Kargaltsev Alexey Vital’evich, TheologicalInstitute of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ingria (Saint-Petersburg, Russia), kargaltsev@gmail.com
Kargaltsev A. V. The martyrdom of Montanus and Lucius: Introductory article, Russian translation and commentary, Religiya. Tserkov’. Obshchestvo. Issledovaniya i publikatsii po teologii i religii [Religion. Church. Society: Research and publications in the field of theology and religious studies], Saint-Petersburg, 2014, vol. 3, pp. 334–336.
doi: 10.24411/2308-0698-2014-00016
Language: Russian
The article gives a brief description and an annotated translation of the “Martyrdom of St. Montanus and Lucius” (Passio Sanctorum Montani et Lucii, BHL 6009). This interesting source of Roman North Africa created in time of Valerian persecution contains valuable information about the organization of the Christian community of Carthage, as well as its attitude towards martyrdom. It mentions several background characters, that also adds to its value. The text of the monument consists of two parts. The first (1–11) is a report of Christian presence of Christians in prison, apparently recorded by Flavian, while the second (12–23), composed by an anonymous author, tells of the death of Montanus, Lucius and their companions, as well as about the misadventures of the Flavian on the way to suffering. In spite of authenticity of the text being commonly recognized, the problem of the influence on it of other African hagiographical monuments is of big importance, because it contents a number of similar subject courses (visions of characters) and unique features (a huge youth in a gorgeous robe, stairs on the way to paradise, bowl with milk and so on). Another feature of the martyrdom is extensive use of biblical quotations exactly corresponded with Vulgate by Jerome. This, in turn, raises the question of editorial changes and the appearance of the text in general.
Key words: Valerian, North Africa, hagiography, martyrdom, Flavian
URL: http://rcs-almanac.ru/kargaltsev-2014-en/
