During missionary travels of Apollinaris, bishop of Ravenna, the Presbyter Calocerus remains in Ravenna and leads the local Church, 1st c. Account of the Martyrdom of Apollinaris, written in Ravenna, 5th/7th c.
Intended for scholary use. For credentials see Bibliography
13. [...] Interea Calocerus presbyter gubernabat ecclesiam, quae erat Ravennae, latenter faciens multas virtutes in nomine Jesu Christi. [...]
Later in ch. 22 it is also mentioned that Apollinaris was sent into exile, and the Church of Ravenna remained in hands of the presbyters and deacons.
(Acta Sanctorum, Julii 5, 346)
13. [...] In the meantime Calocerus, the presbyter, governed the Church of Ravenna, making in secret many miracles in the name of Jesus Christ. [...]
Later in ch. 22 it is also mentioned that Apollinaris was sent into exile, and the Church of Ravenna remained in hands of the presbyters and deacons.
(trans. M. Szada)
Discussion:
The events described are placed either in the reign of Claudius (41-54), mentioned at the beginning of the Martyrdom, or the reign of Vespasian (69-79), during which Apollinaris was supposedly martyred.
Place of event:
Region
Italy north of Rome with Corsica and Sardinia
City
Ravenna
About the source:
Title: Martyrdom of Apollinaris, Martyrdom of saint Apollinaris, Passio Apollinaris, Passio s. Apollinaris, Passio sancti Apollinaris episcopi et martyris Origin: Ravenna (Italy north of Rome with Corsica and Sardinia) Denomination: Catholic/Nicene/Chalcedonian
The Martyrdom was certainly written before the 7th/8th c. because it was used by Bede`s martyrology but the historical features of the presented universe suggest a late antique dating. The text was then probably composed at some moment between the 5th and 7th c. (although it was not known by Peter Chrysologus who preached on Apollinaris in the 5th c.). For the various propositions of more precise datings see Pignot 2017 (with further references). The author was familiar with the city of Ravenna and the cult of Apollinaris, well-documented also in the other sources, thus, he was probably based in Ravenna too.
The early modern editions by Mombritius and in the Acta Sanctorum do not include readings from the earliest manuscript, the 8th-century codex from the National Library of Russia in St Petersburg, V.I.12 (f. 47v-62r). The readings were, however, collated by Everett 2016.
For a detailed discussion of the Martyrdom and the cult of Apollinaris see Pignot 2017.
Edition:
Mombritius (1910), I, 117-122
Acta Sanctorum, Jul. V, 344-350
Bibliography:
Matthieu Pignot, Cult of Saints in Late Antiquity, E02088, 2017
Please quote this record referring to
its author, database name, number, and, if possible, stable URL:
M. Szada, Presbyters
in the Late Antique West, ER1836, http://www.presbytersproject.ihuw.pl/index.php?id=6&SourceID=1836
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