Baring-Gould’s sources: Roman Martyrology, and those of Bede, Ado, &c. But the ancient Roman Martyrology, bearing the name of S. Jerome, on Feb. 24th. By the Greeks commemorated on Jan, 31st and April 5th. A mere epitome of their Acts was all that was known to Bollandus, as contained in the Menæa and Martyrologies; but Assemani has since recovered the genuine Acts in Chaldaic.

VICTORINUS, Victor, Nicephorus, Claudian, Dioscorus, [69] Serapion, and Papias, were citizens of Corinth, and had witnessed a good confession before Tertius, the proconsul, in 249. They then passed into Egypt, for what reason is not stated, and were again called upon to confess Christ, in the reign of Numerian, in Diospolis, capital of the Thebaid [the desert region of Upper (southern) Egypt], in 284, under Sabinus, the governor. After the governor had tried the constancy of the martyrs with the rack and scourge, he caused Victorinus to be thrown into a great marble mortar. The executioners began by pounding his extremities, saying to him, at every stroke, "Spare thy life, Victorinus, by abjuring thy new God." But, as he continued to maintain his steadfastness, by order of Sabinus they crushed his head and chest. Victor was threatened with the same death. He pointed to the mortar, stained with the blood and brains of his companions, and said, calmly, "My salvation and my true joy await me there!" He was immediately cast into it, and pounded to death. Nicephorus was impatient of delay, and leaped of his own accord into the mortar. He met with the same fate. Sabinus caused Claudian, the fourth, to be chopped to pieces, and his bleeding joints to be thrown at the feet of the survivors. He expired, after his feet, hands, arms, legs, and thighs had been cut off. The governor then, pointing to the mangled limbs and bleeding trunk, said to the three who remained, "It concerns you to escape this punishment; I do not compel you to suffer." The martyrs replied, with one accord, "We desire of thee to bid us suffer by the most excruciating pains thou canst devise, for never will we break our fidelity to God, and deny Jesus Christ, our Saviour, for He is our God, from whom we have our being, and to whom alone we aspire."

The tyrant then condemned Dioscorus to be roasted to death; Serapion was suspended by his heels and decapitated; and Papias was cast into the sea with a stone attached to his neck, and drowned.

This happened on Feb. 25th, on which day these martyrs are commemorated in the Western Martyrologies; but the Greek Menæa and the Menology of the Emperor Basil Porphyrogenitus honour them on January 31st, the day of their confession at Corinth.