5. Commemorations of S&ints, etc.— These can be glanced at only briefly in a Dictionary of Christ and the Gospels. They were originally of local origin, and did not at once become popular except in the places wlifere they began. The earliest known collection of local saints' days is the Philo- calian Calendar of A.D. 354, which may be con- veniently seen in Ruinart's Acta Marty rum Sin- cera et selecta, p. 617, and in Migne's Patrologia Latina, vol. xiii. ; reference may also be made to Bishop Lightfoot's essay in his Clement (i. 246, on 'TheLiberian Catalogue'). It is the only extant calendar which is certainly older than A.D. 400, though portions of a Gothic calendar remain which may be dated shortly before that year. The so- called Hieronymian Martyrology is much later than St. Jerome. The Christian section of the Pliilocalian Calendar (for it has also a heathen section) is a Koman list. It has two parts : the Depositio (burial) episcoporum, and the Depositio martyrum. Under the first head it contains twelve names : Dionysius, Felix, Sylvester, Miltiades, Marcellinus, Lucius, Caius, Stephen, Eusebius, Marcus, Eutichianus, Julius. Julius and Marcus come out of their calendrieal order (not Marcus in
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Kuiiiart), and are probably later additions (Light- foot). The second part begins with Christmas (as above, § 3), and contains no other festival of Christ. It is, no doubt, the official list of martyrs commemorated at Rome at the time. Its names are all local, except Cyprian and Perpetua and Felicitas, which are African. In all there are 37 entries, as given by Ruinart ; but some have more than one name. "The tirst part begins at vi kal. Jan., and its latest date is vi Id. Dec. Of the second part viii kal. Jan. is the beginning and Id. Dec. is the end. The beginning of the year must therefore have been reckoned as Christmas Day (25th December), or at least some day between 13th and 25th December. It is interesting to note in this early calendar 'iii kal. Jul. [i.e. June 29] Petri in Catacumbas et Pauli Ostiense Tusco et Basso Coss.,' that is the translation of the bodies of these Apostles.
A Syriac Martyrology published in 1866 by Pro- fessor Wright must also be mentioned, as, though the copy in the British Museum dates from 411, it gives (if careful examination be applied to it) eariier lists still. It is an Eastern Martyrology translated into Syriac and abridged at Edessa about 400 A.D. from a collection made in Greek out of local calendars. It has two Roman entries, one African, and the rest are Eastern ; it must have been originally Arian, as it does not contain the name of Athanasius, but has that of Arius ('at Alexandria, Arius tlie presbyter '). Analysis shows it to have been made up of the local lists of Nico- media, Antioch, and Alexandria. The two latter appear to have contained, at about A.D. 350, 24 and 26 entries respectively. This shows the limited numbers of commemorations in the 4th century. The lists, however, speedily grew to large dimen- sions. For other early calendars reference may be made to the works mentioned below.
The observance of the death-days (ncitalcs) or burial days {deposit ioncs) of martyrs may be traced back to the 2nd cent., c. 155 A.D. ; the letter of the Smyrneans on the martyrdom of St. Polycarp speaks (§ 18) of his burial-place ' where the Lord will permit us to gather ourselves together ... to celebrate the birtlulay of liis martyrdom for the commemoration of those that have already fought in the contest, and for the training and preparation of those that shall do so hereafter.' This letter was written soon after the martyrdom (see Light- foot's Ignatius and Polycarp, iii. 353 fF.). St. Cyprian says that the death-days of the martyrs were to be carefully noted, that they might obsi such commemorations with Eucharist (Ep. 12, to his presbyters and deacons). The 18th Edesi Canon orders commemorations of the martyrs. And such commemorations are mentioned by St. Basil (Ep. 93, as above, I. § 3).
For the purposes of this Dictionary, the obser- vances of the days following 25th December are of interest, as being closely connected with the Nativity of our Lord. These observances date from tlie 4th century. St. Gregory of Nyssa, preaching tlie funeral oration of his brother St. Basil (who died 1st January 379), says that they were then celebrating these saints' days, which were convenient (he remarks) because Apostles and Prophets were lirst constituted and ordained, and after that pastors and teachers. He lirst mentions the commemoration of the Apostles and Prophets after Christmas, namely, Stephen, Peter, James, John, Paul ; and then IJasil (in Landem Fratris Basilii, ad init., ed. Paris of 1638, p. 479). It does not necessarily follow that the saints mentioned were commemorated on different days. The Apos- tolic Constitutions mention a commemoration of the martyrs and ' blessed James the bishop ' [the Lord's brother], and ' the holy Stephen our fellow-
servant' (v. 8; so viii. 32). The Syriac Martyr- ology mentioned above gives St. Stephen on 26th December, St. James and St. John on 27th Decem- ber, St. Peter ,and St. Paul on 28th December. With this we may compare two later usages, the Armenian and the Nestorian (East Syrian), as these separated Christians have retained many early customs which others have dropped. The Armenians, who do not observe 25th December as Christmas, commemorate St. David and St. James the Lord's brother on that date, but follow the Syriac Martyrology for the other days, save that they transpose 27tli and 28th December (Duchesns, Orirj. viii. § 5. 2). The Nestorian usage is some- what difi'erent. That Church keeps its saints' days according to the movable Christian, year rather than according to the month, and most of them faU on Fridays. The Fridays after Christmas (25th December), if there are sufficient before Lent, are (1) St. James the Lord's brother, (2) St. Mary, (3) St. John Baptist, (4) St. Peter and St. Paul, (5) Four Evangelists, (6) St. Stephen ; and other festivals of later origin follow (Maclean, East Syrian Daily Offices, p. 264 tt'.). Duchesne con- jectures that the ' Four Evangelists ' is a trans- formation of St. James and St. John, the latter having attracted to him the three other Evan- gelists, and the former being omitted. The Orthodox Easterns now commemorate St. James the Lord's brother on the Sunday after Christmas.