SERGIUS and BACCHUS, saints, martyrs.
- Very venerated in antiquity in the East; their names appear in the Martyrologium Hieronymianum, while in Roman liturgical books they appear only in the 11th century. Their feast is celebrated on October 7, both among the Greeks and the Latins.
Of Roman origin, they were soldiers serving in the palace of MAXIMIAN. When the persecution broke out, they were invited to apostatize, but since they refused, they were degraded and, as a mockery, paraded through the city wearing women's clothing. Handed over to the prefect of the East, ANTIOCHUS, they were subjected to harsh torments during which BACCHUS died. SERGIUS was taken to ROSAPHA, and there, after all threats and enticements to sacrifice had failed, he was beheaded. A basilica was built over his tomb, which soon became a pilgrimage site and the center of an urban settlement that took the martyr's name, SERGIOPOLIS. Many other churches were built in their honor both in the East and in the West. During the Byzantine period, the two martyrs were venerated and invoked as protectors of the army. In Rome, under the pontificate of ADRIAN I, diaconia (v.) dedicated to the two martyrs. Their *Passio* is legendary.
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SERGIUS PAULUS.
Roman proconsul in Cyprus during the first missionary journey of S. PAUL (Acts 13:7-12).
Luke praises his intelligent prudence. SERGIUS summoned PAUL and BARNABAS to himself. A Jewish magician, BAR-JESUS (v.), tried to turn him away from the faith; but a miracle performed by PAUL removed all hesitation. He is the first Roman authority recorded as having embraced Christianity.
No evidence supports the identification of this SERGIUS PAULUS with his namesake who provided PLINY with information on natural history (cf. *Nat. hist.*, I. *De auctoribus*), nor with a Lucius SERGIUS PAULUS, overseer of the Tiber embankments (cf. *CIL*, VI, 21545). Probably false is the hypothesis that the Apostle changed his name from SAUL to PAUL following the proconsul's conversion, although it is found in ancient writers (cf. JEROME, *Comm. in epist. ad Philem.*, 1: *PL* 26, 640-41; AUGUSTINE, *Confess.*, VIII, 4: *CSEL*, 33, p. 177) and also in modern ones (cf. H. DESSAU, *Der Name des Apostels Paulus*, in *Hermes*, 45 [1910], pp. 347-68).