De sancto Fabiano
The Heavenly Calling of Fabian
Fabian is divinely chosen as pope through the miraculous sign of a dove.
Fabian was like a builder of heavenly blessedness, securing it for himself by a threefold right: adoption, purchase, and conquest. Fabian was a Roman citizen, and when the people had gathered to elect a new pope after the previous one had died, he came among them, wanting to see how the matter would turn out. And look, a white dove descended upon his head; when everyone marveled at this, they chose him as pope.
The Shepherd and Martyr
Fabian serves the Church by recording the martyrs and upholding penitential discipline before his own martyrdom.
He, as Pope Damasus says, sent seven deacons throughout all the regions and assigned seven subdeacons to them, who collected the accounts of all the martyrs. According to Haymo, he stood up to Emperor Philip, who wanted to attend the Easter vigil and share in the mysteries; he wouldn't allow the emperor to participate until he had confessed his sins and stood among the penitents. Finally, in the thirteenth year of his pontificate, he was crowned with martyrdom when Decius ordered his beheading. He suffered, however, around the year of our Lord 253. i
Read the original Latin
Fabianus quasi fabricans beatitudinem supernam, id est, eam sibi aequirens triplici jure, scilicet adoptionis, emtionis et debellationis.
Fabianus civis Romanus fuit et cum papa defuncto pro alio eligendo populus convenisset, inter eos et ipse venit rei exitum scire volens. Et ecce columba candida descendit super caput ejus: quod cum omnes mirarentur, ab iis in papam eligitur. Hit, ut ait Damasus papa, per omnes regiones septem dyaconos misit et iisdem septem subdyaconos tradidit, qui omnium gesta martirum collegerunt. Hic, nt ait Haymo, imperatori Philippo volenti interesse Paschae vigiliis et communicare misteriis restitit nec, quousque peccata confiteretur et inter poenitentes staret, interesse permisit. Tandem pontificatus sui anno tredecimo jussu Decii capitis obtruncatione martirio coronatur. Passus est autem circa annum domini CCLIII. i
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