May XXIV

St. Vincent of Lerins, C.

See his Commonitorium adversus Hæreticos, with the English preface of Mr. Reeves, t. 2; also Ceillier and Orsi: and his Justification and Life in Papebroke, Acta Sanctor. t. 3, p. 284.

A. D. 450.

St. Vincent was of Gaulish extraction, had a polite education, was afterwards for some time an officer in the army, and lived with dignity in the world. He informs us in his Prologue, that having been some time lossed about in the storms of a bustling military life, he began seriously to consider the dangers with which he was surrounded, and the vanity and folly of his pursuits. He desired to take shelter in the harbor of religion, which he calls the safest refuge from the world.* His view in this resolution was, that he might strenuously labor to divest his soul of its ruffling passions, of pride and vanity, and to offer to God the acceptable sacrifice of a humble and Christian spirit, and that being further removed from worldly temptations, he might endeavor more easily to avoid not only the wrecks of the present life, but also the burnings of that which is to come. In these dispositions he retired from the crowds of cities, and made for the desired haven with all the sail ho could. The place he chose for his retirement was in a small remote island, sheltered from the noise of the world. This Gennadius assures us to have been the famous monastery of Lerins, situated in the lesser of the two agreeable green islands which formerly bore the name of Lerins, not far from the coast of Lower Provence towards Antibes. In this place he shut himself up, that he might attend solely to what God commands us, and study to know him. Vincent reflected that tune is always snatching something from us: its fleeting moments pass as quick as they come, never, never more to return, as water which is gone from its source runs to it no more. Our course is almost run out; the past time appears as a shadow; so will that which is now to come when it shall be once over, and no tears, no entreaties, no endeavors, can recall the least moment we have already let slip unimproved. In these reflections the fervent servant of God assures us that he earnestly strove to redeem time,¹ and to be always turning it to the best account, that this invaluable grace might not rise up at the last day in judgment against him. He considered that true faith is necessary to salvation no less than morality, and that the former is the foundation of Christian virtue; and he grieved to see the church at that time pestered with numberless heresies, which sucked their poison from their very antidote, the Holy scriptures, and which, by various wiles, spread on every side their dangerous snares. To guard the faithful against the false and perplexing glosses of modern subtle refiners, and to open the eyes of those who had been already seduced by them, he, with great clearness, eloquence, and force of reasoning, wrote a book, which he entitled, A Commonitory against Heretics, which he composed in 434, three years after the general council of Ephesus had condemned the Nestorians. He had chiefly in view the heretics of his own times, especially Nestorians and the Apollinarists, but he confuted them by general, clear principles, which overturn all heresies to the end of the world. Together with the ornaments of eloquence and erudition, the inward beauty of his mind, and the brightness of his devotion, sparkle in every page of his book.

Out of humility, he disguises himself under the name of Peregrinus, to express the quality of being a pilgrim or stranger on earth, and one by his monastic state, in a more particular manner, estranged from the world. He styles himself The least of all the servants of God, and less than the least of all the saints, unworthy to bear the holy name of a Christian. He lays down this rule, or fundamental principle, in which he found, by a diligent inquiry, all Catholic pastors and the ancient fathers to agree, that such doctrine is truly Catholic as hath been believed in all places, at all times, and by all the faithful.* By this test of universality, antiquity, and consent, he saith, all controverted points in belief must be tried. He showeth, that while Novatian, Photinus, Sabellius, Donatus, Arius, Eunomius, Jovinian, Pelagius, Celestius, and Nestorius expounded the divine oracles different ways, to avoid the perplexity of errors, we must interpret the Holy scriptures by the tradition of the Catholic church, as the clew to conduct us in the truth. For this tradition, derived from the apostles, manifesteth the true meaning of the Holy scriptures, and all novelty in faith is a certain mark of heresy; and, in religion, nothing is more to be dreaded than itching ears after new teachers. He saith: “They who have made bold with one article of faith will proceed on to others; and what will be the consequence of this reforming of religion, but only that these refiners will never have done till they have reformed it quite away.”² He elegantly expatiates on the divine charge given to the church, to maintain inviolable the sacred depositum of faith.³ He takes notice that heretics quote the sacred writings at every word, and that in the works of Paulus Samosatenus, Priscillian, Eunomius, Jovinian, and other like pests of Christendom, almost every page is painted and laid on thick with scripture texts, which Tertullian also remarks. But in this, saith St. Vincent, heretics are like those poisoners or quacks who put off their destructive potions under inscriptions of good drugs, and under the title of infallible cures.⁴ They imitate the father of lies, who quoted scripture against the Son of God when he tempted him.⁵ The saint adds, that if a doubt arise in interpreting the meaning of the scriptures in any point of faith, we must summon in the holy fathers, who have lived and died in the faith and communion of the Catholic church, and by this test we shall prove the false doctrine to be novel. For that only we must look upon as indubitably certain and unalterable, which all, or the major part of these fathers have delivered, like the harmonious consent of a general council. But if any one among them, be he ever so holy, ever so learned, holds any thing besides, or in opposition to the rest, that is to be placed in the rank of singular and private opinions, and never to be looked upon as the public, general, authoritative doctrine of the church.⁶ After a point has been decided in a general council, the definition is irrefragable. These general principles, by which all heresies are easily confounded, St. Vincent explains with equal eloquence and perspicuity.^† His diction is pure and agreeable, his reasoning close and solid; and no controversial book ever expressed so much, and such deep sense, in so few words. The same rules are laid down by Tertullian in his book of Prescriptions, by St. Irenæus and other fathers. St. Vincent died in the reigns of Theodosius II. and Valentinian III., consequently before the close of the year 456.* His relics are preserved with respect at Lerins, and his name occurs in the Roman Martyrology.

St. Vincent observes⁷ that souls which have lost the anchorage of the Catholic faith, “are tossed and shattered with inward storms of clashing thoughts, that by this restless posture of mind they may be made sensible of their danger; and taking down the sails of pride and vanity which they have unhappily spread before every gust of heresy, they may make all the sail they can into the safe and peaceful harbor of their holy mother the Catholic church; and being sick from a surfeit of errors, may there discharge those foul and bitter waters to make room for the pure waters of life. There they may unlearn well what they have learned ill; may get a right notion of all those doctrines of the church they are capable of understanding, and believe those that surpass all understanding.”

SS. Donatian and Rogatian, MM.

There lived at Nantes an illustrious young nobleman called Donatian, who having received the holy sacrament of regeneration, led a most edifying life, and laid himself out with much zeal in converting others to faith in Christ. His elder brother Rogatian was not able to resist the moving example of his piety, and the force of his discourses, and desired to be baptized. But the bishop having withdrawn and concealed himself for fear of the persecution, he was not able to receive that sacrament, but was shortly after baptized in his blood. For he declared himself a Christian at a time when to embrace that sacred profession was to become a candidate for martyrdom. The emperor Maximian sent an order to the prefect, directing him to put to death all who refused to sacrifice to Jupiter and Apollo. This must have happened when that emperor was in Gaul occupied in his expedition either against the Bagaudæ in 286, or against Carausius, who, having assumed the purple in Britain, maintained himself in that usurped dignity seven years. The acts of these martyrs attribute this order to the emperors Dioclesian and Maximian, but we find it usual to ascribe to both those emperors the decrees of one. The prefect to whom it was addressed seems to have been the cruel persecutor Rictius Varus, prefect of the Belgic, and probably also of the Celtic Gaul. The title of president which the acts give him, only belonged to a governor who had power of life and death. The prefect arriving at Nantes, Donatian was impeached before him for professing himself a Christian, and for having withdrawn others, particularly his brother, from the worship of the gods. Donatian was therefore apprehended, and having boldly confessed Christ before the governor, was cast into prison and loaded with irons. Rogatian was also brought before the prefect, who endeavored first to gain him by flattering speeches, but finding him inflexible, sent him to prison with his brother. Rogatian grieved that he had not been able to receive the sacrament of baptism, and prayed that the kiss of peace which his brother gave him might supply it. Donatian also prayed for him that his faith might procure him the effect of baptism, and the effusion of his blood that of the sacrament of chrism, that is, of confirmation. They passed that night together in fervent prayer. They were the next day called for again by the prefect, to whom they declared that they were ready to suffer for the name of Christ whatever torments were prepared for them. By the order of the inhuman judge they were first stretched on the rack, afterwards their heads were pierced with lances, and lastly cut off, about the year 287.* Their bodies were buried near the place where they suffered. The Christians some time after built them a sepulchre, at the foot of which the bishops of Nantes chose their burial-place. Towards the close of the fifth century, the Christians built a church upon the place, which has been successively in the hands of monks and canons, and is at present parochial. The bodies of these two martyrs in 1145 were translated by Albert, bishop of Ostia, to the cathedral, where they remain in great veneration. See their authentic acts, though they seem only to have been written in the fifth century, in Ruinart, Act. Sincer., p. 279; Tillemont, t. 4, p. 491; Ceillier, t. 3, p 362; Lobineau, Vies des Saints de la Bretagne, p. 2.

St. John De Prado, Priest, M.

He was a native of the kingdom of Leon, in Spain, and embraced in his own country the austere order of the Barefooted Observantin Franciscans. Being sent by the authority of the Congregation de Propagandâ Fide to preach the faith in the kingdoms of Fez and Morocco, he discharged himself with so great zeal that the Mahometans cast him into a dungeon loaded with chains. The holy confessor suffered with constancy and joy most cruel scourgings and other inhuman torments, and consummated his martyrdom by fire on the 24th of May, on which his name is inserted in the Franciscan Martyrology, by order of Benedict XIV. He was solemnly beatified by Benedict XIII. in 1728. See that pope’s Bull, t. 10; Bullar., part 4, p. 333.

* In portum religionis cunctis semper fidissimum. Prolog. Commonit.

¹ Col. 4:5.

* Quod ublque, quod semper, quod ab omnibus creditum est. Hoc est etenim vere proprieque catholl cum.—Comm. c. 3.

² C. 29.

³ C. 27, et 30.

⁴ C. 31.

⁵ C. 32.

⁶ C. 33.

^† The best edition of St. Vincent’s Commonitorium is that given by Baluze. On the eminent usefulness of this book see Orsi, and that learned Roman controvertist, the late cardina. Gotti, in his book against John Clerc.

* The Vincentian objections against the doctrine of St. Austin, could not come from the pen of St. Vincent, who condemns, with great warmth, Pelagius and his followers over and over again, and highly extols the letter of Celestine to the bishops of Gaul; in which that pope reprehends their neglect of watchfulness and duty in suffering the profane novelties of Semi-Pelagianism to spring to and grow among them. We find two other Vincents living at Marseilles at that very time, and there might be others of the same name: one of whom might be a Semi-Pelagian.

⁷ C. 21.

* The martyrdom of these saints cannot be placed in the great persecution in 303, as some have imagined. On the 1st of March, 291, Constantius Chlorus and C. Gaierius-Valerius-Maximianus, were created Cæsars; the latter had Italy for his portion of the empire, and the former Gaul beyond the Alps. and Britain. Constantius died at York on the 25th of July, 306. We are assured by Lactantius, (de Morte Per secut., c. 15 and 16,) Eusebius, (Vit. Constant., c. 13, 15, 16, and 17,) and St. Optatus, (l. 1, de Schism Donat.,) &c., that Constantius never suffered any one to be put to death for the Christian religion. It is therefore clear that the martyrs who suffered in Gaul and Britain, under Dioclesian and Maximian, ought to be placed in the beginning of their reign; such as Gereon and his companions at Cologne; Cassius, Florentius, Victor, and some others, in the same place: Justus at Paris, Fuscian and Victorious at Amiens, Piat at Tournay, Lucian at Beauvais, Quintin at Peronne, Crispin and Crispinian at Soissons, &c. before the year 291. After Maximian Herculcus had martyred the Thebæan Legion, he sent Rictius Varus prefect into the Belgic and Celtic Gaul, who at Triers, St. Quintin’s, Basil, Amiens, &c., exercised unheard-of cruelties against the Christians from 286 to his death in 288. His successor, Julian, put to death St. Yon in the province of Lyons, and St. Lucian at Beauvais. Eutychius and Austerius, mentioned in the trial of St. Victor at Marseilles, seem also to have been prefects of the prætorium in Gaul, and perhaps succeeded Julian in 290 or 291. As for Sicinnius Fescenninus, who put to death St. Dionysius of Paris, and St. Nicasius in the Vexin, he seems to have been governor of the second province of Lyons, which was then extended further northwards than in later ages. SS. Fides and Caprais suffered at Agen, under a judge named Dacian. St. Alban, &c., seem to have been crowned in Britain, before Carausius assumed the purple, in 287. Eusebius, (l. 8, c. 1, et 4,) in describing the peace which the church enjoyed before the great persecution, is chiefly to be understood of the East. For it is clear that not only Maximian, but Dioclesian also when he came to Rome in the first year of his reign, persecuted the Christians, probably out of complaisance to the Romans. Prisca, wife to Dioclesian, and his daughter Valeria, who was married to Maximian Galerins, were very favorable to the Christian religion, and seem both to have embraced it (See Lactant, de Mort. Persec., c. 15.) For in 303 they refused to be defiled with sacrifices till compelled for fear of torments. This they probably learned from Lucian, chamberlain to Dioclesian, a zealous Christian, to whom St. Theonas, who governed the see of Alexandria from 288 to 300, sent an excellent instruction, extant in D’Acheri’s Spicilegium, 12, p. 545. The empress was not a Christian when it was written. Lucian seems to have died before the great persecution in 303, in which Dorotheus, Gorgonius, and other officers of the palace, were crowned with martyrdom. And Dorotheus is said in his acts (26th December) to have then been chamberlain. This note answers the objections which some critics have raised against the history of so many martyrs who suffered in the West about the beginning of Dioclesian’s reign; when it is certain that the persecution of Carinus was still carried on in several governments. The governors were always enraged against the Christians, under a pretext that the edicts against them had not been revoked. See Tillemont, Mém. de l’Histsire de l’Egilse, t. 5, p. 3.

 Butler, A. (1903). The Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs and Other Principal Saints (Vol. 2, pp. 385–388). New York: P. J. Kenedy.