(A.D. 102.)
[Roman Martyrology. Greek Menæa on Feb. 17th. Authority:--A Greek
life of uncertain authority, written by a native of Solias.]
Saint Auxibius was a Roman, who coming to Cyprus after the martyrdom
of S. Barnabas, was baptized and ordained priest by John Mark, the
companion of the apostle whose sister's son he was, and sent to
Solias, the modern Lerka, in the north of the island, where he
succeeded in converting to the faith a priest of Jove. After Mark had
visited Alexandria, he went to S. Paul,[56] who, hearing that there
was a deficiency of apostles in Crete, sent Epaphras and Tychicus to
Heraclias, the bishop of Crete, ordering him to place Epaphras in the
See of Paphos, and Tychicus in that of Neapolis, and to seek out
Auxibius, at Solias, who had been ordained by Mark, and consecrate him
bishop. Amongst the converts made by Auxibius was one, a native of
Solopotamus, his namesake, who was afterwards bishop. Auxibius of
Solias is said to have foreseen his future elevation in the following
way. One day that he and his pupil were out walking, they came to a
tree, where there was pleasant shade, and beneath this they sat down
to rest; whereupon Auxibius of Solopotamus fell asleep with his head
against the trunk. Then a great multitude of ants, which were running
over the bark, came down on his head, and the bishop thought it was a
token of the future industry which his namesake would exhibit, and a
sign that he would be a suitable person to receive the grace of
episcopal orders. Auxibius had the happiness of converting and
baptizing his brother Themistagoras, and his sister-in-law Tima; and
when he was dying, he bade his disciples not open his sepulchre till
the death of Themistagoras, when his brother was to be laid beside
him. He then appointed his namesake to succeed him, and expired. But
when Themistagoras was about to die, he felt himself unworthy to lie
beside his brother, and bade that he should be entombed elsewhere, and
"thus it follows," says the writer of the Life of S. Auxibius, "that
to this day the sepulchre of the saint remains unopened."