ON THE MANY HOLY MARTYRS AT ROME THROUGH FALSE CHARGE OF FIRE KILLED. A.D. 64, HISTORICAL COMMENTARY
On the cause, manner, place & time of this martyrdom, & beginning of cult. The Many Martyrs under Nero at Rome (SS.)
BY THE AUTHOR D. P.
With Consuls C. Lecanius Bassus & M. Licinius Crassus, The burned city's odium from himself to remove Nero, that is in the year of the vulgar Era 64, XIV Kalends Sextilis, or XIX July, on which day formerly the Senonian Gauls had inflamed the captured city; most savage at Rome stirred up a fire for nine continuous days lasted; as it fully Tacitus describes lib. 15 Annal. Happened this with such Nero's with the people infamy, because by manifest was established arguments by his order let in, & spread & to be extinguished prohibited had been (as Suetonius, Dio & others write, & sufficiently openly indicates Tacitus himself) that that opinion by no arts could be extinguished. Christians to be accused he makes Therefore for abolishing the rumor, says the same Tacitus, Nero substituted as accused, with most exquisite punishments afflicted, those whom on account of crimes hated the populace Christians called… Therefore first were seized those who confessed (rather were feigned to confess, because they confessed themselves Christians) then by indication of them, or rather suborned for this in the manner Neronian of accusers, a multitude immense, not so much in the crime of fire, as in hatred of the human race, were convicted. This namely was to be his Christ had foretold, You shall be hated by all men because of my name. & most cruelly to be killed, Adds Tacitus, & to those perishing were added mockeries, that with skins of beasts covered, by tearing of dogs they might perish; or to crosses affixed, or to be burned, & when the day had failed, into the use of nocturnal light they would be turned.
[2] The last manner of cruel butchery looked upon Juvenal Sat. 1 when he said, Put Tigillinus, with a torch you will shine in that, In which standing they burn, who with fixed throat smoke. To which place an old in Pithou's Glossographer, Tigillinus if thou shalt offend or accuse, him namely the same, with many of them fixed & burned, in whose for this from Nero suborned estates the fire had broken out by Tacitus's testimony, alive thou shalt burn, just as in Nero's spectacle, to the people from his own evil's sense to be diverted exhibited, of whom he had ordered candles to be made, that they would shine for spectators, with throats fixed, lest they curve themselves. But how fixed? Hear Seneca, who these very things either watched, or (if cruelty abominating to be present he was unwilling) from spectators had heard, Epist. 14 expounding, what through force of a more powerful happen evils, beyond natural formidable; in which & driven through the middle man, who through the mouth emerges, a stake; Σκολόπισμα the Greeks called: Impalement now we say, by Hungarians today still in usage against rebels punishment. Thus moreover fixed Nero with torch, papyrus, & wax overclothed, says the same Glossographer, & thus fire to be applied he ordered.
[3] in his Vatican gardens, His gardens to that spectacle had offered Nero, says Tacitus, & consequently across the Tiber outside the city, opportune for averting the people from the mournful of such great a ruin's sight, proves our Donatus, lib. 3 de urbe Roma cap. 23, From the Obelisk, which near the Sacrarium of S. Peter's temple before Sixtus V erected, the middle once of the gardens' circus, in which it had been placed, designated. For, according to Pliny lib. 13 cap. 11, a third Obelisk was in the Vatican of Caius & Nero Princes circus: & Tacitus lib. 14 shows, enclosed in the Vatican valley a space, in which horses Nero trained: for also to charioteer he wished, by Suetonius's testimony cap. 22, & this he did with placed in the gardens beginning; in those certainly which there he had from Domitia his aunt's inheritance; where then crucified S. Peter. for which then most ample others to himself he designated, in that city's space which with buildings empty the flames had made. In that therefore place, in which in the following year soon to be crucified was Christian all church's Prince Peter, This although in August month done, with his blood dedicated that of the first Christians at Rome immense Multitude; & that not on one nor certain day, but several consequently, & verisimilarly throughout month's August beginnings all. Closer yet to the very Apostles' Birthday to move, & to it to premise their memory it seemed to those, who Gregory XIII by order the Roman Breviary to be reformed; or rather, for Usuard's Martyrology shorter, a new & much more ample to form undertook; is chosen however the day 24 June assumed both here & elsewhere liberty, to those, of whom none in the sacred Fasti existed a day, & yet known sanctity was, a convenient day to assign.
The formula of commemorating them this pleased, after the indicated Baptist's Birthday.
[4] At Rome the commemoration of holy Martyrs, who under Nero Emperor, from the authors of the Roman of today: of the city's burning through false accusation accused, with various death kind by the same were ordered to be most savagely killed: of whom some with beasts' skins covered, to tearings of dogs were exposed; others to crosses affixed, & others to burning delivered, that when the day had failed, into the use of nocturnal light they would serve. Were these all of the Apostles' disciples, & first-fruits of Martyrs, which the Roman Church, fertile field of Martyrs, before the Apostles' death sent to the Lord. Michaël Angelo Lualdi, who in two tomes, in the year 1651 at Rome published, in Italian described the Propagation of the Gospel through the West, of the 2nd Tome's book 2 whole he spent on the Martyrdom aforesaid to be illustrated, through Chapters altogether forty-six. To us not is at leisure to be so prolix, nor laboriously to be demonstrated I think, either true Martyrs they were, or of Roman Martyrs altogether first. who rightly first-fruits of martyrs they named, A multitude also immense thus killed, to asserting Tacitus not will doubt to believe even Dodwell himself, who among Cyprianic dissertations, one placed XI in order, on Martyrs' fewness in the primeval church's persecutions, & on the faith of Acts & Martyrologies. See him refuted in passing in the Critics of Pagi, at the aforesaid year num. 31, simul & demonstrated (about which elsewhere to have doubted me I recall) that a universal persecution was thereafter followed by saying Orosius lib. 9; First Nero at Rome the Christians with punishments & deaths afflicted, & through all Provinces with equal persecution to be tortured mandated.
[5] Of those however, who then everywhere suffered Martyrs, very few to our came notice; although passed over in older Martyrologies, nor verisimilar is it, in first everywhere consternation to anyone into mind to have come these things in writing to commit; that here we must flee not to the malice of those, who in following centuries with worst used diligence, that of triumphs ecclesiastical monuments to abolish. Clement indeed the Pope is ascribed, that for collecting Martyrs' Acts Notaries by region he ordered: which long after to be written first began, but such Notaries, at the highest instituted under Domitian were; when under Vespasian & Titus more quietly acting Christians, with public again persecution were vexed. Through those however Notaries, both the day of each & manner of punishment to be known to be transmitted to posterity could, & material to be prepared for the first Martyrologies' writers, of whom most ancient altogether is that, which Hieronymian we call. This if had known Michael Angelo aforepraised, & how recently of these Romans' Commemoration was inserted into the Fasti, or how was augmented that which today we use Martyrology; nor most ancient of all & first, & under S. Clement begun this he would have believed, nor persuaded himself cap. 22, month & day of Neronian cruelty certainly to be held in that designated. This however I know not how even to think he could, most recently however the Roman. since he knew the burning of the city to have begun XIX July? Did he perhaps esteem, that all eleven months waited Nero, that by laying upon his crime Christians from himself he would remove of the deed's odium? But if this cannot be thought; & from Tacitus is established milder previously of bestowals & sacrifices remedies were tried, with which not succeeding it came at last to Christians let; not before the month of August surrounded by false charge Christians to have been, ought indubitably to be held.