apostolicfathers0201clem - Carmel Apologetics

HADRIAN, PIUS, AND MARCUS. S^S
[cit]. The architecture of the chamber in which it is placed is confidently assigned
by De Rossi to the age of the Antonines.
A basilica of S. Felicitas was likewise discovered in the year 1812 near the Baths
of Titus ;
and on one of the walls were inscribed words which might be read 'AXe^au-
Spo6 Tore 56fios 65e (Piale in Guattani's Memorie Enciclopediche sulk Antichita etc. di
Roma, 1816, p. 153 sq).
It is conjectured that Alexander was the husband of Felicitas
(the legend gives her a son Alexander, still an infant, when he was martyred), and that
as a widow she occupied the house after his death (Doulcet p, ^lo; comp. De Rossi
Bull, di Archeol. Crist. 1869, p. 45, 1876, p. 47). In this building Gregory the
Great delivered his extant homily {In Evang. Horn. i. 3, Op. v. p. 151 sq, Venet. 1769)
in honour of S. Felicitas. It is described as 'habita ad populum in basilica sanctae
Felicitatis martyris in die natali ejus', and in the course of the homily Gregory says,
'Adest beata Felicitas cujus hodie natalitia celebramus...septem quippe filios, sicut
in gestis ejus emendatioribus legiiwr, sic post se timuit vivos in carne relinquere, etc'
It is
supposed that these 'gesta emendatiora' are the Acts of which we are speaking,
and that Gregory contrasts them with the longer form which (as I have mentioned)
is printed in the Bollandist Acta Sanctorum.
But this seems to me very questionable. This same Gregory, sending as
reliques to the Lombard Queen Theodolind oil from the tombs of the martyrs at
Rome, accompanies them with a list (Ruinart p. 634, De Rossi Rom. Sotterr. i. p.
176). In one part of the list we have 'Sanctae Felicitatis cum septem
filios suos
{sic)
and much lower down at intervals, separated from each other, the names of the
;
July martyrs in three groups; (i) 'Sancti Vitalis, Sancti Alexandri, Sancti Martialis',
(2) 'Sancti Felicis, Sancti Philippi et aliorum multorum sanctorum',
(3) 'Sancti Januari', in accordance with the grouping of the Liberian catalogue (see
above, p. 512); Silanus not being mentioned, doubtless because his body had disappeared
and was supposed to have been stolen away by the Novatians. Thus Gregory
not only betrays no knowledge that the July Martyrs are sons of Felicitas, but treats
them as separate persons. Moreover the 'birth-day' of S. Felicitas is uniformly
placed on Nov. 23, and the birth-days of the Seven Martyrs named as above on
July 10; whereas the extant Acts evidently represent the mother as suffering at the
same time with her sons^. On the other hand the form of entry in the Old Roman
Martyrology seems to point to the later legend which makes these martyrs sons of
Felicitas. On vi Id. Jul. [July 10] we read 'Romae, Septem fratrum', and on ix
Kal. Dec. [Nov. 23] 'Felicitatis, matris vii filiorum'. The Hieronymian Martyrology
has on the former day '
natalis sanctorum septem germanorum, id est Felicis,
Philippi, Vitalis, Martialis, Alexandri, Silani, Januarii', and on the latter 'Felicitatis'.
Doulcet in an interesting essay (p. 187 sq) has gathered together the particulars
which I have given respecting the monuments, for the purpose of establishing the
authenticity of the statements in the Acts. To myself they seem to fall far short of
proving this. They do indeed appear to show that the July Martyrs were real
^
'Et matrem eorum capite truncari Some MSS have 'et paullo post ab alio
jussit' (Doulcet, p. 192 sq), where it may jussa est decoUari', which is evidently an
be a question whether the subject is emendation to reconcile the narrative
'Antoninus', or the last-mentioned judge with the fact of the mother being comwho
condemned three of the brothers. memorated more than four months later
For'et' Ruinart reads 'alius', i.e. 'judex'.
than the sons.
IGN. I. 33