ON ST. ANTONINUS, MARTYR, AT PIACENZA IN ITALY.
Preliminary CommentaryAntoninus or Antonius, M., at Piacenza in Italy. (S.)
BY J. C.
The holy Martyr known from the Martyrologies While treating at the XXII day of this month the Martyrdom of the holy Theban Martyrs, I collected in the Posthumous Glory certain particular matters which concern the Martyrs believed to be of the Theban Legion, and not to be met with by name in the Roman Martyrology. There, in the Addenda, page 915, §9, in order to give timely warning, I said that nothing special had come to us about St. Antoninus, patron of Piacenza, after our Sollerius had opened his mind, volume 2 of July, page 7 and following. There, in the Commentary as a forerunner to the days II, III and XXX of September, §2, he treats particularly of St. Antoninus of Piacenza and inquires who, of what sort, and of what country he was, when and where he suffered; and he establishes this above all, that a certain St. Antoninus or Antonius, more probably a martyr, is to be granted to the men of Piacenza. Sollerius's arguments for this matter are beyond doubt, for he alleges most ancient Martyrologies, in which both the Saint's name and his arena, or the place where he was chiefly honoured, Piacenza, are inscribed at this XXX day of September. The most ancient Hieronymian codex of Echternach announces there: At Piacenza, the birthday of Antonius. The Lucca codex is added: In the city of Piacenza, of saint Anthonius. A little more distinctly the Corbie codex has it in this manner: In the city of Piacenza, the birthday of saint Antoninus the martyr; with which the Blume codex agrees.
[2] The Acts are unknown. To these four venerable monuments of antiquity there are added, from the more abridged Hieronymian Fasti, the Augsburg, Labbe and Corbie Martyrologies, where the same holy Martyr is read announced, yet not without errors. Usuard, who received St. Antoninus from the Hieronymian sources, makes him a Confessor — I know not from what cause of error. And these are the indubitable monuments which assert St. Antoninus or Antonius a martyr belonging to the men of Piacenza. Baronius celebrates the Saint in these words: At Piacenza, St. Antoninus the martyr, of the same Legion — the Theban, namely, of which there is mention just before in the announcement of SS. Victor and Ursus. Whence the most eminent writer received what he adds beyond the primitive Martyrologies, Sollerius adds: namely from the bishop of Equilio and from Maurolyco, before whom he found it nowhere asserted that St. Antoninus was a martyr of the Theban Legion and of St. Maurice's company; nor do I find it either. He therefore banishes among the fables of a more recent age both these things and whatever very lengthy matters the modern writers of Piacenza report from monuments that are not ancient, whom he refutes in §§5 and 6. Since I do not see that the men of Piacenza have opposed anything to Sollerius's arguments, having been amicably and often invited to do so, I refer the reader thither, lest by sifting the same things again I should do what is done.