Saint of the Day – 19 January – Saint Germanicus of Smyrna (Died 2nd Century) Martyr, disciple amd student of St Polycarp who wrote of him: “Devoted to God with all his soul, he subdued the animosity of the unbelievers by the strength of his faith.” Born at Smyrna (in modern Turkey) and diedin the mid 2nd Century, by being torn apart by animals during public games in Smyrna (in modern Turkey).
The Roman Martyrology reads today: “At Smyrna, under Marcus Antoninus and Lucius Aurelius, the birthday of blessed Germanicus, Martyr, who in the bloom of youth, being strengthened by the grace of God and freed from all fear, provoked the beast which by order of the Judge, was to devour him. Being ground by its teeth, he deserved to be incorporated into the True Bread of Life, Christ Jesus, for Whom he died.”
Germanicus is one of the eleven Christians of Philadelphia, whose Martyrdom in Smyrna immediately preceded that of St Polycarp and indeed, he is the only one of them whose name has survived.
A very authoritative source, the Martyrium St Polycarp, speaks of him more generally in Chapters 1-2 and 19 and in particular in Chapter 3.
Here is the short text:
“The devil plotted many snares against the Christians but thanks be to God, he did not succeed in prevailing over all of them. In fact, the very strong Germanicus, strengthened their weakness with his constancy and he too, gloriously faced the test of the wild beasts. When the Proconsul tried to persuade him to have consideration for his young age, he instead incited and provoked the beast against himself, wishing to free himself as quickly as possible, from the unjust and iniquitous world.”
The same document then, in affirming that, among the twelve Martyrs of Smyrna, Polycarp “is the only one to be remembered by all” suggests that when it was written, there was no cult of the eleven Martyrs of Philadelphia. Today we remember the one name we have on 19 January.
AnaStpaul 