Volume 2

A dictionary of Christian antiquities : being a continuation of the 'Dictionary of the Bible' / edited by William Smith and Samuel Cheetham ; illustrated by engravings on wood.

Date:: [between 1890 and 1899?]

Credit: A dictionary of Christian antiquities : being a continuation of the 'Dictionary of the Bible' / edited by William Smith and Samuel Cheetham ; illustrated by engravings on wood. Source: Wellcome Collection.

27/1016 (page 1079)

$^TAGIGNUS, martyr, with Nabor and Faus- tinns, according to the Bollandists’ reading of Hier n. Mart., where Migne reads Migignus; commemorated Sept. 26 (Boll. Acta SS. Sept, vii. 263). [C. H.] MAGINUS, called by others MAXIMUS, martyr in Tarragona under Maximinus ; com- memorated Aug. 25 (Boll. Acta SS. Aug. v. 118). [C. H.] MAGISTER. (1) Magister disciplinae or infantum. A custom grew up in Spain towards the end of the fifth century, that parents should dedicate their children, while yet very young, to the service of the church, and in this case they were educated and brought up in the house of the bishop, by some “ discreet and grave ” pres- bvter, who was deputed by the bishop for that duty. He was called praepositus or magister dis- ciplinae. The second council of Toledo (a.d. 633), held under Amalric, one of the Gothic kings, says in its first oapitulum, of such young persons, ‘‘ in domo ecclesiae sub episcopali prae- senti^ a praeposito sibi debeant erudiri.” Simi- larly, the fourth council in the same place (a.d. 693), cap. 23 [al. 24], “ si qui in clero puberes aut adolescentes existunt, omnes in uno conclavi atrii commorentur, ut in disciplinis occlesiasticis agant, deputati probatissimo seniore, quern et magistru.a disciplinae et testem vitae habeant.” Also in monasteries, he who had charge of the children who were commonly educated in them was so called; as in Ordericus Vitalis, lib. iii. p. 462, “ ad infantum magisterium pro- movit.” [Schools.] [S. J. E.] (2) Magister hjirmarius, the chief of the bi'ethren in a monastery deputed to visit and attend to the sick. [Infirmary, I. 837.] (3) Magister major, a title sometimes given to the chief of the majistri infantum. See (1) above. (4) Magister novifio>'Um, the officer in a monastery to whom the charge of the novices was especially committed. Cassian (de Instit. Coenoh. iv. 7) tells us that a candidate for admission to a monastery is not at once to be admitted into the general body of the brethren, but given for a time into the charge of an elder monk, who has his station for that pur- pose not far from the entrance of the monastery. During this period the novice had no separate cell, and was not allowed to quit the master’s cell without his permission (u. s. iv. 10). Simi- larly the Rule of St. Benedict (c. 58) provides that the novice shall be taken to the cell of the novices, where he is to meditate, eat, and sleep ; and that a senior monk shall be assigned to him, who shall give all possible pains to raise his spi- ritual state. It seems from this that St. Bene- dict designed to give a separate magister to each novice; but the practice of later times was to have one room and one master for all the novices. Compare (1) above. Cassian tells us {Collat. 20, c. 1) that he him- self acted as “ magister ” to Pinufius, who (though he had fled from another monastery) was treated as a novice. Euphrosyne, in man’s dress, was committed to the charge of a senior by the abbat of a monastery to which she had fled {Life in Rosweyd’s Vitae Patrum, c. 8, p. 365); and a man like Joannes Damascenus, already of distinguished piety, was placed by the head of the monastery of St. Sabas under the charge of a senior. {Life in Surius, c. 18, v. p. 159, ed. Turin, 1876.) See Alteserrae Asce- ticon, lib. ii. c. 10. [C.] MAGISTRATES. [Jurisdiction ; Law.] MACvISTRATUS. Pelliccia (i. 27, quoted by Augusti, Handbuch, i. 170) states that “ ma- gistratus nomine primo episcopus, secundo pres- byter in usum veniunt; ” that is, that the two higher orders, bishop and presbyter, are admitted to the title of magistri, while the inferior orders which subserved them were ministri. [Minister.] This distinction seems to correspond with that elsewhere made between Upovp^voi and virripeTai (Cave, Prim. Christianity, pt. i. ch. 8.) [C.] MAGITA, martyr ; commemorated at Alex- andria Sept. 8 {Hieron. Mart.f [C. H.] MAGLORIUS [St. Magloire], bishop of Dol, circ. A.D. bib ; commemorated Oct. 24 (Mabill. Acta SS. 0. S. B. saec. i. p. 209). [C. H.] MAGNA, martyr in Africa ; commemorated Dec. 3 {Hieron. Mart.; Bed. Mart. Auct.). [C. H.] MAGNERICUS, archbishop of Treves in the 6th century, confessor ; commemorated July 25 (Boll. Acta SS. July, vi. 168). [C. H.] MAGNIFICAT. [Canticle.] MAGNILIS, martyr; commemorated at Capua Aquaria Sept. 1 {Hieron. Mart.f [C. H.] MAGNILUS (1) Martyr in Africa; com- memorated July 30 {Hieron. Mart.f (2) Martyr ; commemorated at Rome Aug. 23 {Hieron. Mart.). (3) Martyr in Mauritania; commemorated Oct. 17 {Hieron. Mart.). (4) Martyr in Macedonia; commemorated Oct. 31 {Hieron. Mart.). [C. H ] MAGNOBODUS, commemorated Oct. 16 (Boll. Acta SS. Oct. vii. 2, 940). [C. H.] MAGNUS (1) Martyr; commemorated Jan. 1 (Boll. Acta SS. Jan. i. 21). (2) Martyr at Rome in the Forum Sempronii; commemorated on Feb. 4 (Usuard. Mart,; Hieron. Mart.; Bed. Mart. Auct.). (3) Martyr; commemoi’ated at Rome on the Via Flaminia Feb. 14 {Hieron. Mart.). (4) Martyr at Interamna; commemorated Feb. 15 {Hieron. Mart.; Bed. Mart. Auct.). (5) Martyr at Thessalonica; commemorated April 2 {Hieron. Mart.). (6) Martyr with eight others at Cyzicus; commemorated April 29 (Basil. MenoL). (7) Martyr in Africa; commemorated May 26 {Hieron. Mart.). (8) Martyr; commemorated at Rome on the Via Tiburtina July 18 {Hieron. Mart.). (9) Martyr at Corinth ; commemorated July 20 {Hieron. Mart.). (10) Martyr ; commemorated at Rome on the Via Portuensis July 29 {Hieron. Mart.). (11) One of four subdeacons beheaded at Rome with Xystus; commemorated Aug. 6 (Usuard, Mart.; Bed. Mart.).$