CRESCENTE. — A disciple of St Paul, mentioned in II Tim. 4:10. The Latin name Crescens (Tacitus, Hist., I, 76, the name of a freedman of Nero; Annal., XV, 11, of a centurion), Hellenized as Κρήχνης, suggests a person of Latin origin; but this cannot be established, since the only information we have about him is that contained in the cited text of II Tim. From this we learn that C. was with Paul for a certain period during the latter’s second Roman imprisonment, and then left him, certainly on a mission entrusted to him by the Apostle. In fact, C. is mentioned together with Titus, who went to Dalmatia, and is clearly distinguished from Demade, who, “out of love for this present age,” left Paul to go to Thessalonica.
It is debated whether C.’Galatia (v.) or Gaul: important manuscripts (SC, various minuscule manuscripts, the Amiatinus for the Vulgate) have Γαλλίαν instead of Γαλατίαν. Even if the commonly accepted reading is retained, it remains true that the terms Γαλατία and Γαλάτει, among Greek writers up to the 2nd century A.D., also have the meaning of Gallia and Galli. Moreover, the “monument of Ancyra” associates Gaul (Γαλατία) with Spain and Dalmatia, thus providing an interesting parallel with the text that speaks of C.’s mission. A late tradition makes C. one of the seventy-two disciples and founder of the Church of Vienne in Gaul (cf. Chronicon Paschale: PG 92, 609); whereas the Constitut. apostol., VII, 46 (PG 1, 1056) assign Galatia to him as his field of work. The Greeks commemorate him on 30 July, the Roman Martyrology on 27 June.
CRESCENZI – Torre dei C. (11th century) – Rome.
He immediately accused his adversary before the prefect of Rome, who was condemned to death (c. 165).