Sebastian Bishop

ON ST. SEBASTIAN BISHOP.

Sebastian Bishop (St.)

G. H.

Among other Saints sometimes occurs the name of St. Sebastian. Under this most celebrated to the whole world is St. Sebastian Prince of the militia under Diocletian, who by his order pierced with arrows is venerated XX January. Another Sebastian was among the Theban Martyrs, with St. Alverius reported by us on day 11 January: of whom many more things remain to be said by us in the Supplement of the same month from MSS. sent to us from Fossano: and would that meanwhile it might happen to find the history of their finding, which to Baldesanus about the Thebans about to write was communicated, but which afterwards never again seen by them the Bishop and Canons of Fossano complain. Another Duke Sebastian, by St. Victor converted to the faith, and with the same and St. Photina crowned with martyrdom is noted on day XX March. A third Sebastian also, in Armenia with SS. Dionysius and Aemilianus a Martyr, is celebrated VIII February. And so elsewhere others will occur, as on this day St. Sebastian Bishop, inscribed in four ancient Martyrology Hieronymian apographs, as also in the Cologne Martyrology of the Church of St. Mary ad Gradus: but everywhere is mentioned of this St. Sebastian Bishop a deposition, that even from this could a suspicion arise, that he should rather be considered Confessor than Martyr. In the MSS. of Augsburg, of St. Udalric, and Paris of Labbe the bare name of St. Sebastian is brought forth. The rest are hidden, perhaps to be found at other times, and to teach what was his Episcopal See and at what time he lived: meanwhile we judge it referable to the four prior centuries of Christ, since in all the aforementioned Hieronymian Martyrologies follows St. Marcellianus, the second Bishop of the Church of Auxerre, of whom we are now about to treat.