De sanctis Protho et Jacincto
The Call to Wisdom
Eugenia and her companions abandon the vanity of worldly philosophy to seek the truth of Christ.
Prothus and Jacinctus were young noblemen who studied philosophy alongside Eugenia, the daughter of Philip, a man of the highest Roman nobility. Philip had been appointed prefect of Alexandria by the Senate and brought his wife Claudia, his sons Avitus and Sergius, and his daughter Eugenia with him. Eugenia was accomplished in all the liberal arts and letters; Prothus and Jacinctus had studied with her and reached the peak of all the sciences. At this time, Eugenia was fifteen. In her fifteenth year, Aquilinus, the son of the consul Aquilinus, sought her hand in marriage. She replied to him, "A husband should be chosen not for his noble birth, but for his character." The teachings of Paul eventually reached her, and she began in her heart to become a Christian. It was permitted at that time for Christians to live near Alexandria, and while she was traveling to a country estate for a break, she passed by and heard the Christians singing: "All the gods of the nations are demons, but the Lord made the heavens." Then she said to the young men Prothus and Jacinctus, who had studied with her: "We have spent our time with scrupulous study on the syllogisms of the philosophers, the arguments of Aristotle, the ideas of Plato, the advice of Socrates, and in short, everything the poets sing, everything the orator says, and everything the philosopher thinks; these ideas are excluded." "Power is usurped by words, but wisdom has made me a sister; let us therefore be brothers and follow Christ." The plan was accepted, and having taken on the habit of men, she went to the monastery presided over by Helenus, a man of God who allowed no woman to come to him. He had once disputed with a heretic, and when he could not bear the force of the arguments, he had a great fire lit so that the one who would not be burned might be proven to hold the true faith.
Trials of the Faithful
Eugenia faces false accusations and persecution, leading to the miraculous revelation of her identity and the conversion of her family.
Once this was done, the prior went in and came out unharmed, but the heretic, refusing to enter, was cast out by everyone. When she came to him and claimed to be a man, he said, "You are rightly called a man, for though you are a woman, you act with a man's strength." For his condition had been revealed to him by God. He then took the monastic habit with Prothus and Jacinctus and had everyone call him Brother Eugenius. Meanwhile, her father and mother, seeing Eugenia's carriage return home empty, were grief-stricken and had her searched for everywhere, but they could not find her at all. They questioned the seers about what had become of their daughter, and they replied that the gods had taken her up to the stars. Because of this, her father had an image of his daughter made and commanded everyone to worship it. She, however, remained with her companions in the fear of God, and when the superior died, she was put in charge. At that time in Alexandria, there was a wealthy and noble matron named Melancia. Saint Eugenia cured her of a quartan fever by anointing her with oil in the name of Jesus Christ; she sent Eugenia many gifts, but she wouldn't accept them. Thinking Brother Eugenius was a man, this matron visited him often. Seeing the elegance of his youth and the beauty of his body, she burned with a fierce love for him and began to worry about how she might be with him. Feigning illness, she sent word for him to come to her and deign to visit her. When he arrived, she opened up to him about how she had been captured by love for him and how she was burning with desire for him, begging him to sleep with her. Immediately, she grabbed him, hugged and kissed him, and urged him to commit the sin. Brother Eugenius was horrified by this and said to her, "You are rightly known by the name Melancia, for you are filled with the blackness of treachery; you are a dark and shadowy daughter of darkness, a friend of the devil, a leader of pollution, a fuel for lust, a sister of eternal anxiety, and a daughter of everlasting death." Seeing that she had been rejected and fearing that he might expose her crime, she decided to speak out first, claiming that Eugenius had tried to violate her. She went to the prefect Philip and complained, "A certain treacherous Christian youth came to me under the pretense of healing, but he lunged at me and tried to violate me shamelessly. If I hadn't been saved by the help of a maid who was inside the room, he would have forced his lust upon me." Hearing this, the prefect was inflamed with anger. He sent a crowd of officers to bring Eugenius and the other servants of Christ in chains, and he set a day for them all to be thrown to the beasts. Once they were brought before him, he said to Eugenius, "Tell us, you wicked man, did your Christ teach you to do this—to give yourselves over to corruption and violate noble women with such shameless madness?" Eugenia, with her face lowered so she would not be recognized, answered him, "Our Lord taught us chastity and promised eternal life to those who keep their integrity. We can prove that this Melancia is a false witness, but it is better for us to suffer than for her to be punished once she is convicted, which would cause the fruit of our patience to be lost." "Nevertheless, let him bring the maid whom he claims is the witness to our crime, so that her lies may be refuted by her own mouth." When she was brought in, she had been coached by her mistress and kept insisting that her mistress had tried to force herself on her. When everyone in the household, having been corrupted in the same way, testified that it was so, Eugenia said, "The time for silence has passed, and the time for speaking has arrived. I do not want an unchaste woman to cast blame on the servants of Christ, nor do I want deceit to triumph. But so that truth may overcome lies and wisdom may conquer malice, I will reveal the truth—not out of pride, but for the glory of God." Saying this, she tore her tunic from the neck down to the waist and appeared as a woman. She said to the prefect, "You are my father, Claudia is my mother, these two brothers sitting here are Avitus and Sergius, I am Eugenia your daughter, and these two are Prothus and Jacinctus." When the father heard this and began to recognize his daughter, he rushed into her arms along with her mother and shed many tears. Eugenia was then dressed in golden robes and taken up on high, while fire came down from heaven and consumed Melancia and her followers. And so Eugenia converted her father, mother, brothers, and the whole household to the faith of Christ, to the point that her father was removed from his prefecture because of this, ordained as a bishop by the Christians, and killed by infidels while he persisted in prayer. Claudia, however, returned to Rome with her children and Eugenia, and there many were converted to Christ by them; Eugenia, meanwhile, was martyred by order of the emperor.
The Crown of Martyrdom
Eugenia, her mother, and her companions endure suffering and death to witness to their faith in Christ.
She was bound to a large stone and thrown into the Tiber, but the stone broke. She walked across the waves unharmed. Then she was thrown into a burning furnace, but the furnace went out and she found it refreshing. She was then locked in a dark prison, but a brilliant light shone upon her; and after she had been without food for ten days, the Savior appeared to her, held out a very white loaf of bread, and said, "Take this food from my hand. I am your Savior, whom you have loved with all the intention of your heart. On the same day that I descended to earth, I myself will rescue you." On the day of his birth, therefore. The Lord's executioner was sent and cut off her head. She later appeared to her mother and predicted that she would follow her on Sunday. When Sunday came, Claudia was in prayer and gave up her spirit. When Prothus and Jacinctus were dragged to the temple of idols, they shattered the statue through their prayer, and because they refused to offer sacrifice, they later completed their martyrdom by being beheaded. They suffered, however, under Valerian and Gallus around the year of our Lord 256.
Read the original Latin
Prothus et Jacinctus fuerunt domicelli et in studio philosophiae socii Eugeniae filiae Philippi nobilissimi Romanorum genere. Qui quidem Philippus a senatu praefecturam Alexandriae acceperat et illuc Claudiam uxorem suam et filios Avitum et Sergium filiamqueEugeniam secum duxit. Porro Eugenia omnibus liberis artibus et litteris erat perfecta, Prothus quoque et Jacinctus secum studnuerant et ad perfectionem omnium scientiarum devenerant, Eugenia igitur XV. aetatis suae anno ab Aquilino Aquilini consulis filio pelitur uxor. Cui illa: et maritus non natalibus, sed moribus est eligendus. Pervenit igitur ad manus ejus doctrina Pauli et coepit animo fieri christiana, Permissum erat tunc christianis circa Alexandriam habitare, unde illa quasi solatiando pergens ad villam transiens audivit christianos cantantes: omnes Dii gentium daemonia, dominus autem caelos fecit. Tunc dicit ad pueros Prothum et Jacinctum, qui secum studuerant: philosophorum syllogismos scrupuloso studio transegimus, Aristotelica argumenta et Platonis ideas et Socratis monita et breviter quidquid cantat poeta, quidquid orator et quidquid philosophus cogitat, hae sententia excluduntur; dominam. me verbis usurpata potestas, sororem vero sapientia fecit, simus ergo fratres et Christum sequamur, Placet consilium et assumto habitu viri ad monasterium, cui Helenus vir Dei praeerat, venit, qui nnllam ad se feminam venire sinebat, Qui etiam quadam vice cum haeretico disputans, cum vim argumentorum ferre non posset, magnum ignem accendi fecit, ut ille, qui non combureretur, veram fidem probaretur habere.
Quod cum factum esset, prior intravit et illaesus exiit, haereticus autem, cum intrare nollet, ab omnibus expulsus est. Ad hunc igitur cum accessisset et se virum diceret, ait: recte vir diceris, quia, cum sis femina, viriliter agis. Nam sibi ejus conditio a Deo fuit revelata, Ab eo igitur cum Protho et Jacincto monasticum habitum suscepit et se fratrem Eugenium ab omnibus appellari fecit, Pater autem et mater videntes currum Engeniae domum vacuum rediisse, moerentes undique filiam inquiri fecerunt, sed minime invenire potaerunt. Interrogant vates, quid de filia factum sit, qui respondent, eam a Diis inter astra translatam. Quocirca pater imaginem filiae fecit et ipsam ab omnibus adorari mandavit, ipsa vero cum sociis in Dei timore permansit el mortuo praeposito ipsa praeficitur. Erat tunc Alexandriae matrona quaedam dives et nobilis Melancia nomine, quam sancta Eugenia oleo perungens a quartana liberavit in nomine Jesu Christi, unde multa ei misit munera, sed non recepit. Praedicta igitur matrona fratrem Eugenium hominem esse arbitrans saepius eum visitabat vidensque elegantiam juventutis et pulchritudinem corporis in ejus amorem vehementer exarsit, et qualiter cum eo commisceri possit, anxia cogitare coepit. Simulans igitur languorem misit, ut ad eam veniret et se invisere dignaretur.
Qui cum venisset, aperuit sibi, qualiter ejus amore capta esset et qualiter in ejus conenpiscentia aestuaret, rogans, ut secum carnaliter commisceretur, statimque eum apprehendens amplectitur et osculatur et ad crimen hortatur, Quod factum frater Engenius abhorruit dicens ei: recte nomen Melanciam habere cogmosceris, nigredinis enim repleta perfidia nigra diceris et obscura filia tenebrarum, amica dyaboli, dux pollationis, fomentum libidinis, soror anxietatis perpetuae et mortis filia sempiternae. llla vero se deceptam videns et timens, ne forte scelus publicaret, voluit ipsa prior detegere elamareque coepit, quod Eugenius ipsam voluit violare. Abiit igitur ad Philippum praefectum et conquesta est dicens: juvenis quidam perfidus christianus ad me medendi causa ingressus in me irruens impudenter me voluit violare, et nisi unius ancillae, quae intra cubiculum erat, fuissem liberatus sufragio, suae me libidini sociasset. Audiens igitur praefectus ira accenditur et missa apparitorum multitudine Eugeniam caeterosque servos Christi ferro vinctos adduci fecit diemque statuit, in quo omnes tradi deberent morsibus bestiarum, Accersitis etiam iis coram se dixit ad Eugeniam: dic nobis, sceleratissime, an hoc vos Christus vester docuit, nt operam corruptionibus detis et matronas impudenti vesania violetis. Cui Eugenia demissa facie, ne agnosceretur, respondit: dominus noster castitatem docuit et integritatem servantibus aeternam vitam promisit, Hanc autem Melanciam falsam testem monstrare possumus, sed melius est, ut nos patiamur, quam quod illa, cum convicta fuerit, puniatur et fructus patientiae nostrae depereat. Verumtamen adducat ancillam, quam dicit nostri sceleris esse testem, ut ex ore ejus possint refutari mendacia, Quae cum adducta esset, illa a domina sua docta constanter sibi apponebat, quod dominam suam opprimere voluit, cumque omnes de familia similiter depravati sic esse testarentur, ait Eugenia: tempus tacendi transiit et tempus loquendi advenit; nolo, ut impudica in servos Christi crimen imponat nec fallacia glorietur; ut autem mendacium veritas superet et sapientia malitiam vincat, veritatem osténdam, non propter jactantiam, sed propter Dei gloriam, Et haec dicens tunicam à capite usque deorsum sive usque ad cingulum scidit et femina apparuit dixitque praefecto: tu mihi pater, Claudia mater, fratres hi duo, qui tegum sedent, Avitus et Sergius, ego Eugenia filia tua, hi duo Prothus et Jacinctus. Quod pater audiens et filiam cognoscere incipiens in amplexus cum matre irruit et laerymas multas effudit, Eugenia autem vestibus aureis induitur et in sublime tollitur, ignis autem de coelo venit et Melanciam cum suis consumsit. Sicque Eugenia patrem, matrem et fratres totamque familiam ad fidem Christi convertit, ita quod pater propter hoc a praefectura depositus a christianis episcopus ordinatur et in oratione persistens ab infidelibus occiditur, Claudia autem cum filiis suis et Eugenia Romam revertitur et ibi multi ab iis ad Christum sunt conversi, Eugenia amtem jussu imperatoris.
ligata grandi saxo in Tyberim praecipitatur, sed rupto saxo. super undas incolumis gradiebatur. Tunc in fornacem ardenfem-projicitur, sed exstincta fornace refrigerio utebatur. Recluditur deinde in tenebrosum carcerem, sed lumen splendidissimum radiabat eidem, cumque per X dies sine cibo fuisset, salvator eidem apparuit et panem candidissimum sibi porrigens dixit: accipe cibum de manu mea, ego sum salvator tuus, quem tota mentis intentione amasti; eodem die, quo ad terras descendi, ipse te eripiam. In die igitur natalis. domini spiculator mittitur et caput ejus abscidit. Quae postmodum matri apparuit et quod die dominica se sequeretur, praedixit. Veniente igitur dominica die Claudia im oratione posita emisit spiritum.
Prothus autem et Jacinctus, cum ad templum ydolorum traherentar, oratione simulacrum comminuerunt et cum sacrificare nollent, capitis obtruncatione martirium postmodum comple verunt. Passi sunt autem sub Valeriano et Gallo circa annos domini CCLVI.
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