De sancta Petronella
The Faith and Martyrdom of Petronella
Petronella, daughter of Saint Peter, remains steadfast in her devotion and virginity despite the pressures of the world, leading to the martyrdom of her companion Felicula.
Petronella, whose life Saint Marcellus wrote, was the daughter of Saint Peter the Apostle; when she was very beautiful and suffering from fevers by her father's will, Titus said to him while the disciples were reclining with him: "Since all the sick are healed by you, why do you allow Petronella to lie there?" Peter replied, "Because it's better for her this way." However, so that it wouldn't be thought that her inability to be healed was an excuse made by my words, he said to her: "Rise, Petronella, quickly, and serve us." She was healed immediately, got up, and served them. When the service was finished, Peter said: "Petronella, return to your bed." She returned immediately and began to suffer from fevers as before; but when she began to be perfect in the love of God, he healed her perfectly. Count Flaccus came to her, intending to take her as his wife because of her beauty. She replied, "If you want me as your wife, order the virgins to come to me so they can accompany me to your house." Once he had done this, Petronella devoted herself to fasting and prayer. After receiving the Body of the Lord and lying down on her bed, she departed to the Lord three days later. Flaccus, realizing he had been deceived, turned his attention to Felicula, a companion of Petronella, and ordered her to either marry him or sacrifice to idols.
The Witness of Nicodemus
Nicodemus suffers for his act of Christian charity in burying the martyr Felicula.
When she refused both, the prefect had her kept in prison for seven days without food or drink, and afterwards, he had her tortured on the rack and killed, then threw her body into a sewer. Saint Nicodemus, however, took her up and buried her; because of this, Nicodemus was summoned by the count Flaccus, and when he refused to offer sacrifice, he was beaten with leaded whips and his body was thrown into the Tiber, but it was recovered by the cleric Justa and buried with honor.
The Exorcism and Conversion of Artemius
Saint Peter the Exorcist heals the daughter of the jailer Artemius, leading to the conversion of his entire household.
About Saint Peter the Exorcist. While Peter the Exorcist was being held in prison by Artemius, the daughter of this same Artemius was being tormented by a demon and, because of this, was often lamented by her father; Peter said to him that if he believed in Christ, his daughter would immediately receive her health. Artemius replied, "I wonder how your Lord could possibly free my daughter, when He isn't even able to free you, who are suffering so much for His sake." Peter said to him, "My God is certainly powerful enough to rescue me, but He wills that we should reach eternal glory through temporary suffering." Artemius replied, "If your God frees you while you are doubling the chains upon yourself, and heals my daughter, I will immediately believe in Christ." After this happened, Saint Peter appeared to him dressed in white robes and holding the sign of the cross. Artemius prostrated himself at his feet, and once his daughter was healed, he and his entire household were baptized. He also allowed the other prisoners to go free if they wished to become Christians, and many who believed were baptized by the blessed priest Marcellinus. When the prefect heard this, he ordered all the prisoners to be brought before him. Artemius gathered them together and, kissing their hands, said that if anyone wanted to face martyrdom, they should come without fear, but if anyone did not want to, they should leave unharmed. However, when the judge discovered that Marcellinus and Peter had baptized them, he summoned them and locked them away in separate prison cells.
The Final Sacrifice of the Saints
Marcellinus and Peter endure imprisonment and miraculous release before ultimately offering their lives for the faith alongside the family of Artemius.
Marcellinus was laid naked upon broken glass and denied both light and water, while Peter was bound in another prison in the deepest and tightest of stocks; but an angel of the Lord, looking upon Marcellinus and setting him free, restored him along with Peter to the house of Archemius, and commanded them to strengthen the people for seven days and afterwards present themselves to the judge. When the aforementioned judge could not find them in the prison, he had Archemius summoned and, because he refused to offer sacrifice, ordered him to be buried alive in the earth along with his wife. When the saints Marcellinus and Peter heard what happened, they went to that place, and in that crypt, with Christians protecting him, Saint Marcellinus celebrated Mass. The saints told the unbelievers, "Look, we could have freed Archemius and hidden ourselves, but we chose to do neither." . The angry pagans then killed Archemius with a sword and buried his mother and daughter alive under stones. They beheaded Marcellinus and Peter at the Black Forest—now called the White Forest because of their martyrdom—during the reign of Diocletian, who began his rule in the year of our Lord 287. A headsman named Dorotheus saw their souls being carried up to heaven by angels, clothed in splendid robes and jewels. Because of this, he became a Christian and later rested in peace.
Read the original Latin
Petronella, cujus vitam sanctus Marcellus scripsit, fult filia sancti Petrl apostoli, quae cum nimis speciosa esset et ex voluntate patris febribus laboraret, discumbentibus apud cum discipulis dixit ad eum Titus: cum omnes a te sanentur infirmi, cur Petronellam jacere permittis? Cui Petrus: quia sic ei expedit. Verumtamen ne putetur impossibilitas sanitatis ejus meis sermonibus excusari, ait ad illam: surge, Petronella, velocius et ministra nobis. Quae statim sanata surrexit et iis ministravit. Completo autem ministerio dixit Petrus: Petronella, redi ad lectum tuum; quae statim rediit et ut prius febribus laborare coepit; at ubi in Dei amore coepit esse perfecta, eam perfecte sanavit. Comes igitur Flaccus ad eam venit, ut ipsam propter ejus pulchritudinem acciperet in uxorem, cui illa respondit: si me in uxorem desideras, jube ad me virgines venire, quae me usque ad domum tuam debeant sociare. Quas cum ille, pargret, Petronella jejuniis et orationibus insistere coepit et corpus: domini suscipiens ac in lecto se reclinans post triduum ad dominum migravit. Flaccus delusum se videns ad Feliculam sociam Petronellae se convertit et, ut aut sibi nuberet aut ydolis immolaret, praecepit.
Quod cum illa utrumque renueret, . praefectus septem diebus sine cibo et potu in carcere eam esse fecit et postmodum in equuleo tortam occidit ac ejus corpus in cloacam projecit; quam tamen sanctus Nicodemus elevans sepelivit; unde a Flacco "comite Nicodemus accersitur et sacrificare renuens plumbatis caeditur et in Tyberim corpus ejus projicitur, sed a Justa clerico levatur et honorifice sepelitur.
De sancto Petro exorcista. Petrus exorcista dum ab Archemio in carcere detinerelur el praedicti Archemii filia a daemone vexaretur et ob hoc a patre saepius plangeretur, dixit ei Petrus, quod, si in Christum crederet, statim sanitatem filia ejus reciperet. Qui Archemius: miror, qua ratione dominus tuus filiam meam liberare poterit, qui te tanta patientem pro eo liberare non valet. Cui Petrus: potens quidem est Deus meus eripere me, sed vult, ut per passionem transitoriam perveniamus ad gloriam sempiternam. Cui Archemius: si me catenas super te duplicante Deus tuus te liberaverit et filiam meam sanaverit, protinus in Christum credam. Quod cum factum fuisset, sanctus Petrus candidis vestibus indutus et tenens signum crucis eidem apparuit et ille ejus se pedibus prostravit et filia ejus sanata ipse cum tota domo sua baptisma suscepit permisitque aliis incarceratis, quod exirent liberi, quicumque vellent fieri christiani, multisque credentibus a beato Marcellino presbitero baptizantur. Quod audiens praefectus omnes incarceratos ad se adduci praecepit, quos Archemius convocans et manus eorum deosculans dixit, ut, si quis vellet venire ad martirium, veniret intrepidus, quodsi quis nollet, abiret illaesus. Comperto autem judex, quod Marcellinus et Petrus eos baptizassent, ipsos accersivit et eos separatim in carcere reclusit.
Marcellinus quidem nudus super vitrum fractum consternitur et ei lumen et aqua negatur, Petrus vero in alio carcere altissimo et artissimo )cippó constringitur, angelus autem domini Marcellinum intuens et solvens ipsum cum Petro in domo Archemii restituit et, ut septem diebus populum confortarent et postea se judici praesentarent, praecepit. Cum ergo praedictus judex eos in carcere non invenisset, accersitum Archemium et sacrificare nolentem in terra cum uxore sua obrui jussit. Quod sancti Marcellinus et Petrus audientes illuc venerunt et illa crypta ) sanctus Marcellinus christianis se protegentibus missam celebravit dixeruntque sancti ad incredulos: ecce Archemium potuissemus liberare et nos abscondere, sed neutrum voluimus facere. . Tunc irati gentiles Archemium gladio necaverunt, matrem vero cum filia lapidibus obrüerunt, Marcellinum autem et Petrum ad silvam nigram, quae nunc candida propter eorum martirium vocatur, decollaverunt, tempore Dyocletiani, qui coepit anno domini CCLXXXVII. Quorum animas vestibus splendidis et gemmis indutas ab angelis in coelum deferri spiculator nomine Dorotheus vidit, unde et christianus effectus est: postmodo in pace quievit.
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