Page "Pope Marcellinus" Paragraph 2

Marcellinus is not mentioned in the Martyrologium hieronymianum, or in the Depositio episcoporum, or in the Depositio martyrum.

The Liber Pontificalis, basing itself on the Acts of St Marcellinus, the text of which is lost, relates that during Diocletian ’ s persecution Marcellinus was called upon to sacrifice, and offered incense to idols, but that, repenting shortly afterwards, he confessed the faith of Christ and suffered martyrdom with several companions.

Other documents speak of his defection, and it is probably this lapse that explains the silence of the ancient liturgical calendars.

In the beginning of the 5th century Petilianus, the Donatist bishop of Constantine, says that Marcellinus and his priests had given up the holy books to the pagans during the persecution and offered incense to false gods.

St Augustine denied the affair.

The records of the pseudo-council of Sinuessa, which were fabricated at the beginning of the 6th century, state that Marcellinus after his fall presented himself before a council, which refused to try him on the ground that prima sedes a nemine iudicatur (" The first See is judged by none ").

According to the Liber Pontificalis, Marcellinus was buried on 26 April 304 in the cemetery of Priscilla, on the Via Salaria, 25 days after his martyrdom ; the Liberian Catalogue gives as the date 25 October.

The fact of the martyrdom, too, is not established with certainty.