Letter to Bishop Ceraunius of Paris from a correspondent named Warnacharius, sending him the Acts of *Speusippus, Elasippus and Melasippus (triplets and martyrs of Langres, in eastern Gaul, S02046) and of *Desiderius (bishop and martyr of Langres, S02197). Written in Latin in Gaul, probably Langres, c. 610/620.
E05943
Literary - Letters
Letter of Warnacharius to Ceraunius, bishop of Paris
SANCTO ET A ME PONTIFICALI APICE PRAEFERENDO, DOMNO CERAUNIO PAPAE, WARNECARIUS
Praecipuis beatissimorum episcoporum personis assidue coaequari meritis non desistis: in omni conversatione sacerdotii sancta quotidie exornare religionem festinans, divinarum scripturarum dogmata peragrasti; nunc sanctorum martyrum gesta ad laudis tuae cumulum pro amore religionis congregare in urbe Parisiaca devotus intendis. Unde sancto Eusebio Caesariensi in aemulationis studio coaequandus es et pari gloriae dono perpetualiter memorandus. Da veniam nostrae imperitiae, quoniam te tantum laudare non sufficimus, quantum esses, cordi si facundia succurrerit, praeferendus. Gesta sanctorum geminorum, qui in suburbio Lingonicae civitatis pretiosam adepti sunt consummationem martyrii, vel beatissimi Desiderii martyris et antistitis ipsius civitatis, sicut devotionis studio imperastis, ita desiderantissimę meae famulationis obedientia cognoscatis.
'WARNECARIUS TO THE LORD BISHOP CERAUNIUS, HOLY AND WORTHY TO BE EXALTED BY ME AT THE SUMMIT OF PRIESTHOOD
In your merits you do not cease assiduously to equal the outstanding persons of the most blessed bishops. Hurrying to adorn religion every day in the entire holy character of your priesthood, you have spread wide the teaching of the divine scriptures. Now you devotedly intend to gather together in the city of Paris the acts of the holy martyrs, to heap up your renown for love of religion. By this you will be the equal in devotion of zeal to the holy Eusebius of Caesarea, and should be remembered perpetually with an equal share of glory. Grant forgiveness to our inexperience, because we are not able to praise you by as much as should be bestowed on you, if eloquence aids the heart. Just as, in pursuit of devotion, you have requested the Acts of the holy triplets, who received the precious consummation of martyrdom outside the walls of the city of Langres, and of the blessed Desiderius, martyr and bishop of the city itself, so you will recognise the obedience of my most eager service.'
Text: Gundlach 1892, 457.
Translation: David Lambert.
Transmission, copying and reading saint-related texts
Protagonists in Cult and NarrativesEcclesiastics - bishops
Ecclesiastics - lesser clergy
Source
The letter of Warnacharius was addressed to Bishop Ceraunius of Paris, who was in office in the early 7th century (his only precisely dated attestation is his attendance at the Council of Paris in 614). It survives through being copied in some of the manuscripts of the Martyrdom of Speusippus, Elasippus and Melasippus (BHL 7829), one of the two Martyrdoms mentioned in the letter, in which it appears at the beginning of the text as a de facto preface. This is the case in the three manuscripts that Gundlach used for his edition: Montpellier, Bibliothèque universitaire historique de médecine H 154 (formerly Faculté de médecine 154), fol. 37v (9th c.); Paris, Bibliothèque nationale, lat. 17625, fol. 130v (10th c.) (digitised: https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b10547742w); Saint-Omer, Bibliothèque d'Agglomération, ms 791, fol. 117v (11th c.) (digitised: https://arca.irht.cnrs.fr/ark:/63955/md23hx11zc9t).It has often been assumed that Warnacharius was the author of the Martyrdoms he sent to Ceraunius (e.g. Picard 1986, 53, and his entry in PCBE 4, 'Warnacharius 2'), but his letter does not explicitly claim authorship, nor does it give Ceraunius credit for commissioning them, in spite of its fulsome praise for him. Nor does Warnacharius' letter appear in all the manuscripts of the Martyrdom of Speusippus, Elasippus and Melasippus – for example it does not appear in the so-called Turin legendary of around 800 (see E06512). There are at least 52 manuscripts of the Martyrdom (Philippart 2014, 262), and it is not clear how many include the letter of Warnacharius, though its presence even in a minority indicates that the copy of the Martyrdom that he sent to Ceraunius must be the source of at least part of the manuscript tradition. No critical edition of the Martyrdom, based on a full survey of the manuscripts – which might clarify the matter – has ever been produced (Philippart 2014, 261).
There are also indications that the wider cycle of texts of which the Martyrdom of Speusippus, Elasippus and Melasippus formed part – the so-called Burgundian martyrdoms – dates from the early 6th century, about a century before the time of Warnacharius and Ceraunius (see discussion in E06512). Joseph van der Straeten, the author of the main study of the Burgundian martyrdoms, noted that this meant that Warnacharius could not have been the author (van der Straeten 1961, 134). More recently, Philippart has expressed some caution about van der Straeten's reconstruction, but without wishing to attribute the Martyrdom to Warnacharius or date it later than the 6th century (Philippart 2014, 261).
Discussion
The letter of Warnacharius states that Bishop Ceraunius of Paris was collecting the acts of the martyrs (perhaps compiling a codex in which they were copied) and had requested copies of two Martyrdoms associated with Langres in eastern Gaul, those of the triplets (tergemini) Speusippus, Elasippus and Melasippus, and of Bishop Desiderius. The former text was an adaptation of a Greek martyr act, which transferred the action from its original location of Cappadocia to Langres. Warnacharius' reference to the execution of the triplets just outside Langres (in suburbio Lingonicae civitatis) indicates that it was this version (BHL 7829, E06512) that he sent to Ceraunius. His letter therefore serves to provide a terminus ante quem for its composition (for full discussion of its date, see E06512). A Martyrdom of Desiderius of Langres is also extant (BHL 2145, E06295), presumably the text mentioned by Warnacharius.The identity of Warnacharius is uncertain. There was a prominent political figure in Gaul at the time named Warnacharius, the Mayor of the Palace in Burgundy from 613 to 626 (PLRE III, 'Warnacharius 2'). He has often been identified as the writer of the letter (as he is in his PLRE entry), but there is no positive evidence for this beyond his name. It seems more likely that the writer of the letter was a cleric at Langres, though the possibility that it was the politician cannot be excluded.
Bibliography
Editions:Gundlach, W., Epistolae Merowingici et Karolini aevi (Monumenta Germaniae Historica, Epistolae 3; Berlin 1892), 457 (text of the letter in isolation).
Acta Sanctorum, Ian. II (Antwerp, 1643), 76 (as preface to the Martyrdom of Speusippus, Elasippus and Melasippus).
Further reading:
Martindale, J.R., The Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire III, A.D. 527-641 (Cambridge, 1992) [= PLRE III].
Philippart, G., "Passio Speusippi, Eleusippi, Meleusippi, BHL 7829", in: M. Goullet (ed.), Le légendier de Turin: ms. D.V.3 de la Bibliothèque nationale universitaire (Florence: SISMEL, 2014), 257-278.
Picard, J.-Ch., "Langres," in: Beaujard, B. et al., Topographie chrétienne des cités de la Gaule. IV Province ecclesiastique de Lyon (Lugdunensis Prima) (Paris: Boccard, 1986), 47-54.
Pietri, L., and Heijmans, M., Prosopographie chrétienne du Bas-Empire 4. Prosopographie de la Gaule chrétienne (314-614), 2 vols. (Paris, 2013) [= PCBE 4].
van der Straeten, J., "Les actes des martyrs d'Aurélien en Bourgogne. Étude littéraire," Analecta Bollandiana 79 (1961), 115-144.
David Lambert
07/09/2024
| ID | Name | Name in Source | Identity | S02046 | Speusippos, Elasippos and Melesippos, triplets and martyrs of Cappadocia, and later of Langres | sancti gemini | Certain | S02197 | Desiderius, martyr of Langres | Desiderius | Certain |
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