Page:The Journal of Classical and Sacred Philology, Volume 1, 1854.djvu/204

 194 Journal of Philology. The Chevalier Bunsen says (Vol. I. p. 215) "I have proved 14 in the Description of Rome that this (spot) was the place of the old Christian catacombs, called 'in Agro Verano,' a locality on the ancient Tiburtine road. That Hippc^us' remains were deposited here is attested by an authority greater as well as more ancient than that of the Spanish post. The Calendarium Liberianum of the year 352 (?354) has the following article on the anniversary festival of St Hippolytus : ' Idib. Aug. Hippolyti in via Tiburtini* This indeed is the only authentic day connected with the history and memory of Hippolytus. Prudentius also says The value of the record in the calendar we will consider presently, but first we will observe how much is built upon it. The fourth volume of Bunsen's work opens with an account of the author's views of church-matters in England, many of them long ago published, and contains several terse statements on interesting points as that the second epistle of St Peter is not St Peter's ; and that it does not at all matter whether the book of Daniel was written by Daniel, or forged ; and that Hippolytus wrote with much imperfection and presumption on the subject of Antichrist; and that the Baptism of Infants was a novelty of the 3rd century with other propositions concerning things too sacred for us to handle here. Hippolytus is recalled to earth to be the brazen head through whom these oracles are uttered; they are entitled his Apology. But its contents are not so much to us just now as its outside and the prefixed announcement that it is delivered upon and in honour of " The Ides of August mdcccli being the Anniversary of the Deposition of the Remains of St Hippolytus in the Catacombs of the Ager Veranus." It is with these Ides of August that we are concerned, and of them Bunsen says, in a note on the above title, (Vol. rv. p. 119) (1) " The proof (of the deposition on that day) is to be found in the very words of the old Roman Martyrology, ' Id. Aug. Roma? natalis SS. Hippolyti Martyris, Pontiani Episcopi, Cornelii.' " (2) He adds from "another calendar" (to which we shall refer presently as the Martyrologium Hieronymianum) the entry of Hippolytus' natal day or martyrdom on another day, 8. Id. 14 The fact however had long been his description of St Lorenzo's, and no well known. Ciampini assume* it in does Aringhi.iforaa&t&terr. Vol. rv.i6. 3.
 * Idibus Augusti &c.' "