Juvenal the Martyr
Acta Sanctorum, May 7
Source text: Public Domain. English translation/apparatus/encoding: CC BY-NC 4.0, Wroot Press.
https://actasanctorum.org/may/day-07/juvenal-the-martyr.html
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ON S. JUVENAL THE MARTYR.

[Commentary]

Juvenalis, Martyr (S.)

G. H.

[1] The name of this Saint, referred to this VII of May and
some other days, is most well-known, [Sacred cultus in the ancient calendars.]
but his deeds lie hidden, so that not even concerning the
place and time, in which he flourished, can anything
certain be brought forth. Usuard in all
his exemplars without exception, both written by hand and printed in type, hands down
these things: On the same day of S. Juvenal the Martyr. The same things are
had in Bellinus, Molanus, Greven, in the Martyrology printed at Cologne
and Lübeck in the year MCCCCXC, and in the
present Roman Martyrology. In Ado, both in various
parchments described and printed by Mosander and Rosweid,
these things are thus expressed: The birthday of S. Juvenal
the Martyr. Bede on this day is empty: but the Martyrology
afterward printed under his name reports the aforesaid things from Ado.
Notker has nearly the same things in this phrase, The nativity of S.
Juvenal the Martyr. And these are by Ado and Notker in the first
place reported: and concerning him alone Wandelbert has this verse on this day:
Saint Juvenal honors the Nones with a pious death.
Similar things are in the ancient MS. calendars of Trier of S.
Maximinus and of S. Martin, of Liège of S. Lambert, and in the Dijon
Supplement to the genuine Martyrology of Bede,
and in the MS. Florarium of the Saints: likewise in Maurolycus,
Felicius and other more recent ones. These things since they were everywhere thus had,
and no place was expressed, it seems that liberty was given to others
of attributing this Martyr to their own churches.

[2] Marius de Vipera in his Catalogue of the Saints whom the church
of Benevento celebrates, judges that this Saint is there
venerated under a double rite on the second day of May, and brings forth this elogium of him:
Juvenal the Martyr, distinguished for the frequency of miracles,
[The body of some Juvenal at Benevento] shone forth especially at Benevento.
For when the city itself was wonderfully
afflicted with pestilence, by his intercession and patronage it was made free
and sound. His body in the city itself,
within the venerable temple of S. Sophia, under an altar
specially dedicated to him is kept, and with great concourse of the people
is venerated: especially on the sixth of the Nones of May,
on which day his feast is celebrated at Benevento: [cultus on May 2] as from the deeds
of the glorious Martyr himself, in the same church it is had.
And we confess him to be the one, of whom the Roman Martyrology
under the seventh day of this month treats, and
we believe this day to be that of the Translation. Thus Vipera,
citing in the margin an ancient MS. Martyrology of the library
of Benevento marked with the number 178, besides
which, if there are had any deeds of some S. Juvenal of Benevento,
we desire them to be communicated to us, who are about to treat of him separately,
lest the disputations be multiplied. At the same second day
of May the name of S. Juvenal is inscribed in the ancient
Martyrology of the Queen of Sweden often alleged by us. [May 3,]
But on the day III of May in the MS. Roman one of Cardinal Barberini
toward the end is added: Elsewhere of S. Juvenal the Martyr. In
Greven also, after the reported S. Juvenal the Bishop,
from Usuard is added: On the same day of Juvenal
the Martyr. But on the fifth day of May in the MS. of Monte Cassino, [May 5 and 6.] among
other Martyrs, is the name of S. Juvenal: and again on the sixth
day is reported S. Juvenal the Martyr in four MS.
Calendars of ours. Which all things concerning S. Juvenal, referred to
this VII day, seem to be understood.

[3] Baronius in the Notes to the Martyrology at the day III and
this VII of May, [whether the one here referred is the Bishop of Narni] is of opinion that S. Gregory makes mention of him
in Homily 27 on the Gospels, as if S. Juvenal
the Martyr were the Bishop of Narni, and in that church
buried. But Ferrarius in his Catalogue of the Saints of Italy at this VII of May, of S. Juvenal the Roman Martyr
writes these things: On this day Juvenal the Martyr in the Martyrology
of Usuard and the Roman one is commemorated: whom
Baronius is of opinion to have been Bishop of Narni,
of whom S. Gregory the Pope in Homily 27 speaks.
But we, since at Narni no memory of Juvenal the Martyr
exists, [or the Deacon of S. Alexander the Pope,] distinct from Juvenal the Bishop and Confessor;
rather believe this Juvenal to be the Deacon of S. Alexander
the Pope, of whom Peter Galesinius
in his Martyrology treats on the day III of May, and ancient
MSS. cites. But that those MSS. of Galesinius do not deserve much
credit we have often shown, and we have accurately discussed the acts
of S. Alexander, without any mention of Juvenal the Deacon.

[4] [or the Bishop of Terni?] The same Ferrarius in each Catalogue at this VII of May
refers S. Juvenal Bishop of Terni: from whose
Acts, if they were extant, it would be perceived whether he was different
from Juvenal Bishop of Narni. For this one S. Proculus
Bishop of Terni, the second of that name,
built a church on a hill, to which from the holy Bishop
the name is given, in the territory of Terni.
Thus he. In the Milan Missal of the year MDXXII and the Breviary
printed in the year MDXXXIX no mention is made of S. Juvenal
the Bishop and Confessor on the day III of May, but his
memory is transferred to this VII of May: which things concerning S. Juvenal
of Narni are to be understood. Of whom we have sufficiently treated
on May III, and we have shown that there is no reason why besides this
one another Bishop of the same name of Narni or of Terni
should be established.
