adriani Secundiani Marcialis Victoris Victuri Antigonae Aureliani Marcelli Marinae Secundinae Frontoni. | |||
| in antioc̃ agustini iustae auricae pontiae fructuosae matronae fructae vincentiae marcialis picimariae festae formatae felicitatis | IN ANTIOCHIA Agustini. Iustȩ. Auricȩ Pontie. Fructuosȩ. Matronȩ. Frutȩ Uincentiȩ. Marci. Arispici. Mariȩ Fiste [prius Fisti] Furtunatȩ. Felicitatis. | In anthiocia agustini iustae auricae pontiae fructuosae matronae fructae uincentiae marci arispici mariae fistae furtunate felicitatis | in Antiochia Agustini Iustae Auricae Pontiae Fructuosae Matronae Fructae Vincentiae Marcialis Picimariae Festae Formatae Felicitatis. | in Antiochia Agustini Iustae Auricae Pontiae Fructuosae Matronae Fructae Vincentiae Marcialis Picimariae Festae Formatae Felicitatis. | in Antiochia Marini, Secundini, Frontoni. | ||
| et in capua vitalis ianuari iustae iusti agustini | ET IN CAPUA. Uitalis. Ianuarii. Iusti Agustini. It. Iusti. | et in capua natł sc̃orum uitalis ianuari iusti agustiani | et in Capua Vitalis Ianuari Iustae Iusti Agustini. | et in Capua Vitalis Ianuari Iustae Iusti Agustini. item Iusti. | |||
| lugdū cessari ep̃i | LUGDUNO Gałł Eucheri ep̃i et conf̃ et uigł Sc̃i Aniani | lugduno gałł dep̃ sc̃i euceri ep̃i | Lugduno Galliae Eucheri episcopi. | Lugduno Galliae Eucheri episcopi. | Lugduno Galliae Eucherii episcopi. | ||
| Et eodem die dedicatio ecclesiae maioris beati petri apost(ol)i mettins(is) infra episcopio |
Record Created By
Marijana Vukovic
Date of Entry
17/10/2021
| ID | Name | Name in Source | Identity | S00036 | Peter, the Apostle | Petrus | Certain | S01206 | Anianus/Annianus, bishop of Orléans, ob. 454 | Anianus | Certain | S01993 | Augustinus and Felicitas, martyrs of Capua | Agustinus; Felicitas | Certain | S01995 | Eucherius, monk, and bishop of Lyon, ob. 449/451 | Eucherus/Eucerus/Cessarus | Certain | S01996 | Fidentianus, Valerianus, and companions, martyrs of Hippo Regius (Africa) | Videntianus; Fidencianus | Certain | S02959 | Other saints, on 16 November in the Martyrologium Hieronymianum: in Africa, Antioch, Capua, and 'elsewhere' | Vitalis; Ianuarius/Ianuarus; Iusta/Iustus; Rufinianus/Rufianus; Honoratus; Donatus; Victor; Paulus; Baricus; Marcus; Valerus/Valerianus; Nereus/Nerus; Antigona/Anteconus; Adrianus; Secundianus; Marcialis; Marcellus; Secundinus/Secundina; Frontonus/Frontinus; Aurelianus/Aurelia; Marina; Iusta; Aurica; Pontia; Fructuosa; Matrona; Fructa/Fruta; Vincentia; Marcialis; Marcus; Arispicus; Picimaria; Fista/Festa; Formata/Furtunata; Poetianus | Certain |
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