Primary source · Latin

The Acts of Marcellus (with the Passion of Cassian the Recorder)

Court record with early editing · AD 298 (events); early recensions

What this text is

The centurion who cast down his vine-staff before the standards, tried before Agricolanus — and the court stenographer Cassian, who threw down his pen at the sentence and followed him to martyrdom.

Public-domain translations

Working translation (from the Latin)

'I am a soldier of Jesus Christ, the eternal King. Henceforth I cease to serve your emperors, and I scorn to worship your gods of wood and stone, deaf and dumb idols.'... And Cassian, the shorthand-writer of the court, hurled his pen and tablets to the ground, crying out that the sentence was unjust.

Manuscript witnesses

The M and N recensions of the acta

medieval copies

Two early text-forms of the trial, both preserving the protocol shape; Cassian's passio travels as their appendix.

SURVIVING WITNESSES

Ruinart, Acta sincera

1689

Classic printing of both the Marcellus and Cassian pieces.

PRINTED PROXY

Provenance

Tingis (Tangier), Mauretania

Editions & scholarship

Critical editions and standard translations behind the text above.

Figures named in this text (2)