Martyrologium Hieronymianum

The Martyrology Martyrology Hieronymianum or sancti Hieronymi ( " Martyrology of St. Jerome " ) was during the Middle Ages in Western Europe a widespread and highly influential treatise on the martyrs of Prehistory and Early Christianity. It was compiled in Late Antiquity and Early Middle Ages from texts of different geographical origin and was the first martyrology with the aim to capture the essence of martyrs in its entirety, as well as the starting point for all Western writings successor.

In Jerome, the text refers initially with a reference to the Vita Malchi from the year 392, where it declared its intention in the introduction, a martyr story of the arrival of the Saviour write up in his presence. However, it is nowadays not from an actual authorship of the church father Jerome and Scripture calls therefore also Martyrology of Pseudo- Jerome.

The Martyrology Hieronymianum list has character. The majority of the entries consisting solely of dates, places and names such as: " III id. ian. Romae, in cymiterio Callisti, via Appia, Depositio Miltiadis episcopi. " ( " On the third day before the Ides of January, at Rome, in the Callistus Cemetery, along the Via Appia, burial of the Bishop Miltiades. " ) Are only sporadically beyond information supplied. Martyrologies with actual Märtyrerviten consisting of detailed life and suffering representations are not to be found in front of the Carolingian era ( for example, in the martyrology of Ado of Vienne).

The Martyrology Hieronymianum has developed over a long period and consists of different, not originally belong together parts. The outdated to today's version is an early medieval compilation that draws from a general martyrology in the territory of the Roman East, from Italian and African martyrologies and several local martyrologies of Merovingian Gaul, where according to the general doctrine the entries at the beginning of each date from the earliest versions this martyrology are as have been grudge respectively during the time at the end. Obviously, names have been doubled by misunderstandings or defaced or moved data depending on the local cult tradition. About the origin of the original text, there are only guesses. Is called the Patriarchate of Aquileia between the years 430 and 450, and the area of Auxerre, where to have taken place around 600 a revision and enrichment with Gallo-Roman martyrs entries.

The scientific study of the martyrology Hieronymianum whose oldest manuscript is kept in Bern, has proven to be extremely difficult. The editing by Francesco Fiorentini 1668 remained unsurpassed for two centuries. Only with the publication of the well- written at the beginning of the 5th century in Nicomedia Martyrology Syriacum 1866 received the research a new impetus by the direct influences of oriental writing were detected on Western. As a work of reference is still valid today serves the critical edition of the Martyrology Hieronymianum by Giovanni Battista de Rossi and Louis Duchesne in the year 1894.