| Saint Eliphius | |
| Death Date: | 362 AD |
| Feast Day: | 16 October |
| Venerated In: | Roman Catholic Church |
| Birth Place: | Ireland |
| Death Place: | Toul, France |
| Titles: | Martyr |
| Attributes: | Bishop's attire, with his head in his hands |
Saint Eliphius or Eloff (Élophe, Éliphe, Alophe) is venerated as a martyr and saint. Tradition holds that he was the child of a king of Scotia, and preached in Toul, where he converted 400 people to Christianity.[1] He was accompanied by his siblings: St. Eucharius, and three sisters, Menna, Libaria, and Susanna.[1] [2] Tradition also makes him a bishop of Toul.[3]
In regard to their alleged royal and Irish birth, James Henthorn Todd states that "we cannot place much reliance on the statement that they were the children of a king of Scotia. Their names are not Irish."[4] In the 12th century, Abbot Rupert of Duitz (Rupertus Tuitiensis), author of the Acts of the saint, was of the opinion that Eliphius and his siblings were natives of Toul.[4]
In his History of Lorraine, Antoine Augustin Calmet does not mention Scotia (which can refer to Ireland or Scotland) and states that according to some scholars, Eliphius could be a native of Soulosse-sous-Saint-Élophe or Gran;[5] as well as the princely son of a man named Baccius.[2] [4]
All of the siblings, except Menna,[2] were beheaded at or near Toul, at the order of Julian the Apostate.[1] They were buried at Mount Eliph.[1] The Lorsch Codex mentions the donation of the relics of St. Eliphius to the Great St. Martin Church, Cologne and was the second named patron of the church.[6] These relics were later translated to Toul.[6]