Valens Bishop and Three Boys Martyrs
Acta Sanctorum, May 21
Source text: Public Domain. English translation/apparatus/encoding: CC BY-NC 4.0, Wroot Press.
https://actasanctorum.org/may/day-21/valens-bishop-and-three-boys-martyrs.html
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ON ST. VALENS BISHOP AND THREE BOYS MARTYRS.

HISTORICAL COMMENTARY,

in which several doubts about Valens are weighed.

Valens Bp. Martyr (S.)

Three Boys Martyrs

G. H.

[1] On this day is celebrated the deposition of S. Valis or
Valens, Presbyter and Confessor among the
Auxerroises, and the name of Valens
is in the most ancient Epternacensian copy
of the Hieronymian Martyrology. Likewise in place of
the same S. Vales the Presbyter is placed the name of S. Vitalis
the Bishop in the Roman Ms. of Duke Altempsius; [a] [It is asked whether [he is] another from S. Vales.] whence it is doubted
whether the same Valis Presbyter and Confessor,
deposited at Auxerre, may not have been called by error Valens
the Bishop Martyr, resting at Augia. Such certainly does
Wandelbert the monk of Prüm celebrate him in his metrical
Martyrology, written before the year DCCCL, singing thus:
On the twelfth Polius, Eutychius and Timothy,
And the Bishop and Martyr Valens venerable to God,
Augia, leads thee through joys with happy vows.
About the three Martyrs, recounted in the former verse, we treated above.
About Valens we here inquire. S. Notker Balbulus, somewhat younger
than Wandelbert, who wrote his Martyrology
about thirty years after him, has these things at this day:
At Auxerre the deposition of B. Valis the Presbyter: from
whom I judge that our Augiensians borrowed the name of Valens. See,
he said our Augiensians, as one who wrote in the monastery of S. Gall
not far distant, and was able to have examined these things more accurately.
So also in the Ms. Martyrology of Augia-divitis
is read only: Elsewhere [the natal day of] S. Valens Martyr and Bishop:
and in the Ms. Rhinaugiensian, Elsewhere [of] Valens: where it is treated
as of an unknown place without mention of S. Vales. Meanwhile
with Wandelbert in the Ms. Utrecht of the Church of S.
Mary it is said: At Augia [the natal day of] Valens the Martyr; and in the Ms.
Trier of S. Martin Nugia [of] Valens the Bishop Martyr:
in another Ms. of S. Cyriacus, In the monastery Augunensian
the natal day of S. Valens the Martyr. In the Appendix also
of Ado, beyond the elogium of S. Vales, is added, And of Valens
the Martyr: which also was added by another hand to the
Blumian copy of the Hieronymian Martyrology. In the Calendar
of an ancient Ms. Breviary, whose use was in the parts of the Rhine, is
inserted the name of S. Valens the Martyr.

[2] The author of the Martyrology published under the name of Bede
joined the companions in this manner: And [the natal day] of S. Valens Martyr and Pontiff
with three boys. [b] [S. Valens with 3 boys.] Molanus, Galesinius, Baronius followed.
The elogium adjoined is in the Martyrology printed at Cologne
and Lübeck around the year 1490: likewise in the Viola Sanctorum
[printed] at Hagenau in the year 1508, and in the Auctarium of Greven printed
in the years 1515 and 1521, where these things are had: On the same day
of B. Valens the Bishop and the three boys, with him
Martyrs: who first for Christ were bound by the feet,
then raised on the rack, and often tortured, finally
struck with the sword, attained the crown of martyrdom.
Like things are widely explained about three boys slain together with
S. Babylas the Bishop of Antioch, on January XXIV.
The Ms. Florarium at the day XXII of May has thus: Likewise the passion
of S. Valens the Bishop and Martyr with three
boys. In the Calendar of the Mainz Breviary printed in the year 1495
and 1505, the memory of S. Valens Martyr is celebrated.

[3] Saussay, I know not what author he uses, in the supplement
to this XXI May, At Auxerre, he says, [c] [Whether S. Valens is rightly held a Praetor,] the natal day of the holy
Martyrs Valens the Praetor, and his anonymous companion.
Behold, he is called Praetor, who to others is Bishop;
and a single companion is joined in place of three boys.
The place of contest also, omitted by others, is said to be Auxerre.
Of the innumerable multitude that suffered with SS. Priscus and Cottus in the territory
of the said city, we treat on May XXVI: but without
mention of Valens.

[4] But because S. Valens with three boys, no
place being assigned, is indicated in the Roman Martyrology and others, [d] [or Bishop of Pamplona?]
the occasion was seized of transferring them into Spain, and inscribing
them in the Pseudo-Dexter Chronicle at the year 300 with these words:
At Pamplona [the natal day of] S. Valerius Bishop of Pamplona of Spain
and Martyr: with whom suffered three boy
companions of the crown. Tamayo Salazar reproves the editors of this
Chronicle, that Valerius is read, when it is Valens:
and on the authority of the Roman Martyrology and others
he adorns him with this elogium: S. Valens, citizen and Bishop
of Pamplona of Spain, for the faith of Christ,
when he fought manfully and bravely, was thrown into prison,
at length with three boys consummated his martyrdom:
and afterwards, because his Acts have perished, he says
he attached some [to him]. Prudencio de Sandoval Bishop
of Pamplona, published in his city in the year MDCXIV a catalog
of the Bishops of Pamplona, nor did he know this
Valerius or Valens: but Pseudo-Dexter had not yet
appeared. Therefore we also require more certain monuments.
