80 ST. APHTE chose to be buried in 1123. Baring- Gould, Lives of the Saints^ " St. Gerald." St. Aphte, Agatha. St. Apollinaris (i), Aug. 23. . M. with St. Timothy at Bheims, iu Gaul. J^.ilf. St. Apollinaris (2) Syncletica, Jan. 5. Early in the 5th century. Daughter of Anthemius, who is called by Metaphrastes, Emperor; but Mr. Baring-Gould considers it more probable that he was grandfather of the Emperor of that name, and held the office of consular prefect of Bome and regent during the minority of Theodosius the Younger. Having obtained her parents* permission to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, she there liberated all the slaves who had been sent with her, keep- ing in her service only one eunuch and an old man to arrange her tent. One night, having gone into her tent as usual, her two servants sleeping outside, she put on a hermit's habit, which she bad procured in Jerusalem for the pur- pose, and fled silently into the desert. When her servants, aided by the gover- nor of the place where they were, had 45ought her in vain, they returned to her parents, who supposed she had taken refuge from the world in some sister- hood of holy women. Meantime, Apol- linaris betook herself to St. Macarius of Alexandria, who lived in the desert of Scete, at the head of a large community of recluses in cells and caves. Having cut off her hair, and being by this time much tanned and disfigured by exposure to hardships, hunger, and the Egyptian sun, she easily passed for a man, and Dpent many years among the brethren under the name of Dorotheus. Anthe- mius had another daughter, who was possessed of a devil, and as he had heard of the sanctity and miracles of St. Macarius, he sent her to him to be cured. Macarius handed her over to Dorotheus, who said that Grod had not conferred on him the gift of miracles, And bogged the good abbot not to give the young women into his charge. Macarius insisted, and the girl was shut up with Dorotheus in his cell for some days, that he might cast out the devil by prayer and fasting. After a time, the daughter of Anthemius was sent home cured. A few months afterwards she became dropsical. Her parents, believing her to be pregnant, and turn- ing a deaf ear to her denial, insisted so vehemently on knowing who was her seducer, that at last she said it was Dorotheus, in whose cell she had spent some days. Anthemius therefore sent to St. Macarius, and requested an inter- view with the guilty Dorotheus. The monks were horrified at the charge brought against their brother ; but Doro- theus said, Fear not, brethren, God will reveal my innocence." When Apol- linaris was brought into the presence of Anthemius, she told him she was his lost daughter. He rejoiced greatly to see her again. When she had stayed a short time with her parents, and had by her prayers obtained her sister's cure, she returned to the desert. The B,3L says that her illustrious actions are praised by St. Athanasins. Boll., AA.SS. .Her story, as told by Meta- phrastes, is given by Baring-Gould, Lives of the Saints. St. Apollonia (l), Fob. 9, is caUed in French Appolink, V. M. at Alexan- dria, 249. Patron against toothache and diseases of the teeth. Beprcsented bound to a pillar, having her teeth pulled out, or hol<£uig a tooth in pincers. After the murder of St. Quinta (q.v.), the mob pillaged the houses of the Christians, burning what they did not carry away, so that the city looked like a place taken by storm. After this they seized
- ^ that admirable and aged virgin Apol-
lonia ; *' and first they broke all her teeth with heavy blows, then they kindled a great fire, and told her she should be thrown into it unless she would repeat their blasphemies. At first she seemed to hesitate ; then, taking courage, she leapt into the fire, and became a burnt sacrifice to the Lord. (Crake, Hist, of the Churchy quoting a letter of Dionysius, bishop of Alexandria, describ- ing the seventh persecution.) Suicide and courting martyrdom and persecution have been repeatedly con- demned by the Church in all ages, and decrees have been made forbidding the honours of martyrs to those who
