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E02518: The Martyrdom of *Vitalis and Agricola (master and slave, martyrs of Bologna, S00310), wrongly attributed to Ambrose of Milan (ob. 397), exists in Latin in two main versions. The supposed 'first version' is a forgery written in the 16th c., on the basis of the 'second version', which probably dates from the 9th c.

online resource

posted on 2017-03-08, 00:00 authored by mpignot

The Martyrdom of Vitalis and Agricola

Texts:

BHL 8690: Patrologia Latina 17, 747-749; Acta Sanctorum, Nov, II, 1, 247-249.

BHL 8691: Lanéry (2008), 569-572.

We have not produced summaries of these texts, both of which are much later than c. 700 (the end date for our project).

History

Evidence ID

E02518

Saint Name

Agricola, martyr of Bolonia (Italy), master of Vitalis, ob. 303/312 : S00310

Saint Name in Source

Agricola

Related Saint Records

https://oxford.figshare.com/articles/Agricola_and_Vitalis_master_and_slave_martyrs_of_Bologna/13729972

Type of Evidence

Literary - Hagiographical - Accounts of martyrdom

Language

Latin

Evidence not before

1585

Evidence not after

1585

Place of Evidence - Region

Rome and region

Place of Evidence - City, village, etc

Rome

Place of evidence - City name in other Language(s)

Rome Rome Rome Roma Ῥώμη Rhōmē

Source

The 'first version' of the Martyrdom of Vitalis and Agricola, BHL 8690, was, until recently, generally thought to date from the 5th century (Clavis Patrum Latinorum 2245; Gryson, R., Répertoire général des auteurs ecclésiastiques Latins de l’Antiquité et du Haut moyen âge, 2 vols. (Freiburg, 2007), I, 91). However, Lanéry 2008, 445-464, has argued convincingly that it is a forgery prepared by the editors of Ambrose's works at the end of the 16th century, on the basis of the other main medieval version of the martyrdom, BHL 8691, which dates probably from the 9th century. Lanéry underlines in particular that there is no manuscript evidence for BHL 8690.

Bibliography

Editions: BHL 8690: Patrologia Latina 17, 747ss; Acta Sanctorum, Nov, II, 1, 247-249 BHL 8691: Lanéry (2008), 569-572 Further reading: Lanéry, C., Ambroise de Milan hagiographe (Paris, 2008), 445-464.