Rufus and Zosimus

Rufus and Zosimus are a pair of Christians associated with the martyrdom of Ignatius of Antioch. They are mentioned in the epistle to the Philippians of Polycarp and in the Ecclesiastical History of Eusebius. Their commemoration was entered in the martyrology of Florus and then in those of Ado and Usuard, who call them martyrs and disciples of the Lord.

The first mention of Rufus and Zosimus is in the epistle to the Philippians of Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna, who links them with the martyrdom of Ignatius. The two are also mentioned in the Ecclesiastical History of Eusebius of Caesarea, who quotes a passage of Polycarp's letter, and through Eusebius's work their name reached Florus, who entered their commemoration in his martyrology on 17 October, the day on which the martyrology of Bede recalled the translation of Saint Ignatius. In his martyrology, Ado moved their commemoration to 18 October and changed the text, calling them for the first time "disciples of the Lord": it is probable that Ado identified Rufus with the son of Simon of Cyrene mentioned in the Gospel of Mark, and with the Rufus of the Pauline epistle to the Romans, but in no ancient series of the disciples of Jesus is a Zosimus mentioned. In reality there is no concrete evidence that Rufus and Zosimus were disciples of the Lord, and not even the title of martyrs can be clearly deduced from the writing of Polycarp, but Usuard took the same commemoration of Ado for his martyrology, and from Usuard the announcement passed into the Roman Martyrology. In the Roman Martyrology reformed according to the decrees of the Second Vatican Council and promulgated in 2001, the commemoration of Saints Rufus and Zosimus is read on 17 October.