De sancto Nereo et Achilleo
The Witness of Nereus and Achilleus
Nereus and Achilleus guide Flavia Domicilla to embrace a life of consecrated virginity, leading to their shared exile.
The name Nereus is interpreted as 'counsel of light' or 'Nerens' from 'nereth', which means a lamp, and 'vs' meaning hastening; or Nereus as if 'ne', that is, 'in no way' guilty. There was, therefore, counsel of light in the preaching of virginity, a lamp in honest conduct, hastening in the fervor of heaven, and 'not guilty'—that is, in no way guilty—in the purity of conscience. Achilleus comes from 'achi,' meaning 'my brother,' and 'lesa,' meaning 'salvation,' as if to say 'salvation of the brothers.' Euthices, Victorinus, and Macro (also called Maro), servants of Christ, wrote their passions; Nereus and Achilleus were eunuch chamberlains to Domicilla, the niece of the Emperor Domitian, whom the blessed Apostle Peter baptized. When the aforementioned Domicilla was betrothed to Aurelian, the consul's son, and was adorned with gems and purple robes, Nereus and Achilleus preached the faith and commended virginity in many ways, showing that virginity is close to God, akin to the angels, and innate to humans, while a wife is subject to her husband, beaten with fists and heels, and often bears deformed children; furthermore, she who could barely endure her mother's pious warnings would have to suffer great insults from her husband. She said, among other things, 'I know my father was jealous and my mother suffered many insults from him; will my husband be like that?' They replied to her: 'Since as long as they are suitors, they seem kind, but once they become husbands, they rule cruelly and sometimes prefer their maids to their wives; however, all holiness lost can be regained through penance, but virginity alone cannot be restored to its state (for guilt can be cast off through penance, but virginity cannot be restored), so that she might reach the state of her former holiness.' Then Flavia Domicilla believed, vowed her virginity, and was veiled by Saint Clement. When her suitor heard this, he obtained permission from Domitian and banished the virgin along with the saints Nereus and Achilleus to the island of Pontia, thinking that by this he could change her resolve.
The Martyrdom of the Faithful
The saints and their companions endure persecution and death, remaining steadfast in their faith despite the cruelty of their oppressors.
Some time later, when he had traveled to the island and tried to bribe the saints with many gifts to persuade the virgin, they completely rejected his offers and instead strengthened her in the Lord. Because they were being forced to offer sacrifices and stated that, having been baptized by the blessed Apostle Peter, they could not under any circumstances sacrifice to idols, they were beheaded around the year 80 AD, and their bodies were placed next to the tomb of Petronella. She also forced others—namely Victorinus, Euthices, and Maro, to whom Domicilla was attached—to work all day on her estates as slaves, and in the evening she gave them only coarse bread to eat. Eventually, she ordered Euthices to be beaten until he breathed his last, Victorinus to be suffocated in foul-smelling water, and Maro to be crushed under a massive stone. But when they threw an enormous rock over him—one that seventy men could barely move—he caught the stone on his shoulders and carried it for two miles as if it were light straw; and when many had come to believe, the consul had him killed. After this, Aurelian brought Domicilla back from exile and sent two virgins, Euphrosina and Theodora, who were her foster sisters, to persuade her, but Domicilla converted them to the faith. Then Aurelian came to Domicilla with the fiancés of the aforementioned girls and three entertainers, intending to celebrate her wedding and at least force himself upon her. But after Domicilla had converted those two young men, Aurelian brought her into the bedchamber, had the mimes sing there, and ordered the others to dance with him, intending to violate her afterward. But when the mimes grew tired of singing and the others of dancing, he himself didn't stop for two days, until he collapsed while dancing and died. His brother, Luxurius, however, obtained permission and killed everyone who had believed. He then set fire to the room where the aforementioned virgins were staying, and as they prayed, they gave up their spirits; the next morning, Saint Caesarius found their bodies unharmed and buried them.
Read the original Latin
Nereus interpretatur lucis consilium vel Nerens a nereth , quod est lucerna, et vs festinans; vel Nereus quasi ne, id est, nequaquam reus. Fuit ergo consilium lucis in virginitatis praedicatione, lucerna in honesta conversatione, festinans in coeli fervore, ne reus, id est, nequaquam reus in conscientiae puritate. Achilleus ab achi, quod est frater meus, et lesa, quod est salus, quasi fratrum salus. Horum passiones Euthices, Victorinus et Macro,alias Maro, servi Christi scripserunt, Nereus et Achilleus eunuchi cubicularii Domicillae neptis Domitiani imperatoris fuerunt, quos beatus Petrus apostolus baptizavit. Cum ergo praedicta Domicilla Aureliano filio consulis nupta esset et gemmis et purpureis vestibus tegeretur, Nereus et Achilleus fidem praedicaverunt et virginitatem multipliciter commendaverunt ostendentes virginitatem Deo esse proximam, angelis germanam, hominibus innatam, uxorem viro subjici, pugnis et calcibus caedi, deformes partus saepius procreari, rursus, quae vix matris pia monita sustinebat, oportere grandia convicia pati mariti. llla antem inter caetera dixit: scio patrem meum fuisse zelotypum et matrem meam ab eo convicia plurima passam esse: numquid vir meus talis futurus est? Cui illi; quoniam quamdiu sunt sponsl, yldentur esse benigni, sed mariti effecti crudeliter dominantur et aliquando ancillas praeferunt dominabus, omnis autem sanctitas amissa per poenitentiam revocari potest, sola autem virginitas ad suum stalum revocari non potest (reatus enim per poenitentiam expelli potest, virginitas revocari non potest), ut ad statum pristinae sanctitatis attingat tunc Flavia Domicilla credidit et virginitatem vovit et a sancto Clemente velata est. Qnod sponsus ejus audiens licentia a Domitiano impetrata virginem cum sanctis Nereo et Achilleo in Pontianam insulam relegavit, putans se per hoc posse virginis propositum immutare.
Post aliquod tempus, cum ipse ad insulam perrexisset et multis muneribus sanctos, ut virgini suaderent, induceret, hujusmodi penitus respuentes magis eam in domino confortabant. Quapropter cum ad sacrificia compellerentur et dicerent se a heato Petro apostolo baptizatos nulla ratione posse ydolis immolare, capite caesi sunt circa annum domini LXXX, quorum corpora juxta sepulchrum Petronellae posita sunt. Alios etiam, scilicet f'ictorinum , Euthicen et Maronem, quibus Domieilla adhaereret, tamquam servos tota die in suis praediis laborare faciebat et vespere cantabrum ad manducandum iis dabat. Tandem Euthicem caedi jussit, quousque spiritum exhalaret, Victorinum vero in aquis foetentibus suffocari, Maronem vero saxo ingenti opprimi jussit. Cum autem immanissimam petram, quam vix LXX viri movere poterant, super eum jactassent, ipse praedictum lapidem in humerós suos accepit, et quasi leves paleas ad duo milliaria portavit et, cum plurimi credidissent, consularis eum occidi fecit, Post hoc Aurelianus Domicillam de exsilio reduxit et duas virgines, Euphrosinam et Theodoram, collactaneas ejus, ut ei suaderent, misit, quas tamen Domicilla ad fidem convertit. Tunc Aurelianus cum sponsis praedictarum puellarum et tribus joculatoribus ad Domicillam venit, ut ejus nuptias celebraret et ipsam saltem violenter opprimerét, Sed cum Domicilla praedictos duos juvenes convertisset, Aurelianus Domicillam in thalamum introduxit et ibidem mimos canere fecit et caeteros secum saltare jussit, volens eam postmodum violare. Sed cum deficerent mimi in canendo et caeteri in saltando, ipse tamen per duos dies non cessavit, quousque in saltando deficiens exspiravit. Luxurius vero frater ejus impetrata licentia omnes, qui crediderant, inter?
2 fecit et cubiculo, ubi praedictae virgines morabantur, ignem supposuit, quae orantes spiritum miserunt, quarum corpora sanctus Caesarius mane illaesa reperiens sepelivit.
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