Church History (epitome by Photius) 10.1–11.8
Greek text: PG 65 (OCR text layer from the Bavarian State Library, cleaned for this site).English: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), public domain (CC0). Compare: The Ecclesiastical History of Sozomen, and the Ecclesiastical History of Philostorgius, trans. Edward Walford (London: Bohn, 1855).
Chapter 10
10.1PG 65:583
Ὅτι Δωρόθεος μὲν, ὡς ἐῤῥήθη, τῆς ᾿Αντιοχείας ἠλάθη· οἱ δὲ ταύτης πρεσβύτεροι Αστέριος καὶ Κρισπῖνος, καὶ τὸ ἄλλο πλήρωμα συνεδριάσαντες, συμπαρόντων αὐτοῖς καὶ τινων τῶν πέριξ πόλεων ἐπισκόπων, πέμπουσι πρὸς τοὺς ἀμφὶ τὸν Εὐνόμιον, τὴν κοινωνίαν αὐτῶν ἐπιζητοῦντες. Οἱ δὲ ἀντεπιστέλλουσι, μὴ ἄλλως αὐτοὺς παραδέξασθαι, εἰ μὴ τὴν ἐπ᾿ ᾿Αετίῳ καὶ τοῖς αὐτοῦ συγγράμμασι καταχειροτονίαν ἀποψηφίσωνται· ἔτι δὲ καὶ διακάθαρσιν ἀπήτουν τοῦ βίου· συνεφύροντο γὰρ καί πρόκλησιν οὐ προσήκαντο χρόνῳ ὕστερον καὶ εἰς τὸ κακίζειν ἐπ᾿ ἐκκλησίας τόν τε Εὐνόμιον καὶ τοὺς σὺν αὐτῷ προεληλύθεισαν, μετεωρολέσχας. αὐτοὺς καλοῦντες, καὶ πλήρεις ἀπονοίας καὶ σκαιότητος, ἀνθ' ὧν αὐτοῖς τοιαῦτα προτείνειν ἔγνωσαν.
Hoti Dōrotheos men, hōs errhēthē, tēs ᾿Antiocheias ēlathē; hoi de tautēs presbyteroi Asterios kai Krispinos, kai to allo plērōma synedriasantes, symparontōn autois kai tinōn tōn perix poleōn episkopōn, pempousi pros tous amphi ton Eunomion, tēn koinōnian autōn epizētountes. Hoi de antepistellousi, mē allōs autous paradexasthai, ei mē tēn ep᾿ ᾿Aetiǭ kai tois autou syngrammasi katacheirotonian apopsēphisōntai; eti de kai diakatharsin apētoun tou biou; synephyronto gar kai proklēsin ou prosēkanto chronǭ hysteron kai eis to kakizein ep᾿ ekklēsias ton te Eunomion kai tous syn autǭ proelēlytheisan, meteōroleschas. autous kalountes, kai plēreis aponoias kai skaiotētos, anth' hōn autois toiauta proteinein egnōsan.
That Dorotheus, as has been said, was driven out of Antioch; and its presbyters Asterius and Crispinus and the rest of the clergy met in council, with some bishops of the surrounding cities also present, and sent to Eunomius and his party seeking communion with them. They replied that they would not receive them on any other terms than that they revoke the condemnation passed on Aetius and his writings; and they also demanded a cleansing of their way of life, for they were mixed up in [impure conduct]. The others did not accept the challenge; in time they even went so far as to revile Eunomius and his party in church, calling them “babblers about the heavens,” full of folly and boorishness, because they had decided to put such terms to them.
Notes and citation
Summary: The clergy of Antioch seek communion with the Eunomians, who demand that they revoke Aetius's condemnation; the request ends in mutual hostility.
- Words have dropped out after “they were mixed up in” (συνεφύροντο γὰρ καί…); the sense is completed in brackets.
Topics: Heresy
Cite (SBL): Philostorgius, Hist. eccl. 10.1 (PG 65:583; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/philostorgius-historia/10-1). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/philostorgius-historia/10-1
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Valesius's text of Photius's epitome as printed in PG 65; every section compared afterwards with Walford's English (Bohn, 1855).
10.2PG 65:583
Ὅτι τὸν ἀρχηγὸν αὐτῶν τῆς ἀσεβείας Ἄρειον ὁ συγγραφεὺς διαβάλλει, ὡς πολυμερῆ καὶ πολυσύνθετον λέγοντα τὸν Θεὸν τῶν ὅλων. Οὐ γὰρ ὅσον ἐστὶν ὁ Θεὸς καταλαμβάνεσθαι, κηρύσσειν, ἀλλ᾽ ὅσον ἡ ἑκάστου δύναμις πρὸς κατάληψιν ἔῤῥωται· καὶ μήτε δὲ οὐσίαν αὐτὸν εἶναι δογματίζειν, μήτε ὑπόστασιν, μήτε ἄλλο μηδὲν ὧν ὀνομάζεται καὶ τὴν ἐν Ἀριμίνῳ δὲ σύνοδον καὶ τὴν ἐν Κωνσταντινουπόλει τὰ αὐτὰ δοξάζειν, ἥτις τὴν τοῦ Μονογενοῦς γέννησιν ἀγνωστοτάτην πᾶσιν ἀπίφηνε, τῶν γινομένων μόνην τὴν γνῶσιν αὐτῆς περιστείλασα. Αὕτη δ᾽ ἦν ἡ καταδικασαμένη καὶ τὸν ᾿Αέτιον,
Hoti ton archēgon autōn tēs asebeias Areion ho syngrapheus diaballei, hōs polymerē kai polysyntheton legonta ton Theon tōn holōn. Ou gar hoson estin ho Theos katalambanesthai, kēryssein, all᾽ hoson hē hekastou dynamis pros katalēpsin errhōtai; kai mēte de ousian auton einai dogmatizein, mēte hypostasin, mēte allo mēden hōn onomazetai kai tēn en Ariminǭ de synodon kai tēn en Kōnstantinoupolei ta auta doxazein, hētis tēn tou Monogenous gennēsin agnōstotatēn pasin apiphēne, tōn ginomenōn monēn tēn gnōsin autēs peristeilasa. Hautē d᾽ ēn hē katadikasamenē kai ton ᾿Aetion,
That the writer accuses Arius, the founder of their impiety, of saying that the God of all is made of many parts and highly composite. For, he says, Arius proclaims not that God is comprehended as he is, but as far as each one's power of comprehension has strength; and he teaches that God is neither essence nor hypostasis nor any other of the things by which he is named. And he says that the council of Ariminum and that of Constantinople held the same views, the latter declaring the begetting of the Only-begotten wholly unknowable to all, and confining the knowledge of it to the one who begot him alone. This was also the council that condemned Aetius.
Notes and citation
Summary: Philostorgius criticizes Arius's teaching that God is only partially knowable, and the councils that declared the Son's generation unknowable.
- “The founder of their impiety” is Photius's description of Arius. The phrase rendered “to the one who begot him alone” is damaged in the scan (τῶν γινομένων μόνην); a leaked lemma of Valesius's note in 10.6 reads “Whose begetting no one knows except the one who begot him alone.”
- The section ends with a comma; the sentence continues no further in the printed text.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (word split by OCR): πολυσύν θετον → πολυσύνθετον.
Cite (SBL): Philostorgius, Hist. eccl. 10.2 (PG 65:583; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/philostorgius-historia/10-2). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/philostorgius-historia/10-2
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Valesius's text of Photius's epitome as printed in PG 65; every section compared afterwards with Walford's English (Bohn, 1855).
10.3PG 65:585
Ὅτι οἱ ἐξ Ἀρείου τὴν πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα τοῦ Μονογενοῦς ὁμοιότητα εἰς πολλὰς αἱρέσεις διεσχίσαντο. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ κατὰ τὸ προγινώσκειν ἑκάτερον ἔφασαν· οἱ δὲ τὸ τὴν φύσιν Θεός· ἄλλοι δὲ διότι ἐκ μὴ ὄντων ἑκάτερος αὐτῶν πέφυκε δημιουργεῖν. ᾿Αλλὰ ταῦτα, φησὶ, κἂν διαφέρειν δοκῇ, εἰς ἓν καταλήγει, τὸ δοξάζειν ὁμοούσιον τὸν Υἱὸν τῷ Πατρί. Τούτους δέ φησι μετὰ τὸ κατατμηθῆναι ταῖς δόξαις, καὶ εἰς πολλὴν ἄλλην ἀσχημοσύνην ἐκδιαιτηθῆναί φησι· χρημάτων τε τὰς ἱερωσύνας καὶ διδόντας καὶ βάνοντας, καὶ τὰς ὑπευθύνους καὶ σωματικὰς ἡδονὰς μεταδιώκοντας.
Hoti hoi ex Areiou tēn pros ton Patera tou Monogenous homoiotēta eis pollas haireseis dieschisanto. Hoi men gar kata to proginōskein hekateron ephasan; hoi de to tēn physin Theos; alloi de dioti ek mē ontōn hekateros autōn pephyke dēmiourgein. ᾿Alla tauta, phēsi, kan diapherein dokę̄, eis hen katalēgei, to doxazein homoousion ton Huion tǭ Patri. Toutous de phēsi meta to katatmēthēnai tais doxais, kai eis pollēn allēn aschēmosynēn ekdiaitēthēnai phēsi; chrēmatōn te tas hierōsynas kai didontas kai banontas, kai tas hypeuthynous kai sōmatikas hēdonas metadiōkontas.
That Arius's followers split into many sects over the likeness of the Only-begotten to the Father. Some said that each is like the other in foreknowing; others, in being God by nature; others, in that each of them is able to create out of nothing. But these views, he says, though they seem to differ, end in one thing: holding the Son consubstantial with the Father. And he says that these men, after they had been cut up by their opinions, also fell into much other disgraceful conduct, both giving and receiving priesthoods for money, and pursuing culpable bodily pleasures.
Notes and citation
Summary: Philostorgius on the divisions among the Arians over the Son's likeness to the Father, which he says all lead to the homoousion, and on their simony and vices.
- The second view is garbled in the scan (τὸ τὴν φύσιν Θεός) and translated by sense. A stray ὁμοούσιον and a stray column letter are removed.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (a stray word leaked from Valesius's notes; stray column letter of the printed page): φησι· ὁμοούσιον χρημάτων → φησι· χρημάτων; ἡδονὰς Β μεταδιώκοντας → ἡδονὰς μεταδιώκοντας.
Topics: Trinity, Heresy, Church office
Cite (SBL): Philostorgius, Hist. eccl. 10.3 (PG 65:585; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/philostorgius-historia/10-3). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/philostorgius-historia/10-3
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Valesius's text of Photius's epitome as printed in PG 65; every section compared afterwards with Walford's English (Bohn, 1855).
10.4PG 65:585
Ὅτι, φησὶν, οἱ περὶ Εὐνόμιον τοσοῦτον τῶν εἰρημένων αἱρέσεων ἀπεκρίθησαν, ὡς μήτε βάπτισμα αὐτῶν, μήτε χειροτονίαν προσίεσθαι. Ἑβάπτιζον δὲ οἱ περὶ Εὐνόμιον οὐκ εἰς τρεῖς καταδύσεις, ἀλλ᾽ εἰς μίαν, εἰς τὸν θάνατον, ὡς ἔφασκον, τοῦ Κυρίου βαπτίζοντες· ὃν ἅπαξ μὲν, ἀλλ᾽ οὐχὶ δὲς ἢ τρὶς ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἀνεδέξατο.
Hoti, phēsin, hoi peri Eunomion tosouton tōn eirēmenōn haireseōn apekrithēsan, hōs mēte baptisma autōn, mēte cheirotonian prosiesthai. Hebaptizon de hoi peri Eunomion ouk eis treis katadyseis, all᾽ eis mian, eis ton thanaton, hōs ephaskon, tou Kyriou baptizontes; hon hapax men, all᾽ ouchi des ē tris hyper hēmōn anedexato.
That, he says, Eunomius and his party separated so far from the sects mentioned that they would not admit either their baptism or their ordination. Eunomius's party baptized not with three immersions but with one, baptizing, as they said, into the death of the Lord, which he underwent for us once, not twice or three times.
Rom 6:3 (allusion, high confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: The Eunomians rejected other groups' baptism and ordination and baptized with a single immersion into Christ's death.
- Baptism into Christ's death: Rom 6:3–4. The usual practice was threefold immersion.
Cite (SBL): Philostorgius, Hist. eccl. 10.4 (PG 65:585; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/philostorgius-historia/10-4). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/philostorgius-historia/10-4
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Valesius's text of Photius's epitome as printed in PG 65; every section compared afterwards with Walford's English (Bohn, 1855).
10.5PG 65:585
Ὅτι, φησὶν, ὁ βασιλεὺς Θεοδόσιος ᾿Αρκάδιον τὸν υἱὸν, νέον ὄντα κομιδῇ, τὸ τῆς βασιλείας ἀξίωμα παρατίθεται Καὶ μετ᾿ οὐ πολὺ Γρατιανὸς ὁ βασιλεὺς περὶ τὰς ἄνω Γαλατίας τῇ τοῦ τυράννου Μαξίμου συσκευῇ ἀναιρεῖται. Πολλὰς δὲ καὶ διαβολάς ὁ συγγραφεὺς κατὰ Γρατιανοῦ ἀναπλάττει, ὡς καὶ τῷ Νέρωνι παρεικάζειν αὐτόν· οὐ γὰρ ἤρεσεν αὐτῷ, ὡς ἔοικε, τῆς ἐκείνου πίστεως τὸ ὀρθόδοξον.
Hoti, phēsin, ho basileus Theodosios ᾿Arkadion ton huion, neon onta komidę̄, to tēs basileias axiōma paratithetai Kai met᾿ ou poly Gratianos ho basileus peri tas anō Galatias tę̄ tou tyrannou Maximou syskeuę̄ anaireitai. Pollas de kai diabolas ho syngrapheus kata Gratianou anaplattei, hōs kai tǭ Nerōni pareikazein auton; ou gar ēresen autǭ, hōs eoike, tēs ekeinou pisteōs to orthodoxon.
That, he says, the emperor Theodosius conferred the imperial dignity on his son Arcadius, who was quite young. Not long afterwards the emperor Gratian was killed in upper Gaul through the plot of the usurper Maximus. The writer invents many slanders against Gratian, even comparing him to Nero; for, it seems, the orthodoxy of his faith did not please him.
Notes and citation
Summary: Arcadius is made emperor; Gratian is killed by Maximus; Photius attributes Philostorgius's hostility to Gratian to his orthodoxy.
- The last sentence is Photius's comment.
Cite (SBL): Philostorgius, Hist. eccl. 10.5 (PG 65:585; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/philostorgius-historia/10-5). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/philostorgius-historia/10-5
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Valesius's text of Photius's epitome as printed in PG 65; every section compared afterwards with Walford's English (Bohn, 1855).
10.6PG 65:585
Ὅτι Θεοδόσιος ὁ βασιλεὺς, εὑρών τινας τῶν ἐν τῷ κοιτῶνι αὐτοῦ τὰ Εὐνομίου στέργοντας, τούτους μὲν τοῦ παλατίου ἐλαύνει· τὸν δὲ Εὐνόμιον ἐκ τῆς Καλχηδόνος τὴν ταχίστην τοὺς ἁρπασαμένους ἐκπέμπει καὶ πρὸς τὴν Ἁλμυρίδα φυγάδα ποιεῖν ἐγκελεύεται. Τὸ δὲ χωρίον τῆς ἐν Εὐρώπῃ Μυσίας ἐστὶν, ἐν χώρᾳ τοῦ Ἴστρου διακείμενον. ᾿Αλλ' ἡ μὲν ῾Ἁλμυρὶς, κρυσταλλωθέντος τοῦ Ἴστρου, ὑπὸ τῶν διαβάντων αὐτὸν βαρβάρων ἁλίσκεται· ὁ δὲ Εὐνόμιος ἐκεῖθεν εἰς Καισάρειαν τῆς Καππαδοκίας ὑπερορίζεται. Μισητὸς ὢν τοῖς ἐκεῖσε, διότι λόγους κατὰ Βασιλείου τοῦ ταύτης ἐπισκόπου συνετάξατο. Ἐκεῖθεν δὲ εἰς τοὺς ἑαυτοῦ διάγειν ἀγροὺς ἀφείθη Δακοροηνοὶ δὲ τοῖς ἀγροῖς τὸ ὄνομα. Ἐνταῦθα δὲ αὐτόν φησι καὶ Φιλοστόργιος εἰκοστὸν ἔτος ἄγων, ἐν Κωνσταντινουπόλει παραγεγονώς, θεάσασθαι, ὑπερθειάζων τὸν Εὐνόμιον· τήν τε σύνεσιν λέγων αὐτὸν εἶναι καὶ τὴν ἀρετὴν ἀπαράβλητον. Ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦ προσώπου τὸ σχῆμα καὶ τὰ μέρη εἰς τὸ εὐπρεπέστατον τοῖς λόγοις ἐξωραΐζει· καὶ τοὺς ἐκ τοῦ στόματος λόγους μαργαρίσιν ἐοικέναι καίτοι προϊὼν τραυλὴν αὐτοῦ τὴν γλῶτταν καὶ μὴ θέλων συνομολογεῖ. Οὐδὲ τὴν τραυλότητα ἀπαισχυνθεὶς εἰς πολλὴν ἀποσεμνύνειν γλαφυρότητα. ᾿Αλλὰ καὶ τοὺς ἀλφοὺς οἱ τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ κατεμάστιζόν τε καὶ κατέστιζον, κόσμον ἐμποιεῖν τῷ σώματι διατείνεται. Τοὺς δὲ λόγους αὐτοῦ πάντας ἀποθειάζων, διαφέρειν τῶν ἄλλων ἐπὶ μᾶλλον λέγει τὰς ἐπιστολάς.
Hoti Theodosios ho basileus, heurōn tinas tōn en tǭ koitōni autou ta Eunomiou stergontas, toutous men tou palatiou elaunei; ton de Eunomion ek tēs Kalchēdonos tēn tachistēn tous harpasamenous ekpempei kai pros tēn Halmyrida phygada poiein enkeleuetai. To de chōrion tēs en Eurōpę̄ Mysias estin, en chōrą tou Istrou diakeimenon. ᾿All' hē men ῾Halmyris, krystallōthentos tou Istrou, hypo tōn diabantōn auton barbarōn halisketai; ho de Eunomios ekeithen eis Kaisareian tēs Kappadokias hyperorizetai. Misētos ōn tois ekeise, dioti logous kata Basileiou tou tautēs episkopou synetaxato. Ekeithen de eis tous heautou diagein agrous apheithē Dakoroēnoi de tois agrois to onoma. Entautha de auton phēsi kai Philostorgios eikoston etos agōn, en Kōnstantinoupolei paragegonōs, theasasthai, hypertheiazōn ton Eunomion; tēn te synesin legōn auton einai kai tēn aretēn aparablēton. Alla kai tou prosōpou to schēma kai ta merē eis to euprepestaton tois logois exōraïzei; kai tous ek tou stomatos logous margarisin eoikenai kaitoi proïōn traulēn autou tēn glōttan kai mē thelōn synomologei. Oude tēn traulotēta apaischyntheis eis pollēn aposemnynein glaphyrotēta. ᾿Alla kai tous alphous hoi to prosōpon autou katemastizon te kai katestizon, kosmon empoiein tǭ sōmati diateinetai. Tous de logous autou pantas apotheiazōn, diapherein tōn allōn epi mallon legei tas epistolas.
That the emperor Theodosius, finding some of his chamberlains attached to Eunomius's teaching, drove them from the palace; and he sent men to seize Eunomius from Chalcedon with all speed and ordered him to be exiled to Halmyris. The place is in Moesia in Europe, lying in the region of the Ister. But when the Ister froze, Halmyris was taken by the barbarians who crossed it, and Eunomius was banished from there to Caesarea in Cappadocia, where he was hated because he had composed books against Basil, the bishop of that city. From there he was allowed to live on his own estates; the estates were called Dacoroeni. There, Philostorgius says, he saw him when he was in his twentieth year, having come to Constantinople; and he extols Eunomius beyond measure, saying that his intelligence and virtue were beyond compare. He even beautifies in his words the shape and features of his face as most comely, and says the words from his mouth were like pearls; and yet, going on, he admits, even against his will, that his tongue stammered. Nor is he ashamed to glorify the stammer itself as great elegance. He even insists that the white leprous spots that scourged and blotched his face lent adornment to his body. Extolling all his writings as divine, he says that his letters surpass the others still more.
Notes and citation
Summary: Eunomius is exiled by Theodosius to Halmyris, then Caesarea, then his own estate, where young Philostorgius saw and admired him.
- Photius mocks Philostorgius's admiration of Eunomius. The text places Philostorgius both “there” (at the estate) and “having come to Constantinople”; translated as printed.
- Lemmata of Valesius's notes on 10.2–10.5 had leaked into the text (including a word, περιτίθεται, that belongs to 10.5); they are removed.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (OCR lost the first letters of the name; lemmata of Valesius's notes leaked into the text; word split by OCR): φυγάδα περιτίθεται. Οὗ τὴν γέννησιν οὐδεὶς οἶδε, εἰ μὴ μόνος ὁ γεννήσας ἤρεσεν. Ἐπαρχία Σκυθίας ὑφ᾽ ἡγεμόνα πόλεις Τόμις, ᾿Αλμυρίς. Χρημάτων τε τας ἱερωσύνας. Αρκάδιον Γρατιανός. ποιεῖν → φυγάδα ποιεῖν; ὁ δὲ νόμιος → ὁ δὲ Εὐνόμιος; συνομο λογεῖ → συνομολογεῖ.
Extrabiblical texts: Basil, Eun. (Against Eunomius; allusion)
Topics: Heresy
Cite (SBL): Philostorgius, Hist. eccl. 10.6 (PG 65:585; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/philostorgius-historia/10-6). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/philostorgius-historia/10-6
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Valesius's text of Photius's epitome as printed in PG 65; every section compared afterwards with Walford's English (Bohn, 1855).
10.7PG 65:587
Οτι Πλακιδίας ἀποβιούσης, ὁ βασιλεὺς Θεοδόσιος ὁ ταύτης ἀνὴρ Γάλλαν ἄγεται γυναῖκα, ἀδελφὴν μὲν τοῦ νεωτέρου Οὐαλεντινιανοῦ τοῦ βασιλέως, θυγατέρα δὲ τοῦ μεγάλου, ἣν αὐτῷ Ἰουστῖνα ἐγείνατο. Αὕτη δὲ τὰ ᾿Αρείου ἔστεργεν. Ἐξ αὐτῆς δὲ τῷ Θεοδοσίῳ καὶ ἡ θυγάτηρ Πλακιδία τίκτεται.
Oti Plakidias apobiousēs, ho basileus Theodosios ho tautēs anēr Gallan agetai gynaika, adelphēn men tou neōterou Oualentinianou tou basileōs, thygatera de tou megalou, hēn autǭ Ioustina egeinato. Hautē de ta ᾿Areiou estergen. Ex autēs de tǭ Theodosiǭ kai hē thygatēr Plakidia tiktetai.
That when Placilla died, the emperor Theodosius, her husband, took Galla as his wife, the sister of the younger emperor Valentinian and daughter of the elder, whom Justina had borne to him. She favoured the teachings of Arius. From her a daughter, Placidia, was born to Theodosius.
Notes and citation
Summary: Theodosius marries Galla, an Arian, after the death of Placilla; their daughter is Placidia.
- The first wife's name is printed Πλακιδία; she was Flaccilla (Placilla).
Cite (SBL): Philostorgius, Hist. eccl. 10.7 (PG 65:587; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/philostorgius-historia/10-7). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/philostorgius-historia/10-7
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Valesius's text of Photius's epitome as printed in PG 65; every section compared afterwards with Walford's English (Bohn, 1855).
10.8PG 65:589
Ὅτι Θεοδόσιος κατὰ Θεσσαλονίκην τῷ Οὐαλεντινιανῷ συναφθεὶς, στρατεύει κατὰ Μαξίμου τοῦ τυράννου. Καὶ γὰρ ὁ τύραννος, τὴν Γρατιανοῦ κατέχων ἀρχὴν, διενοεῖτο προσλαβεῖν καὶ τὴν Οὐαλεντινιανοῦ. Ἑκπέμπουσι δὲ οἱ βασιλεῖς κατ᾿ αὐτοῦ Τιμάσιον, καὶ Ρυχόμηριν, καὶ Πρόμοτον, καὶ ᾿Αρβογάστην, τοὺς στρατηγούς. Οἱ δὲ παραστάντες αὐτὸν ἐξαπιναίως τοῦ τε θρόνου κατασπῶσι, καὶ τῶν τῆς βασιλείας ἐπισήμων ἀποδύουσι, καὶ τοῖς βασιλεῦσι κατὰ ἰδιώτην προσάγουσι· κἀνταῦθα Μάξιμος τῆς κεφαλῆς ἀποτέμνεται, τυραννήσας πέντε τὰ σύμπαντα ἔτη.
Hoti Theodosios kata Thessalonikēn tǭ Oualentinianǭ synaphtheis, strateuei kata Maximou tou tyrannou. Kai gar ho tyrannos, tēn Gratianou katechōn archēn, dienoeito proslabein kai tēn Oualentinianou. Hekpempousi de hoi basileis kat᾿ autou Timasion, kai Rychomērin, kai Promoton, kai ᾿Arbogastēn, tous stratēgous. Hoi de parastantes auton exapinaiōs tou te thronou kataspōsi, kai tōn tēs basileias episēmōn apodyousi, kai tois basileusi kata idiōtēn prosagousi; kantautha Maximos tēs kephalēs apotemnetai, tyrannēsas pente ta sympanta etē.
That Theodosius, joining Valentinian at Thessalonica, marched against the usurper Maximus. For the usurper, holding Gratian's realm, intended to take Valentinian's too. The emperors sent against him the generals Timasius, Richomeres, Promotus and Arbogast. They came upon him suddenly, dragged him from his throne, stripped him of the imperial insignia and brought him to the emperors as a private man; and there Maximus was beheaded, having been usurper for five years in all.
Notes and citation
Summary: Theodosius and Valentinian II defeat and execute the usurper Maximus.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (OCR lost the first letters; word split by a line break and a stray column letter): Οὐαλεν- Α τινιανῷ → Οὐαλεντινιανῷ; τοῦ ράννου → τοῦ τυράννου.
Cite (SBL): Philostorgius, Hist. eccl. 10.8 (PG 65:589; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/philostorgius-historia/10-8). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/philostorgius-historia/10-8
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Valesius's text of Photius's epitome as printed in PG 65; every section compared afterwards with Walford's English (Bohn, 1855).
10.9PG 65:589
Ὅτι μετὰ τὴν κατὰ Μαξίμου νίκην, καὶ τὴν ἐπὶ Ῥώμην ἐπάνοδον, ἐξελαύνειν αὐτῆς μέλλοντος τοῦ βασιλέως, ἀστὴρ κατὰ τὸν οὐρανὸν ὤφθη παράδοξος καὶ ἀήθης μεγάλων δὲ ἄρα κακῶν ἄγγελος τῇ οἰκουμένῃ γενήσεσθαι ἔμελλεν. Ἐξέλαμψε δὲ πρῶτον κατὰ μέσας νύκτας πλησίον τοῦ ἑωσφόρου, κατ᾿ αὐτὸν δὴ τὸν καλούμενον Ζωδιακὸν κύκλον, μέγας δὲ καὶ ἐκφεγγὴς ταῖς μαρμαρυγαῖς, οὐ πολλῷ τοῦ ἑωσφόρου λειπόμενος. Ἔπειτα συνδρομή πανταχόθεν ἀστέρων ἐπ᾿ αὐτὸν ἀθροιζομένων ἐγίνετο· εἰκάσαις ἂν μελιττῶν παρὰ τὸν ἡγούμενον σφαιρουμένων τὸ θέαμα· κἀντεῦθεν οἱονεὶ τῆς πρὸς ἀλλήλους συνελίψεως βιασαμένης, τὸ τῶν ἁπάντων φῶς εἰς μίαν τινὰ συγκραθὲν ἀνέλαμπε φλόγα. Καὶ μαχαίρας ἄντικρυς ἀμφήκους μεγάλης καὶ φοβερᾶς ἀπετέλεσαν δος, πληκτικῆς ἐξαυγαζομένης, τῶν μὲν ἄλλων ἀπάντων ἀστέρων εἰς τοῦτο μεταπεσόντων, τῆς θέας· ἑνὸς δὲ καὶ μόνου τοῦ πρώτου θεωρηθέντος, ἐν τάξει ῥίζης τινὸς ἢ λαβὶς τῷ παντὶ σχήματι ὑποφαινομένου, καὶ οἷον τὸ πᾶν τοῦ δειχθέντος ἀστέρος ἀποτίκτοντος σέλας ὡς ἂν ἐκ λύχνου τινὸς θρυαλλίδος τῆς φλογὸς πρὸς ὕψος ἐξαιρομένης τὸ μὲν φανὲν οὕτω παράδοξον παρείχε τὴν θέαν. Καὶ ἡ κίνησις δὲ πρὸς πάντα παρήλλαττεν ἀστέρος δρόμον· τὴν γὰρ ἀρχὴν ὅθεν εἴρηται φανῆναι, καὶ τῆς κινήσεως ποιησάμενος, συνανίσχετο μὲν τὰ πρῶτα τῷ ἑωσφόρῳ, καὶ συγκατεδύετο. Επειτα δὲ, κατ' ὀλίγον διιστάμενος, ἐπὶ τὰς ἄρκτους ἀνῄει σχολῇ τε καὶ βάδην κινούμενος, καὶ ἐγκαρσίως, ὡς ἐπ᾿ ἀριστερᾶς πρὸς τοὺς θεωμένους εἰπεῖν, τὴν ἰδίαν πορείαν ποιούμενος· τὴν μέντοιγε κοινὴν περίοδον τὴν αὐτὴν εἶχε τοῖς ἄλλοις καθ' οὓς ἂν γίνοιτο πορευόμενος. Ἐπὶ τεσσαράκοντα δὲ ἡμέρας τῆς ἰδίας αὐτοῦ πορείας ἐπιτελουμένης, εἰς μέσην τὴν μεγάλην ἄρκτον ἐνέβαλε, κὰν τῷ μεσαιτάτῳ αὐτῆς τὰ τελευταῖα φανεὶς αὐτοῦ που ἀπέσβη. Οὐ ταῦτα δὲ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἄλλα πολλὰ παράδοξα περὶ τοῦ ξιφοειδοῦς τούτου δίεισιν ἀστέ·
Hoti meta tēn kata Maximou nikēn, kai tēn epi Rhōmēn epanodon, exelaunein autēs mellontos tou basileōs, astēr kata ton ouranon ōphthē paradoxos kai aēthēs megalōn de ara kakōn angelos tę̄ oikoumenę̄ genēsesthai emellen. Exelampse de prōton kata mesas nyktas plēsion tou heōsphorou, kat᾿ auton dē ton kaloumenon Zōdiakon kyklon, megas de kai ekphengēs tais marmarygais, ou pollǭ tou heōsphorou leipomenos. Epeita syndromē pantachothen asterōn ep᾿ auton athroizomenōn egineto; eikasais an melittōn para ton hēgoumenon sphairoumenōn to theama; kanteuthen hoionei tēs pros allēlous synelipseōs biasamenēs, to tōn hapantōn phōs eis mian tina synkrathen anelampe phloga. Kai machairas antikrys amphēkous megalēs kai phoberas apetelesan dos, plēktikēs exaugazomenēs, tōn men allōn apantōn asterōn eis touto metapesontōn, tēs theas; henos de kai monou tou prōtou theōrēthentos, en taxei rhizēs tinos ē labis tǭ panti schēmati hypophainomenou, kai hoion to pan tou deichthentos asteros apotiktontos selas hōs an ek lychnou tinos thryallidos tēs phlogos pros hypsos exairomenēs to men phanen houtō paradoxon pareiche tēn thean. Kai hē kinēsis de pros panta parēllatten asteros dromon; tēn gar archēn hothen eirētai phanēnai, kai tēs kinēseōs poiēsamenos, synanischeto men ta prōta tǭ heōsphorǭ, kai synkatedyeto. Epeita de, kat' oligon diistamenos, epi tas arktous anę̄ei scholę̄ te kai badēn kinoumenos, kai enkarsiōs, hōs ep᾿ aristeras pros tous theōmenous eipein, tēn idian poreian poioumenos; tēn mentoige koinēn periodon tēn autēn eiche tois allois kath' hous an ginoito poreuomenos. Epi tessarakonta de hēmeras tēs idias autou poreias epiteloumenēs, eis mesēn tēn megalēn arkton enebale, kan tǭ mesaitatǭ autēs ta teleutaia phaneis autou pou apesbē. Ou tauta de monon, alla kai alla polla paradoxa peri tou xiphoeidous toutou dieisin aste;
That after the victory over Maximus and the return to Rome, when the emperor was about to leave it, a strange and unusual star was seen in the sky, which was to be a herald of great evils for the world. It first shone out at midnight near the morning star, in what is called the Zodiac circle, large and brilliant in its flashing, not much less than the morning star. Then there was a gathering of stars from every side crowding to it; you might have compared the sight to bees swarming round their leader. And then, as if the pressure of their crowding together forced it, the light of them all blended into a single flame and blazed out. They formed the shape of a great and fearful two-edged sword, flashing out its stroke, all the other stars having passed into this appearance, while the one first seen showed itself in the place of a root or a handle to the whole figure, as though the one star that had appeared were giving birth to the whole blaze, the flame rising upward as from the wick of a lamp. So the thing that appeared presented a strange sight. Its movement too differed in every respect from a star's course. Starting its movement from the place where it is said to have appeared, at first it rose and set with the morning star. Then, separating little by little, it went up toward the Bears, moving slowly and step by step, and making its own course crosswise, to the left, so to speak, of those who watched it; but it had the same common revolution as the others among which it travelled. When its own course had been running for forty days, it entered the middle of the Great Bear, and in its very centre it was last seen, and there somewhere went out. He relates not only these but many other wonders about this sword-shaped star.
Notes and citation
Summary: Philostorgius describes a sword-shaped comet seen after Theodosius's victory over Maximus, a portent of coming evils.
- The comet is that of 390. A word for “shape” has lost letters in the scan (δος, εἶδος); the last word is cut off (ἀστέ·, ἀστέρος).
Cite (SBL): Philostorgius, Hist. eccl. 10.9 (PG 65:589; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/philostorgius-historia/10-9). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/philostorgius-historia/10-9
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Valesius's text of Photius's epitome as printed in PG 65; every section compared afterwards with Walford's English (Bohn, 1855).
10.10PG 65:591
Ὅτι κατὰ Πορφυρίου φησὶ καὶ οὗτος ὁ συγγραφεὺς ὑπὲρ Χριστιανῶν ἀγῶνας καταθέσθαι.
Hoti kata Porphyriou phēsi kai houtos ho syngrapheus hyper Christianōn agōnas katathesthai.
That this writer too says that he engaged in contests against Porphyry on behalf of the Christians.
Notes and citation
Summary: Philostorgius says he himself wrote against Porphyry.
Extrabiblical texts: Porphyry, Porphyry, Chr. (Porphyry, Against the Christians (fragments); allusion)
Cite (SBL): Philostorgius, Hist. eccl. 10.10 (PG 65:591; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/philostorgius-historia/10-10). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/philostorgius-historia/10-10
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Valesius's text of Photius's epitome as printed in PG 65; every section compared afterwards with Walford's English (Bohn, 1855).
10.11PG 65:591
Ὅτι καθ' οὓς χρόνους ὁ μαχαιροφόρος ἀστὴρ ἐφάνη, καὶ σώματα ἀνθρώπων ὤφθη δύο ἓν μὲν ἐν τῇ Συρία, τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην φύσιν εἰς μέγεθος ἐκβαῖνον· θάτερον δὲ ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ, εἰς ἄπιστον βραχύτητα καταλήγον. Ὁ μὲν οὖν Σύρος πεντάπηχυς ἦν τὸ γεθος καὶ σπιθαμὴν ἔφερε προσθήκην, καίτοι τῶν ποδῶν αὐτοῦ πρὸς τὸ ἄλλο τοῦ σώματος μὴ συνομολογούντων τὸ ὕψος· ἀλλ' εἴσω καὶ πρὸς τὸ βλαισὸν ὑποκαμπτομένων· ᾿Αντώνιος ἦν τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ τὸ ὄνομα. Ὁ δὲ Αἰγύπτιος οὕτω κατεβραχύνετο, ὥστε μηδ' ἀχαρίστως τοὺς ἐν τοῖς κλουβοῖς πέρδικας ἐκμιμεῖσθαι, καὶ συναθύρειν αὐτῷ πρὸς ἔριν ἐκείνους. Τὸ δὲ παραδοξότερον, ὅτι καὶ ἡ φρόνησις ἐνῆν τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ, οὐδὲν ὑπὸ τῆς βραχύτητος καταβλαπτομένη· καὶ γὰρ καὶ τὸ φθέγμα οὐκἄμουσος ἦν, καὶ οἱ λόγον τοῦ νοῦ παρεῖχον ὁρᾶσθαι τὴν γενναιότητα. Ἑκάτερος δὲ τῶν εἰρημένων τοῖς τοῦ συγγραφέως χρόνοις ἐνήκμασε, καὶ οὐ θᾶττον μετῆλθε τὸν βίον, Ὁ μὲν γὰρ μέγιστος τὰ εἴκοσι πέντε διεξιὼν ἔτη ἀπεβίω ὁδ᾽ ἐλάχιστος οὐκ ὀλίγῳ καὶ τούτων λειπόμενος. Πολλὰ δὲ καὶ ἕτερα τέρατα, τὰ μὲν τοῖς εἰρημένοις ὁμόχρονα, τὰ δὲ καὶ προγεγενημένα, ταῖς ἱστορίαις αὐτοῦ καταστρώννυσιν.
Hoti kath' hous chronous ho machairophoros astēr ephanē, kai sōmata anthrōpōn ōphthē dyo hen men en tę̄ Syria, tēn anthrōpinēn physin eis megethos ekbainon; thateron de en Aigyptǭ, eis apiston brachytēta katalēgon. Ho men oun Syros pentapēchys ēn to gethos kai spithamēn ephere prosthēkēn, kaitoi tōn podōn autou pros to allo tou sōmatos mē synomologountōn to hypsos; all' eisō kai pros to blaison hypokamptomenōn; ᾿Antōnios ēn tǭ anthrōpǭ to onoma. Ho de Aigyptios houtō katebrachyneto, hōste mēd' acharistōs tous en tois kloubois perdikas ekmimeisthai, kai synathyrein autǭ pros erin ekeinous. To de paradoxoteron, hoti kai hē phronēsis enēn tǭ anthrōpǭ, ouden hypo tēs brachytētos katablaptomenē; kai gar kai to phthegma oukamousos ēn, kai hoi logon tou nou pareichon horasthai tēn gennaiotēta. Hekateros de tōn eirēmenōn tois tou syngrapheōs chronois enēkmase, kai ou thatton metēlthe ton bion, Ho men gar megistos ta eikosi pente diexiōn etē apebiō hod᾽ elachistos ouk oligǭ kai toutōn leipomenos. Polla de kai hetera terata, ta men tois eirēmenois homochrona, ta de kai progegenēmena, tais historiais autou katastrōnnysin.
That at the time when the sword-bearing star appeared, two human bodies were also seen: one in Syria, going beyond human nature in size; the other in Egypt, ending in incredible smallness. The Syrian was five cubits tall and a span more, although his feet did not match the height of the rest of his body but bent inward, turning knock-kneed; the man's name was Antony. The Egyptian was so small that he imitated, not without charm, the partridges in cages, and they played with him in rivalry. What was more remarkable, the man had good sense, in no way harmed by his smallness; for his voice was not unmusical, and his words let the nobility of his mind be seen. Each of them flourished in the writer's own time, and did not depart from life soon: the tallest died having lived twenty-five years, and the smallest fell not far short of these. He spreads out in his histories many other portents as well, some of the same time as these, others that happened earlier.
Notes and citation
Summary: A giant in Syria and a tiny man in Egypt, seen at the time of the comet.
- Words with lost letters (μέγεθος) are translated by sense.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (OCR slip (semicolon for final sigma)): πέρδικα; ἐκμιμεῖσθαι → πέρδικας ἐκμιμεῖσθαι.
Cite (SBL): Philostorgius, Hist. eccl. 10.11 (PG 65:591; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/philostorgius-historia/10-11). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/philostorgius-historia/10-11
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Valesius's text of Photius's epitome as printed in PG 65; every section compared afterwards with Walford's English (Bohn, 1855).
10.12PG 65:591
Ὅτι τῆς τετράδος καὶ παρασκευῆς τὴν νηστείαν ὁ Φιλοστόργιός φησιν οὐκ ἐν μόνῃ τῶν κρεῶν ἀποχῇ περιορίζεσθαι, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ μηδὲ τροφῆς ὅλως ἅπτεσθαι μέχρι τῆς ἑσπέρας, κανονίζεσθαι. Λέγει γὰρ περί τινος Εὐδοξίου, συναιρεσιώτου μὲν, πρεσβυτέρου δὲ τὴν τάξιν, ἐψιλωμένου δὲ τῶν δι᾽ ὧν ἡ διαδοχὴ τοῦ γένους, τοιάδε· Νηστευτικός τε οὕτως ἦν, ὡς καὶ παρ᾿ ὅλον μὲν τὸν χρόνον μὴ μόνον τὰς κατὰ διάταξιν τὴν μνήμην τοῦ Κυριακοῦ πάθους φερούσας
Hoti tēs tetrados kai paraskeuēs tēn nēsteian ho Philostorgios phēsin ouk en monę̄ tōn kreōn apochę̄ periorizesthai, alla kai to mēde trophēs holōs haptesthai mechri tēs hesperas, kanonizesthai. Legei gar peri tinos Eudoxiou, synairesiōtou men, presbyterou de tēn taxin, epsilōmenou de tōn di᾽ hōn hē diadochē tou genous, toiade; Nēsteutikos te houtōs ēn, hōs kai par᾿ holon men ton chronon mē monon tas kata diataxin tēn mnēmēn tou Kyriakou pathous pherousas
That Philostorgius says that the fast of Wednesday and Friday is not limited to abstaining from meat alone, but that it is the rule not to touch food at all until evening. For he says this about a certain Eudoxius, a member of his sect and a presbyter by rank, but deprived of the parts by which the race is continued: “He was so given to fasting that throughout the whole year he kept not only the days which by ordinance bear the memory of the Lord's passion …”
Textual problem in this passage: see the notes.
Notes and citation
Summary: Philostorgius on the Wednesday and Friday fast, kept without food until evening, illustrated by the presbyter Eudoxius.
- The section breaks off in mid-sentence: the following leaves are lost in the manuscript of Photius, so the end of Book 10 and the beginning of Book 11 are missing. The presbyter Eudoxius was a eunuch.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (OCR lost the first letters): τὴν στείαν → τὴν νηστείαν.
Topics: Fasting
Cite (SBL): Philostorgius, Hist. eccl. 10.12 (PG 65:591; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/philostorgius-historia/10-12). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/philostorgius-historia/10-12
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Valesius's text of Photius's epitome as printed in PG 65; every section compared afterwards with Walford's English (Bohn, 1855).
Chapter 11
11.1PG 65:593
ἄρκτων καὶ λεόντων χρήσασθαι. Αὐτοῦ τε τοῦ ζῇν καὶ τῆς ἀρχῆς καὶ τῶν ἐπὶ τοῖς θηρίοις ἄθλων, κοστὸν ἀπὸ γενέσεως διανύων ἔτος, ἀπεφθάρη. Ην δὲ καὶ τὸν θυμὸν ἀκράτωρ, ὅ καὶ μάλιστα τοῦ ζῇν αὐτὸν ἐξεδίσκευεν. Διαλεγόμενος γάρ ποτε κατὰ τὸ παλάτιον τῷ ᾿Αρβαγάστῃ, ἐπείπερ αὐτὸν οἱ λόγοι πρὸς ὀργὴν ἀνέσειον, ξίφος ὥρμησε κατὰ στρατηγοῦ σπάσασθαι· κωλυθεὶς δὲ (ὁ γὰρ δορυφόρος ἐπέσχεν, οὗ τὸ ξίφος ἕλκειν ἐπεβάλλετο κατὰ τὸ παρὸν γοις μὲν ἐπειρᾶτο τῆς ὑπονοίας τὸν ᾿Αρβογάστην ἀγειν. Ὁ δὲ διὰ τῶν λόγων τὴν ὑπόνοιαν αὐτοῦ μᾶλλον εὗρεν εἰς ἀκρίβειαν μεθισταμένην γνώσεως. Καὶ γὰρ ἐπερωτήσαντι τῆς τοσαύτης ὁρμῆς τὴν αἰτίαν, ἑαυτὸν διαχρήσασθαι Οὐαλεντινιανὸς ὑπεκρίνατο διότι βασιλεύων οὐδὲν ὧν ἂν βούλοιτο πράττει. Ὁ δὲ ᾿Αρβαγάστης οὐδὲν πλέον τότε πολυπραγμονήσας. Ὕστερον ἐν Βιέννῃ τῆς Γαλλίας ἠριστηκότα τὸν βασιλέα, καὶ μεσούσης ἡμέρας κατὰ τὰ ἔρημα τῶν βασιλείων, ἐπὶ τὸν ποταμὸν τὸ χεῖλος οἷς ἐματαιοσπούδει λινδούμενον θεασάμενος, πέμπει τινὰς κατ' αὐτοῦ τῶν ὑπασπιστῶν. Οἱ δὲ τὸν δείλαιον χειρῶν ἰσχύῖ καὶ γνώμης ἀποπνίγουσιν ἀγριότησιν, οὐδὲ τῶν ὑπηρετουμένων τῷ βασιλεῖ τινος παρόντος. Ὁ γὰρ καιρὸς αὐτοὺς ἀριστᾷν μετεπέμπετο. Οἱ μέντοι γε τοῦτον ἀποπνίξαντες, ἵνα μὴ τὸ παραυτίκα πρὸς ζήτησίν τινες χωρήσωσι τῶν ἐργασαμένων, τὸ ἡμιτύβιον τοῦ τῷ τραχήλῳ βρόχου τρόπον περιελίξαντες ἀναρτῶσιν, ὡς δι᾿ αὐτοῦ γε τῇ οἰκείᾳ γνώμῃ ἀπαγξαμένου.
arktōn kai leontōn chrēsasthai. Autou te tou zę̄n kai tēs archēs kai tōn epi tois thēriois athlōn, koston apo geneseōs dianyōn etos, apephtharē. Ēn de kai ton thymon akratōr, ho kai malista tou zę̄n auton exediskeuen. Dialegomenos gar pote kata to palation tǭ ᾿Arbagastę̄, epeiper auton hoi logoi pros orgēn aneseion, xiphos hōrmēse kata stratēgou spasasthai; kōlytheis de (ho gar doryphoros epeschen, hou to xiphos helkein epeballeto kata to paron gois men epeirato tēs hyponoias ton ᾿Arbogastēn agein. Ho de dia tōn logōn tēn hyponoian autou mallon heuren eis akribeian methistamenēn gnōseōs. Kai gar eperōtēsanti tēs tosautēs hormēs tēn aitian, heauton diachrēsasthai Oualentinianos hypekrinato dioti basileuōn ouden hōn an bouloito prattei. Ho de ᾿Arbagastēs ouden pleon tote polypragmonēsas. Hysteron en Biennę̄ tēs Gallias ēristēkota ton basilea, kai mesousēs hēmeras kata ta erēma tōn basileiōn, epi ton potamon to cheilos hois emataiospoudei lindoumenon theasamenos, pempei tinas kat' autou tōn hypaspistōn. Hoi de ton deilaion cheirōn ischui kai gnōmēs apopnigousin agriotēsin, oude tōn hypēretoumenōn tǭ basilei tinos parontos. Ho gar kairos autous aristąn metepempeto. Hoi mentoi ge touton apopnixantes, hina mē to parautika pros zētēsin tines chōrēsōsi tōn ergasamenōn, to hēmitybion tou tǭ trachēlǭ brochou tropon perielixantes anartōsin, hōs di᾿ autou ge tę̄ oikeią gnōmę̄ apanxamenou.
… [he used to hunt] bears and lions. In his twentieth year from birth he perished, deprived of life itself, of the empire, and of his contests with wild beasts. He was also unable to control his anger, which more than anything hurled him out of life. For once, when he was talking with Arbogast in the palace and the words roused him to anger, he rushed to draw a sword against the general; but he was prevented (for the guard whose sword he tried to draw held him back), and for the moment he tried by words to lead Arbogast away from suspicion. But Arbogast found that the words rather turned his suspicion into exact knowledge. For when he asked the reason for so violent an impulse, Valentinian answered that he had meant to kill himself, because though he was emperor he could do nothing that he wished. Arbogast then inquired no further. Later, at Vienne in Gaul, seeing the emperor after his midday meal, at noon, in a deserted part of the palace, idling on the river bank with the pastimes he wasted his time on, he sent some of his guards against him. They strangled the poor man by the strength of their hands and the savagery of their purpose, when none of the emperor's attendants was present, for the hour had called them to their meal. Those who strangled him, so that no one should at once set about searching for those who did it, wound his linen cloth round his neck like a noose and hung him up, as though he had hanged himself by his own choice.
Textual problem in this passage: see the notes.
Notes and citation
Summary: The death of Valentinian II: after a quarrel with Arbogast he is strangled at Vienne and made to look like a suicide.
- The beginning of this section, and of Book 11, is lost in the manuscript of Photius; the subject is Valentinian II.
- Several words have lost letters in the scan (εἰκοστὸν, λόγοις, καλινδούμενον) and are translated by sense; leaked lemmata of Valesius's notes in 11.2 give the fuller readings.
Notes on the original text
- The beginning of Book 11 is lost; the text starts in mid-sentence (Valesius: "the beginning is missing").
Cite (SBL): Philostorgius, Hist. eccl. 11.1 (PG 65:593; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/philostorgius-historia/11-1). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/philostorgius-historia/11-1
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Valesius's text of Photius's epitome as printed in PG 65; every section compared afterwards with Walford's English (Bohn, 1855).
11.2PG 65:593
Ὅτι ᾿Αρβαγάστης τὸν Οὐαλεντινιανὸν ἀνελών, ἐπεὶ τὸ γένος αὐτὸν βασιλεύειν ἀπεκώλυσε (βάρβαρος γὰρ ἦν αὐτὸν ὁ φυσάμενος), Εὐγένιόν τινα, μάγιστρον τὴν ἀξίαν, Ἕλληνα δὲ τὸ σέβας, βασιλέα Ῥωμαίων καθίστησι. Μαθὼν δὲ ταῦτα Θεοδόσιος θατέρῳ μὲν τῶν παίδων Ὁνωρίῳ τὸν βασίλειον παρατίθησι στέφανον ἐν ὅλῳ δὲ τῷ χειμῶνι τὰ πρὸς τὸν πόλεμον αὐτὸς ἐξαρτύεται. Ἥρος δὲ ὑποφαίνοντος ἐκστρατεύει κατὰ τοῦ τυράννου. Καὶ ταῖς ῎Αλπεσι προσβαλὼν ἐκράτησεν αὐτῶν προδοσία. Συμπλακέντος δὲ τῷ τυράννῳ κατὰ τὸν ποταμὸν (Ψυχρὸν ὕδωρ αὐτῷ τὴν ἐπωνυμίαν ποιοῦνται), καὶ μάχης καρτερᾶς γενομένης, καὶ πολλῶν ἑκατέρωθεν ἀπολλυμένων, ὅμως ἡ νίκη, τὸν τύραννον μυσαχθεῖσα, τὴν ἔννομον βασιλείαν συνδιεκόσμει. Συλλαμβάνεται τοίνυν ὁ τύραννος καὶ τῆς κεφαλῆς ἀποτέμνεται. Ὁ μέντοι ᾿Αρβαγάστης ἀπογνοὺς, ἐπιπεσὼν ἀναιρεῖ ἑαυτὸν τῷ ξίφει. Μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα παραγεγονὼς ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐν Μεδιολάνῳ μεταπέμπεται τὸν ἑαυτοῦ παῖδα Ονώριον, καὶ τὴν Ἑσπέραν ἐγχειρίζει πᾶσαν. Μετὰ δὲ τὴν κατὰ τοῦ τυράννου νίκην, τῇ τοῦ ὑδέρου νόσῳ κρατηθεὶς, τελευτᾷ τὸν βίον, βασιλεύσας δέκα καὶ ἐξ ἔτη· ἐν ὅλοις δὴ βασιλεύων εἰς ὑψηλοὺς τοῦ βίου καταλήξας τέρμονας. Ἐπί τε γὰρ νίκαις λαμπραῖς, καὶ μοναρχήσας Ῥωμαίων, καὶ δυοῖν σιλέων πατέρα ἑαυτὸν ἐπιδὼν, καὶ τούτοις ἀστασίαστον παραπέμψας τὴν βασιλείαν, κἀπὶ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ κλίνης εὐδαιμονέστατα προλείπει τὸν βίον, τοῦ θερμοῦ κοι δοκῶ κατὰ τῶν εἰδώλων ζήλου τοῦτο γέρας ἐξενεγκών. Ταῦτα λέγων ὁ δυσσεβὴς περὶ τοῦ εὐσεβεστάτου Θεοδοσίου, οὐκ αἰσχύνεται κωμῳδεῖν αὐτὸν ἐπ᾿ ἀκρασίᾳ βίου καὶ τρυφῆς ἀμετρίᾳ, δι᾽ ἣν αὐτὸν ἁλῶναι γράφει καὶ τῷ τοῦ ὑδέρου νοσήματι.
Hoti ᾿Arbagastēs ton Oualentinianon anelōn, epei to genos auton basileuein apekōlyse (barbaros gar ēn auton ho physamenos), Eugenion tina, magistron tēn axian, Hellēna de to sebas, basilea Rhōmaiōn kathistēsi. Mathōn de tauta Theodosios thaterǭ men tōn paidōn Honōriǭ ton basileion paratithēsi stephanon en holǭ de tǭ cheimōni ta pros ton polemon autos exartyetai. Hēros de hypophainontos ekstrateuei kata tou tyrannou. Kai tais ᾿Alpesi prosbalōn ekratēsen autōn prodosia. Symplakentos de tǭ tyrannǭ kata ton potamon (Psychron hydōr autǭ tēn epōnymian poiountai), kai machēs karteras genomenēs, kai pollōn hekaterōthen apollymenōn, homōs hē nikē, ton tyrannon mysachtheisa, tēn ennomon basileian syndiekosmei. Syllambanetai toinyn ho tyrannos kai tēs kephalēs apotemnetai. Ho mentoi ᾿Arbagastēs apognous, epipesōn anairei heauton tǭ xiphei. Meta de tauta paragegonōs ho basileus en Mediolanǭ metapempetai ton heautou paida Onōrion, kai tēn Hesperan encheirizei pasan. Meta de tēn kata tou tyrannou nikēn, tę̄ tou hyderou nosǭ kratētheis, teleutą ton bion, basileusas deka kai ex etē; en holois dē basileuōn eis hypsēlous tou biou katalēxas termonas. Epi te gar nikais lamprais, kai monarchēsas Rhōmaiōn, kai dyoin sileōn patera heauton epidōn, kai toutois astasiaston parapempsas tēn basileian, kapi tēs heautou klinēs eudaimonestata proleipei ton bion, tou thermou koi dokō kata tōn eidōlōn zēlou touto geras exenenkōn. Tauta legōn ho dyssebēs peri tou eusebestatou Theodosiou, ouk aischynetai kōmǭdein auton ep᾿ akrasią biou kai tryphēs ametrią, di᾽ hēn auton halōnai graphei kai tǭ tou hyderou nosēmati.
That Arbogast, having killed Valentinian, since his birth barred him from reigning himself (for his father was a barbarian), set up as emperor of the Romans a certain Eugenius, a magister by rank but a pagan by religion. When Theodosius learned this, he conferred the imperial crown on one of his sons, Honorius, and spent the whole winter preparing himself for the war. As spring was dawning he marched against the usurper. Attacking the Alps, he took them by treachery. When he engaged the usurper by the river (they call it Cold Water), a fierce battle took place and many fell on both sides; yet victory, loathing the usurper, joined in adorning the lawful empire. The usurper was seized and beheaded; and Arbogast, in despair, fell on his sword and killed himself. After this the emperor came to Milan, summoned his son Honorius, and entrusted the whole West to him. After the victory over the usurper he was seized by dropsy and ended his life, having reigned sixteen years, reigning in every respect and ending at the very heights of life. For after brilliant victories, after ruling the Romans as sole monarch, after seeing himself the father of two emperors and handing the empire on to them without strife, he left life most happily in his own bed, carrying off this prize, as I think, for his hot zeal against the idols. While saying this about the most pious Theodosius, the impious man is not ashamed to mock him for intemperance of life and immoderate luxury, through which he writes that he was also taken by the disease of dropsy.
Notes and citation
Summary: Arbogast makes Eugenius emperor; Theodosius defeats them at the Frigidus and dies of dropsy, praised by Philostorgius for his zeal against idols but blamed for luxury.
- The words “as I think” are Philostorgius's; the last sentence is Photius's comment.
- A run of lemmata from Valesius's notes on 11.1–11.2 had leaked into the text; it is removed. Some words have lost letters (βασιλέων, ὥς μοι) and are translated by sense.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (lemmata of Valesius's notes leaked into the text; stray full stop): τῷ χειμῶνι τὰ Τὸ ξίφος ἔλκειν ἐπεβάλλετο. λος, ἐπὶ τὸν ποταμὸν τὸ χεῖλος καλινδούμενον. ἐπεβάλετο. τῆς ἐπινοίας τὸν ᾿Αρβαγάστην ἀπάγειν, ἴσως ὑπονοίας. ἀπεκρίνατο, διότι βασιλεύς, διότι βασιλεύων, Τὸ χεῖλος. Περὶ τὸ τοῦ ποταμοῦ χείλος μεσούσης ἡμέρας παιγνίοις τισὶ σχολάζοντα, περὶ τὸ τοῦ ποταμοῦ χεῖ σὺν οἷς ἐματαιοσπούδει, Βασιλέα ἀπεκώλυσε. περιτίθησι. πρὸς τὸν πόλεμον → τῷ χειμῶνι τὰ πρὸς τὸν πόλεμον; Εὐγένιόν. τινα → Εὐγένιόν τινα.
Cite (SBL): Philostorgius, Hist. eccl. 11.2 (PG 65:593; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/philostorgius-historia/11-2). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/philostorgius-historia/11-2
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Valesius's text of Photius's epitome as printed in PG 65; every section compared afterwards with Walford's English (Bohn, 1855).
11.3PG 65:595
Ὅτι Αρκαδίῳ μὲν ἐπ᾿ Ἀνατολῆς Ῥουφῖνος παρεδυνάστευσ· κατὰ δὲ τὴν Δύσιν τῷ Ὁνωρίῳ τὴν αὐτὴν ὁ Στελίχων τάξιν διέσωζεν. Ἑκάτερος γὰρ αὐτῶν, ἑκατέρῳ τῶν Θεοδοσίου παίδων τὸ τῆς βασιλείας σχῆμα καὶ τὸ ὄνομα νέμειν οὐ παραιτούμενος τὸ κράτος τῆς ἀρχῆς διὰ χειρὸς καὶ γλώσσης εἶχεν ἐν ὑπάρχου προσηγορίᾳ βασιλεύων τοῦ βασιλεύοντος. Οὐδέτερος δὲ αὐτῶν οἷς ὑπῆρχε τῶν βασιλέων ἔστεργεν. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ Ῥουφῖνος καὶ τὸ τῆς βασιλείας ὄνομα εἰς ἑαυτὸν μεθέλκειν ἐτέχναζεν· ὁ Στελίχων δὲ τῷ ἑαυτοῦ παιδὶ Εὐχερίῳ περιἀπτειν ἡγωνίζετο. Ἀλλὰ τὸν μὲν Ῥουφῖνον ὁ ἀπὸ Ῥώμης ἀνακομισθεὶς στρατὸς, οἱ τῷ Θεοδοσίῳ κατὰ τοῦ τυράννου συνεστρατεύσαντο, ἐν τῷ λεγομένῳ τριβουναλίῳ πρὸς αὐτοῖς τοῖς τοῦ βασιλέως ποσὶ, ταῖς μαχαίραις κατεκόψατο· τοῦτο μὲν ἔχοντες ἐντολὰς παρὰ Στελίχωνος ἐξεργάσασθαι, τοῦτο δὲ καὶ διότι μυκτηρίζων αὐτοὺς ἐπεφώρατο. Καὶ κατ' ἐκείνην ἀπεῤῥάγη τὴν ἡμέραν τῆς ζωῆς, καθ᾽ ἣν οἱ στρατολόγοι μονονουχὶ τὴν ἀλουργίδα αὐτῷ περιεβάλοντο. Εὐμήκης δὲ, φησὶ, ὁ Ῥουφῖνος ἦν καὶ ἀνδρώδης· καὶ τὴν σύνεσιναἵ τε τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν νήσεις ἐδήλουν, καὶ τῶν λόγων ἡ ἑτοιμότης. Ὁ δὲ Αρκάδιος βραχὺς τῷ μεγέθει, καὶ λεπτὸς τὴν ἕξιν, καὶ ἀδρανὴς τὴν ἰσχὺν, καὶ τὸ χρῶμα μέλας· καὶ τὴν τῆς ψυχῆς νωθείαν οἱ τε λόγοι διήγγελλον, καὶ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν ἡ φύσις, ὑπνηλῶς τε καὶ δυσαναφόρως αὐτοὺς δεικνύουσα καθελκομένους. Α καὶ τὸν Ῥουφίνον ἠπάτα, ὡς ἐξ αὐτῆς μόνης τῆς ὄψεως ὁ στρατὸς αὐτὸν μὲν αἰρήσεται χαίρων βασιλέα, ἀποσκευάσεται δὲ τὸν ᾿Αρκάδιον. Τὴν μέντοι κεφαλὴν Ρουφίνου τεμόντες τῷ στόματι λίθον ἐνέθεσαν, ἐπὶ καμάκου δ᾽ ἀναρτήσαντες πανταχοῦ περιέθεον· καὶ τὴν δεξιὰν ὡσαύτως τεμόντες ἐν τοῖς ἐργαστηρίοις τῆς πόλεως περιῆγον, Δότε τῷ ἀπλήστῳ, λέγοντες. Καὶ πολὺ χρυσίον ἡ αἴτησις ἠρανίσατο· οἷα γὰρ ἐπὶ καταθυμίῳ θεάματι, προθύμως τὸ χρυσίον οἱ ὁρῶντες ἀντεδίδοσαν. Ἀλλ᾿ ὁ μὲν Ῥουφίνου τῆς βασιλείας ἔρως εἰς τοῦτο περιέκοψε Καὶ τὸν Στελίχωνα δὲ, ὡς οὗτος λέγει, ἐπιβουλὴν κατὰ τοῦ Ὁνωρίου συστησάμενον, αὐτόν τε καὶ τοὺς συστασιώτας ὁ τὸ σύνθημα παρὰ τοῦ βασιλέως δεξάμενος στρατὸς ἀποσφάττουσιν.
Hoti Arkadiǭ men ep᾿ Anatolēs Rhouphinos paredynasteus; kata de tēn Dysin tǭ Honōriǭ tēn autēn ho Stelichōn taxin diesōzen. Hekateros gar autōn, hekaterǭ tōn Theodosiou paidōn to tēs basileias schēma kai to onoma nemein ou paraitoumenos to kratos tēs archēs dia cheiros kai glōssēs eichen en hyparchou prosēgorią basileuōn tou basileuontos. Oudeteros de autōn hois hypērche tōn basileōn estergen. Ho men gar Rhouphinos kai to tēs basileias onoma eis heauton methelkein etechnazen; ho Stelichōn de tǭ heautou paidi Eucheriǭ periaptein hēgōnizeto. Alla ton men Rhouphinon ho apo Rhōmēs anakomistheis stratos, hoi tǭ Theodosiǭ kata tou tyrannou synestrateusanto, en tǭ legomenǭ tribounaliǭ pros autois tois tou basileōs posi, tais machairais katekopsato; touto men echontes entolas para Stelichōnos exergasasthai, touto de kai dioti myktērizōn autous epephōrato. Kai kat' ekeinēn aperrhagē tēn hēmeran tēs zōēs, kath᾽ hēn hoi stratologoi mononouchi tēn alourgida autǭ periebalonto. Eumēkēs de, phēsi, ho Rhouphinos ēn kai andrōdēs; kai tēn synesinai te tōn ophthalmōn nēseis edēloun, kai tōn logōn hē hetoimotēs. Ho de Arkadios brachys tǭ megethei, kai leptos tēn hexin, kai adranēs tēn ischyn, kai to chrōma melas; kai tēn tēs psychēs nōtheian hoi te logoi diēngellon, kai tōn ophthalmōn hē physis, hypnēlōs te kai dysanaphorōs autous deiknyousa kathelkomenous. A kai ton Rhouphinon ēpata, hōs ex autēs monēs tēs opseōs ho stratos auton men airēsetai chairōn basilea, aposkeuasetai de ton ᾿Arkadion. Tēn mentoi kephalēn Rouphinou temontes tǭ stomati lithon enethesan, epi kamakou d᾽ anartēsantes pantachou perietheon; kai tēn dexian hōsautōs temontes en tois ergastēriois tēs poleōs periēgon, Dote tǭ aplēstǭ, legontes. Kai poly chrysion hē aitēsis ēranisato; hoia gar epi katathymiǭ theamati, prothymōs to chrysion hoi horōntes antedidosan. All᾿ ho men Rhouphinou tēs basileias erōs eis touto periekopse Kai ton Stelichōna de, hōs houtos legei, epiboulēn kata tou Honōriou systēsamenon, auton te kai tous systasiōtas ho to synthēma para tou basileōs dexamenos stratos aposphattousin.
That under Arcadius in the East Rufinus held the power, while in the West Stilicho kept the same position with Honorius. For each of them, while not refusing to leave to each of Theodosius's sons the form and the name of empire, held the power of rule in his own hand and tongue, reigning over the reigning emperor under the title of prefect. Neither of them was content with what he had. Rufinus contrived to draw even the name of emperor to himself, while Stilicho strove to put it on his own son Eucherius. But the army brought back from Rome, which had campaigned with Theodosius against the usurper, cut Rufinus down with their swords at the so-called tribunal, at the very feet of the emperor, partly because they had orders from Stilicho to do it, and partly because he had been caught sneering at them. And he was torn from life on the very day on which, by the astrologers’ reckoning, he was all but clothed in the purple. Rufinus, he says, was tall and manly, and both the movements of his eyes and the readiness of his speech showed his intelligence. Arcadius, on the other hand, was short in stature, thin in build, feeble in strength and dark in colour; and both his speech and the nature of his eyes, which he showed drooping drowsily and hard to raise, announced the sluggishness of his soul. This is what deceived Rufinus into thinking that, from his appearance alone, the army would gladly choose him as emperor and get rid of Arcadius. But they cut off Rufinus's head, put a stone in its mouth, hung it on a pole and ran about everywhere with it; and they cut off his right hand likewise and carried it round the workshops of the city, saying, “Give to the insatiable one!” And the begging collected much gold, for those who saw it gladly paid gold in return for so welcome a sight. So Rufinus's love of empire was cut short in this way. Stilicho too, as this man says, having formed a plot against Honorius, was slaughtered together with his accomplices by the army, which had received the signal from the emperor.
Notes and citation
Summary: Rufinus and Stilicho rule in the names of Arcadius and Honorius; Rufinus is cut down by the army and his head and hand paraded; Stilicho too is later killed.
- “Astrologers” follows Valesius’s correction (ἀστρολόγοι); the printed text has στρατολόγοι, “recruiting officers”. Some words have lost letters in the scan (κινήσεις) and are translated by sense.
Cite (SBL): Philostorgius, Hist. eccl. 11.3 (PG 65:595; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/philostorgius-historia/11-3). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/philostorgius-historia/11-3
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Valesius's text of Photius's epitome as printed in PG 65; every section compared afterwards with Walford's English (Bohn, 1855).
11.4PG 65:597
Ὅτι Εὐτρόπιος, φησὶ, μετὰ Ῥουφῖνον, ἐκ δούλων εὐνοῦχος εἰς τὰ βασίλεια παρεισδὺς, καὶ τὴν τοῦ πραιποσίτου τιμὴν ἀναβὰς τοῖς παροῦσιν οὐκ ἠγάπησεν. Αλλ᾽ ἐπειδήπερ αὐτὸν ἡ ἐκτομὴ τῆς ἀλουργίδος ἀπεστέρει, πείθει βασιλέα, πατρίκιόν τε αὐτὸν καὶ ὕπατον ἀναγράφειν. Καὶ ἦν λοιπὸν πατὴρ ὁ εὐνοῦχος βασιλέως, ὁ μηδὲ τὸν τυχόντα παῖδα φῦναι δυνάμενος
Hoti Eutropios, phēsi, meta Rhouphinon, ek doulōn eunouchos eis ta basileia pareisdys, kai tēn tou praipositou timēn anabas tois parousin ouk ēgapēsen. All᾽ epeidēper auton hē ektomē tēs alourgidos apesterei, peithei basilea, patrikion te auton kai hypaton anagraphein. Kai ēn loipon patēr ho eunouchos basileōs, ho mēde ton tychonta paida phynai dynamenos
That Eutropius, he says, after Rufinus, a eunuch who had come from slavery and slipped into the palace and risen to the rank of praepositus, was not content with what he had. Since castration barred him from the purple, he persuaded the emperor to enrol him as patrician and consul. And from then on the eunuch was the emperor's “father,” he who could not beget even an ordinary child.
Notes and citation
Summary: The eunuch Eutropius becomes patrician and consul.
- Patricians were honoured as “fathers” of the emperor.
Cite (SBL): Philostorgius, Hist. eccl. 11.4 (PG 65:597; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/philostorgius-historia/11-4). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/philostorgius-historia/11-4
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Valesius's text of Photius's epitome as printed in PG 65; every section compared afterwards with Walford's English (Bohn, 1855).
11.5PG 65:599
Ὅτι, φησὶν, Εὐτρόπιος προστάττει Καισαρίῳ τὴν Ῥουφίνου διαδεξαμένῳ ἀρχὴν, Εὐνόμιον ἐκ τῶν Δακοροηνῶν ἐπὶ Τύανα μεταστῆσαι, ὑπὸ τῶν ἐκεῖ μοναστῶν τηρησόμενον. Βασκαίνων γὰρ αὐτῷ τοῦ κλέους, οὐδὲ τὸν νεκρὸν αὐτοῦ ταφῆς τυχεῖν τῆς μετὰ τοῦ διδασκάλου συνεχώρει, καίτοι πολλὰ πολλῶν δεηθέντων· ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰς βίβλους αὐτοῦ δημοσίοις γράμμασιν ἀφανίζεσθαι διετάξατο.
Hoti, phēsin, Eutropios prostattei Kaisariǭ tēn Rhouphinou diadexamenǭ archēn, Eunomion ek tōn Dakoroēnōn epi Tyana metastēsai, hypo tōn ekei monastōn tērēsomenon. Baskainōn gar autǭ tou kleous, oude ton nekron autou taphēs tychein tēs meta tou didaskalou synechōrei, kaitoi polla pollōn deēthentōn; alla kai tas biblous autou dēmosiois grammasin aphanizesthai dietaxato.
That, he says, Eutropius ordered Caesarius, who had succeeded to Rufinus's office, to move Eunomius from Dacoroeni to Tyana, to be guarded by the monks there. Envious of his fame, he did not even allow his dead body to be buried with his teacher, though many people asked many times; and he ordered his books to be destroyed by public edict.
Notes and citation
Summary: Eutropius removes Eunomius to Tyana, forbids his burial beside Aetius, and orders his books destroyed.
Topics: Heresy
Cite (SBL): Philostorgius, Hist. eccl. 11.5 (PG 65:599; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/philostorgius-historia/11-5). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/philostorgius-historia/11-5
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Valesius's text of Photius's epitome as printed in PG 65; every section compared afterwards with Walford's English (Bohn, 1855).
11.6PG 65:599
Ὅτι, φησὶν, ᾿Αρκάδιος ὁ βασιλεὺς, μετὰ θάνατον τοῦ πατρὸς, θυγατέρα Βαύδωνος ἄγεται γυναῖκα ὁ δὲ βάρβαρος μὲν ἦν τὸ γένος, στρατηγίᾳ δὲ κατὰ τὴν ἑσπερίαν διαπρέψας. Τὸ δὲ γύναιον οὐ κατὰ τὴν τοῦ ἀνδρὸς διέκειτο νωθείαν, ἀλλ᾽ ἐνῆν αὐτῇ τοῦ βαρβαρικοῦ θράσους οὐκ ὀλίγον. Αὕτη δὲ θυγατέρας ἤδη τῷ ᾿Αρκαδίῳ δύο, Πουλχερίαν καὶ ᾿Αρκαδίαν ἐγείνατο· ὕστερον δὲ καὶ Μαρῖναν, καὶ υἱὸν ἐπέτεκε Θεοδόσιον. Τότε οὖν τῶν δύο παίδων μήτηρ οὖσα, παρὰ Εὐτροπίου περιυβρισθεῖσα, ὡς καὶ ἀπειλὴν αὐτῇ ἐπενεγκεῖν, τῶν βασιλείων θᾶττον ἀποπέμψασθαι· ὡς εἶχεν, ἀγκαλισαμένη τὰ παιδία διὰ χειρὸς ἑκατέρας, προσέρχεται τῷ ἀνδρί· καὶ κωκύουσά τε ἅμα, καὶ τὰ βρέφη προτεινομένη, δακρύων ἠφίει λιβάδας, καὶ τἄλλα ἐποίει ὅσα γυνὴ φλεγμαίνουσα, γυναικείᾳ τέχνῃ πρὸς τὸ παθητικώτερον ἐφελκύσαιτο τὸν ἄνδρα. Τῷ δὲ ᾿Αρκαδίῳ οἶκτός τε τῶν παίδων εἰσῄει, ἐκ τῆς πρὸς τὴν μητέρα συμπαθείας βραυκανομένων καὶ ὀργὴ ἀνήφθη. Καὶ δὴ τότε τοῖς τε θυμοῖς καὶ τῇ αὐτῶν ἐμβριθείᾳ τῶν λόγων ὁ ᾿Αρκάδιος βασιλεὺς ἦν. Ὅθεν αὐτίκα τὸν Εὐτρόπιον τιμῆς τε ἁπάσης περιδύει, καὶ τὸν πλοῦτον ἀφαιρεῖται, καὶ εἰς Κύπρον τὴν νῆσον φυγαδεύει. Μετ᾿ οὐ πολὺ δὲ τινων ἀπενεγκάντων κατ᾿ αὐτοῦ γραφὴν, ὡς όταν ὕπατος ἐγεγόνει, βοσκήμασιν ἀπεχρήσατο οἷς οὐδενὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἐξῆν, μὴ ὅτι γε μόνῳ βασιλεῖ, μετάπεμπτος ἀπὸ Κύπρου γίνεται. Καὶ συνεδρίου κατὰ τὸ καλούμενον Παντίχιον καθεσθέντος (Αυρηλιανὸς δ᾽ ὁ ὕπαρχος καὶ ἔτεροι τῶν ἐν ταῖς ἀρχαῖς ἐπιφανῶν ἀρχόντων διεσκόπουν τὰ κατηγορούμενα), αἰτίαις ὁ Εὐτρόπιος ἁλοὺς τὴν κεφαλὴν ἀφαιρεῖται. ᾿Αλλ᾽ ὁ μὲν Φιλοστόργιος ταῦτα περὶ τροπίου λέγει. Ἕτεροι δὲ ἄλλας αἰτίας, καὶ τοῦ παραλυθῆναι τῆς ἀρχῆς, καὶ τῆς ὑπερορίας, καὶ δὴ καὶ τοῦ θανάτου ἀνιστοροῦσιν.
Hoti, phēsin, ᾿Arkadios ho basileus, meta thanaton tou patros, thygatera Baudōnos agetai gynaika ho de barbaros men ēn to genos, stratēgią de kata tēn hesperian diaprepsas. To de gynaion ou kata tēn tou andros diekeito nōtheian, all᾽ enēn autę̄ tou barbarikou thrasous ouk oligon. Hautē de thygateras ēdē tǭ ᾿Arkadiǭ dyo, Poulcherian kai ᾿Arkadian egeinato; hysteron de kai Marinan, kai huion epeteke Theodosion. Tote oun tōn dyo paidōn mētēr ousa, para Eutropiou periybristheisa, hōs kai apeilēn autę̄ epenenkein, tōn basileiōn thatton apopempsasthai; hōs eichen, ankalisamenē ta paidia dia cheiros hekateras, proserchetai tǭ andri; kai kōkyousa te hama, kai ta brephē proteinomenē, dakryōn ēphiei libadas, kai talla epoiei hosa gynē phlegmainousa, gynaikeią technę̄ pros to pathētikōteron ephelkysaito ton andra. Tǭ de ᾿Arkadiǭ oiktos te tōn paidōn eisę̄ei, ek tēs pros tēn mētera sympatheias braukanomenōn kai orgē anēphthē. Kai dē tote tois te thymois kai tę̄ autōn embritheią tōn logōn ho ᾿Arkadios basileus ēn. Hothen autika ton Eutropion timēs te hapasēs peridyei, kai ton plouton aphaireitai, kai eis Kypron tēn nēson phygadeuei. Met᾿ ou poly de tinōn apenenkantōn kat᾿ autou graphēn, hōs otan hypatos egegonei, boskēmasin apechrēsato hois oudeni tōn allōn exēn, mē hoti ge monǭ basilei, metapemptos apo Kyprou ginetai. Kai synedriou kata to kaloumenon Pantichion kathesthentos (Aurēlianos d᾽ ho hyparchos kai eteroi tōn en tais archais epiphanōn archontōn dieskopoun ta katēgoroumena), aitiais ho Eutropios halous tēn kephalēn aphaireitai. ᾿All᾽ ho men Philostorgios tauta peri tropiou legei. Heteroi de allas aitias, kai tou paralythēnai tēs archēs, kai tēs hyperorias, kai dē kai tou thanatou anistorousin.
That, he says, the emperor Arcadius after his father's death took as his wife the daughter of Bauto, who was a barbarian by birth but had distinguished himself in military command in the West. The woman did not share her husband's sluggishness; there was no little barbarian boldness in her. She had already borne Arcadius two daughters, Pulcheria and Arcadia, and later bore Marina and a son, Theodosius. At that time, then, when she was the mother of the two children, she was grossly insulted by Eutropius, who even threatened to send her quickly out of the palace. Just as she was, she took the little ones in her arms, one on each side, and went to her husband; and wailing, holding out the babies, she shed streams of tears and did everything else by which a woman in a passion might, by a woman's art, draw her husband to deeper feeling. Pity for the children came over Arcadius, as they cried in sympathy with their mother, and anger was kindled in him. And then, in his wrath and the weight of his words, Arcadius was an emperor. So he at once stripped Eutropius of every honour, took away his wealth and banished him to the island of Cyprus. Not long afterwards, when some brought a charge against him that, when he had been consul, he had made use of animals that no one else was allowed to use, only the emperor, he was summoned back from Cyprus. A tribunal was set up at the so-called Pantichium (Aurelian the prefect and others of the distinguished holders of office examined the charges), and Eutropius, convicted on the charges, lost his head. That is what Philostorgius says about Eutropius; but others relate other causes both for his removal from office and for his exile and his death.
Notes and citation
Summary: The empress Eudoxia, insulted by Eutropius, moves Arcadius to depose and exile him; Eutropius is later tried and beheaded.
- The last sentence is Photius's comment. The empress, daughter of Bauto, is Eudoxia.
- “Animals” translates βοσκήμασιν as printed; a leaked note of Valesius gives instead “he used ornaments beyond his rank, which only the emperor may wear.” A long run of such lemmata (on βραυκανᾶσθαι, the Pantichium, and 11.5) had leaked into the text and is removed. Εὐτροπίου has lost letters.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (lemmata of Valesius's notes leaked into the text): καθεσθέντος Βραϋκανομένων. Βραυκανᾶσθαι, ἐπὶ τῶν κλαιόντων παιδίων λέγεται, ὡς μίμημα φωνῆς. Κόσμοις παρ᾿ ἀξίαν ἐχρήσατο, οὓς μόνῳ ἔξεστι βασιλεῖ ἀμφιέννυσθαι. Κατὰ τὸ καλούμενον Παντυχίον. συνέδριον Τὰς βίβλους αὐτοῦ δημοσίοις γράμμασιν ἀφανίζεσθαι διετάξατο. ΧΙ. (Αυρηλιανὸς → καθεσθέντος (Αυρηλιανὸς.
Cite (SBL): Philostorgius, Hist. eccl. 11.6 (PG 65:599; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/philostorgius-historia/11-6). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/philostorgius-historia/11-6
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Valesius's text of Photius's epitome as printed in PG 65; every section compared afterwards with Walford's English (Bohn, 1855).
11.7PG 65:601
Ὅτι, φησὶ, καὶ τοὺς ἐπ᾿ ἐμὲ γεγενημένους χρόνους τοσαύτη φθορὰ γέγονεν ἀνθρώπων, ὅσην οὐδεὶς χρόνος ἐξ αἰῶνος ἔγνω· καὶ ταύτην ἄρα καὶ τὸν ξιφίαν σημαίνειν ἀστέρα. Οὐ γὰρ μόνον τὸ χιμον, ὥσπερ πάλαι κατὰ τοὺς ἔμπροσθεν πολέμους, ἀπανηλώθη, οὐδ᾽ ἐν μέρει γῆς τὰ πάθη συνέστη· ἀλλὰ πάντα μὲν διεφθείρετο γένη, πᾶσα δ᾽ ἀπόλωλεν ἡ Εὐρώπη, καὶ τῆς ᾿Ασίας οὐκ ὀλίγη μοῖρα συνδιεφθάρη. ᾿Αλλὰ καὶ τῆς Λιβύης ἡ πολλὴ, καὶ μάλιστά γε ὅση Ῥωμαίοις ὑποτελεῖ. Βαρβαρικὴ μὲν γὰρ τὸ τῆς φθορᾶς πλῆθος εἰργάζετο μάχαιρα· λιμὸς δὲ καὶ λοιμὸς, καὶ θηρίων ἀγρίων ἀγέλαι συνεπετίθεντο. Σεισμοί τε ἐξαίσιοι, πόλεις καὶ οἰκίας ἀνασπῶντες ἐκ βάθρων, εἰς τὸ ἀφυκτότατον τὸν ὄλεθρον ἐναφίεσαν. Καὶ χάσματα δὲ γῆς ἐνιαχόθι τοῖς οἰκήτορσιν ὑποῤῥηγνυμένης τάφος ἦν αὐτοσχέδιος· ἐπικλυσμοί τε τῶν ἐξ ἀέρος ὑδάτων, καὶ κατ᾿ ἄλλους αὐχμοὶ φλογώδεις, πρηστῆρές τε ἔστιν οἷς ἐμβαλλόμενοι, ποικίλον τε τὸ δεινὸν ἐποίουν καὶ ἀφόρητον. Καὶ δὴ καὶ χάλαζα μείζων ἢ κατὰ χερμάδα πολλαχοῦ γῆς κατεφέρετο· ἄχρι γὰρ καὶ ὀκτὼ τῶν λεγομένων λιτρῶν ἕλκουσα βάρος ὤφθη κατασκήψασα. Χιόνος δὲ πλῆθος καὶ κρυμῶν ὑπερβολαὶ, οὓς ἄλλη πληγὴ οὐ προανήρπασε, τούτους καταλαμβάνουσαι τοῦ βίου ἐξήλαυνον, καὶ σαφῶς τὴν θείαν ἀνεκήρυττον ἀγανάκτησιν.Οὗ καθ᾿ ἕκαστον ἐπεξελθεῖν ὑπὲρ πᾶσαν ἀνθρωπίνην ἂν εἴη δύναμιν.
Hoti, phēsi, kai tous ep᾿ eme gegenēmenous chronous tosautē phthora gegonen anthrōpōn, hosēn oudeis chronos ex aiōnos egnō; kai tautēn ara kai ton xiphian sēmainein astera. Ou gar monon to chimon, hōsper palai kata tous emprosthen polemous, apanēlōthē, oud᾽ en merei gēs ta pathē synestē; alla panta men diephtheireto genē, pasa d᾽ apolōlen hē Eurōpē, kai tēs ᾿Asias ouk oligē moira syndiephtharē. ᾿Alla kai tēs Libyēs hē pollē, kai malista ge hosē Rhōmaiois hypotelei. Barbarikē men gar to tēs phthoras plēthos eirgazeto machaira; limos de kai loimos, kai thēriōn agriōn agelai synepetithento. Seismoi te exaisioi, poleis kai oikias anaspōntes ek bathrōn, eis to aphyktotaton ton olethron enaphiesan. Kai chasmata de gēs eniachothi tois oikētorsin hyporrhēgnymenēs taphos ēn autoschedios; epiklysmoi te tōn ex aeros hydatōn, kai kat᾿ allous auchmoi phlogōdeis, prēstēres te estin hois emballomenoi, poikilon te to deinon epoioun kai aphorēton. Kai dē kai chalaza meizōn ē kata chermada pollachou gēs katephereto; achri gar kai oktō tōn legomenōn litrōn helkousa baros ōphthē kataskēpsasa. Chionos de plēthos kai krymōn hyperbolai, hous allē plēgē ou proanērpase, toutous katalambanousai tou biou exēlaunon, kai saphōs tēn theian anekērytton aganaktēsin.Hou kath᾿ hekaston epexelthein hyper pasan anthrōpinēn an eiē dynamin.
That, he says, in the times that came in my day such a destruction of human beings took place as no age from the beginning had known; and that this was what the sword-shaped star signified. For it was not only the fighting men who were used up, as long ago in earlier wars, nor were the sufferings confined to one part of the earth; but every race was being destroyed, all Europe perished, and no small part of Asia was destroyed with it, and also much of Libya, especially the part subject to the Romans. The barbarian sword worked the greater part of the destruction, but famine and plague and herds of wild beasts joined in the attack. Extraordinary earthquakes, tearing cities and houses up from their foundations, plunged people into ruin from which there was no escape. Chasms in the earth, breaking open in places beneath its inhabitants, became an improvised grave; floods of water from the sky, and in other places fiery droughts, and whirlwinds of fire falling on some, made the calamity varied and unbearable. Hail larger than a hand-stone fell in many parts of the earth; it was seen to come down weighing as much as eight of what are called pounds. Masses of snow and excessive frosts overtook those whom no other blow had carried off first and drove them out of life, clearly proclaiming the divine indignation. To go through these one by one would be beyond all human power.
Notes and citation
Summary: Philostorgius describes the unprecedented calamities of his time, which he says the sword-shaped comet foretold.
- “The fighting men”: the word has lost letters in the scan (τὸ χιμον, τὸ μάχιμον).
Cite (SBL): Philostorgius, Hist. eccl. 11.7 (PG 65:601; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/philostorgius-historia/11-7). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/philostorgius-historia/11-7
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Valesius's text of Photius's epitome as printed in PG 65; every section compared afterwards with Walford's English (Bohn, 1855).
11.8PG 65:601
Ὅτι τῶν Ούννων, φησὶν, οἱ μὲν, τῆς ἐντὸς Ἴστρου Σκυθίας τὴν πολλὴν χειρωσάμενοι καὶ διαφθείραντες πρότερον, ἔπειτα παγέντα τὸν ποταμὸν διαβάντες, ἀθρόως εἰς τὴν Ῥώμην εἰσήλασαν· καὶ κατὰ πᾶσαν ἀναχθέντες τὴν Θράκην, ὅλην τὴν ρώπην ἐληΐσαντο. Οἱ δὲ πρὸς ἥλιον ἀνίσχοντα, τὸν Τάναϊν ποταμὸν διαβάντες, καὶ τῇ ἑῴᾳ ἐπεισρυέντες, ᾿Αρμενίας μεγάλης εἰς τὴν καλουμένην Μελιτινὴν κατεῤῥάγησαν. Ἐκ ταύτης δὲ Εὐφρατησίαν τε έθεσαν καὶ μέχρι τῆς κοίλης Συρίας ἤλασαν, καὶ τὴν Κιλικίαν καταδραμόντες φόνον ἀνθρώπων εἰργάσαντο ἀνιστόρητον. Οὐ μόνον δὲ, ἀλλὰ καὶ ζικες καὶ Αὐξωριανοί (μεταξὺ δὲ Λιβύης καὶ ῎Αφρων οὗτοι νέμονται), κατὰ μὲν τὸ ἑωθινὸν αὐτῶν κλίμα τὴν Λιβύην ἐξηρήμωσαν, καὶ τῆς Αἰγύπτου μοῖραν οὐκ ἐλαχίστην συνδιώλεσαν, ῎Αφροις τε έμβαλόντες κατὰ δυόμενον ἥλιον τὰ παραπλήσια ἔδρασαν. ᾿Αλλ' ἐπὶ τούτοις πᾶσι καὶ Τριγιβίλδος, ἀνὴρ Σκύθης μὲν γένος, τῶν νῦν ἐπικαλουμένων Γότθων πλεῖστα γὰρ καὶ διάφορα τούτων ἐστὶ Σκυθῶν γένη· οὗτος δὴ δύναμιν βαρβαρικὴν ἔχων, καὶ τῆς Φρυγίας ἐν τῇ Νακωλείᾳ καθεζόμενος, καὶ κόμητος ἔχων τιμὴν, ἐκ φιλίας εἰς ἔχθραν Ῥωμαίων ἀποῤῥαγείς. ᾿Απ' αὐτῆς Νακωλείας ἀρξάμενος, πλείστας τε πόλεις τῆς Φρυγίας εἶλε, καὶ πολὺν φόνον ἀνθρώπων εἰργάσατο. ὃν Γαϊνᾶς ὁ στρατηγὸς ἐκπεμφθεὶς, βάρβαρο; οὖν καὶ αὐτὸς, προὔδωκε τὴν νίκην, τὰ ἴσα καὶ αὐτὸς Ῥωμαίοις δράσαι διανοούμενος. Ἐκεῖθεν ὁ Τριγιβίλδος, ὡς δῆθεν τὸν Γαϊνᾶν διαφυγών, τὴν τε Πισιδίαν καὶ τὴν Παμφυλίαν ἐπιὼν κατελυμήνατο· εἶτα πολλαῖς καὶ αὐτὸς πρότερον δυσχωρίαις τε καὶ Ἰσαυρικαῖς μάχαις περιθραυσθεὶς τὴν ἰσχὺν ἐπὶ τὸν Ἑλλήσποντον διασώζεται· καὶ περαιωθεὶς ἐπὶ τὴν Θράκην οὐ μετὰ πολὺ διαφθείρεται. Γαϊνᾶς δὲ μετὰ τὴν προδοσίαν, ἐν τῷ τοῦ στρατηγοῦ σχήματι πρὸς τὴν Κωνσταντινούπολιν ἐπανελθὼν, εἰς μελέτην ἧκε ταύτην παραστήσασθαι. Οὐρανία δέ τις ἔνοπλος ἐπιφανεῖσα δύναμις, καὶ τοὺς ἐπιβαλεῖν ὁρμηθέντας τῇ πράξει δειματώσασα, τὴν μὲν πόλιν τῆς ἁλώσεως ῥύεται, ἐκείνους δὲ φωραθέντας ταῖς ἀνθρωπίναις δίκαις τὰ καθ' ἑαυτὸν ἀπογνοὺς, εἰς τὰ τῆς Θράκης ἀνωἐκδίδωσι, καὶ φόνος αὐτῶν ἐῤῥύη πολύς. Ὁ δὲ Γαῖνᾶς εἰς τοσοῦτον κατέστη δέους, ὡς αὐτίκα νυκτὸς εχούσης, μεθ᾽ ὅσων ἠδύνατο τοὺς ἐπὶ τῶν πυλῶν βιασάμενος, ἐξελαύνει τῆς πόλεως. Ἐπεὶ δὲ ἡ Θράκη ἐξηρήμωτο, καὶ οὔτε παρέχειν τι τῶν ἐπιτηδείων ἦν δυνατή, οὔτε φθορὰν ἄλλην ἐνεγκεῖν, ἐπὶ Χερρόνησον ὁ Γαϊνᾶς στέλλεται, σχεδίαις διανοούμενος ἐπὶ τὴν ᾿Ασίαν διαπεραιοῦσθαι. Διαγνωσθείσης δὲ τῷ βασιλεῖ τῆς αὐτοῦ διανοίας, πέμπεται στρατηγὸς κατ' τοῦ Φραυΐτας, Γότθος μὲν τὸ γένος, Ἕλλην, δὲ τὴν δόξαν, πιστὸς δ᾽ οὖν Ῥωμαίοις, καὶ τὰ πολέμια κράτιστος. Οὗτος, ἐν ᾧ Γαϊνᾶς προέπεμπε τὸν ὑπ᾿ αὐτῷ στρατὸν ταῖς σχεδίαις διαπεραιοῦσθαι, νηΐτῃ στόλῳ συμπλέκεται ταύταις, καὶ ἐκ τοῦ ῥᾴστου πάντας τοὺς συμπλέοντας ταῖς σχεδίαις διαφθείρει. Ἐξ οὗ Γαϊνᾶς τέρω φεύγει, καί τινες τῶν Ούννων οὐ πολλοῦ διαῤῥυέντος χρόνου ἐπελθάντες αὐτὸν ἀναιροῦσι· καὶ ἡ κεφαλή ταριχευθεῖσα εἰς Κωνσταντινούπολιν ἐκομίσθη. Χωρὶς δὲ τῶν εἰρημένων κακῶν καὶ τὸ Ἰσαύρων γένος παντοδαποὺς ἐπήνεγκεν ὀλέθρους. Πρὸς μὲν γὰρ ἥλιον ἀνίσχοντα την τε Κιλικίαν κατέδραμον, καὶ τὴν ὅμορον Συρίαν, οὐ τὴν κοίλην μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν ἄλλην μέχρ: Περσῶν αὐτῶν ἀφικομένην Κατὰ δὲ Ἰάπυγα ἄνεμον καὶ Θρασκίαν, Παμφυλίαν τε ἐπῆλθον, καὶ Λυκίους διέφθειρον· Κύπρον τε τὴν νῆσον καταστρεψάμενοι· Λυκάονάς τε καὶ Πισίδας ἠχμαλώτισαν. Καὶ Καππαδόκας τὸ πλεῖστον ἀναστήσαντες ἄχρι καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν πόντον διεκινδύνευσαν καὶ τῶν ἄλλων βαρβάρων τὰ χείριστα τοὺς ἁλισκομένους οὗτοι διέθεντο.
Hoti tōn Ounnōn, phēsin, hoi men, tēs entos Istrou Skythias tēn pollēn cheirōsamenoi kai diaphtheirantes proteron, epeita pagenta ton potamon diabantes, athroōs eis tēn Rhōmēn eisēlasan; kai kata pasan anachthentes tēn Thrakēn, holēn tēn rōpēn elēïsanto. Hoi de pros hēlion anischonta, ton Tanaïn potamon diabantes, kai tę̄ heǭą epeisryentes, ᾿Armenias megalēs eis tēn kaloumenēn Melitinēn katerrhagēsan. Ek tautēs de Euphratēsian te ethesan kai mechri tēs koilēs Syrias ēlasan, kai tēn Kilikian katadramontes phonon anthrōpōn eirgasanto anistorēton. Ou monon de, alla kai zikes kai Auxōrianoi (metaxy de Libyēs kai ᾿Aphrōn houtoi nemontai), kata men to heōthinon autōn klima tēn Libyēn exērēmōsan, kai tēs Aigyptou moiran ouk elachistēn syndiōlesan, ᾿Aphrois te embalontes kata dyomenon hēlion ta paraplēsia edrasan. ᾿All' epi toutois pasi kai Trigibildos, anēr Skythēs men genos, tōn nyn epikaloumenōn Gotthōn pleista gar kai diaphora toutōn esti Skythōn genē; houtos dē dynamin barbarikēn echōn, kai tēs Phrygias en tę̄ Nakōleią kathezomenos, kai komētos echōn timēn, ek philias eis echthran Rhōmaiōn aporrhageis. ᾿Ap' autēs Nakōleias arxamenos, pleistas te poleis tēs Phrygias eile, kai polyn phonon anthrōpōn eirgasato. hon Gaïnas ho stratēgos ekpemphtheis, barbaro? oun kai autos, proudōke tēn nikēn, ta isa kai autos Rhōmaiois drasai dianooumenos. Ekeithen ho Trigibildos, hōs dēthen ton Gaïnan diaphygōn, tēn te Pisidian kai tēn Pamphylian epiōn katelymēnato; eita pollais kai autos proteron dyschōriais te kai Isaurikais machais perithraustheis tēn ischyn epi ton Hellēsponton diasōzetai; kai peraiōtheis epi tēn Thrakēn ou meta poly diaphtheiretai. Gaïnas de meta tēn prodosian, en tǭ tou stratēgou schēmati pros tēn Kōnstantinoupolin epanelthōn, eis meletēn hēke tautēn parastēsasthai. Ourania de tis enoplos epiphaneisa dynamis, kai tous epibalein hormēthentas tę̄ praxei deimatōsasa, tēn men polin tēs halōseōs rhyetai, ekeinous de phōrathentas tais anthrōpinais dikais ta kath' heauton apognous, eis ta tēs Thrakēs anōekdidōsi, kai phonos autōn errhyē polys. Ho de Gainas eis tosouton katestē deous, hōs autika nyktos echousēs, meth᾽ hosōn ēdynato tous epi tōn pylōn biasamenos, exelaunei tēs poleōs. Epei de hē Thrakē exērēmōto, kai oute parechein ti tōn epitēdeiōn ēn dynatē, oute phthoran allēn enenkein, epi Cherronēson ho Gaïnas stelletai, schediais dianooumenos epi tēn ᾿Asian diaperaiousthai. Diagnōstheisēs de tǭ basilei tēs autou dianoias, pempetai stratēgos kat' tou Phrauïtas, Gotthos men to genos, Hellēn, de tēn doxan, pistos d᾽ oun Rhōmaiois, kai ta polemia kratistos. Houtos, en hǭ Gaïnas proepempe ton hyp᾿ autǭ straton tais schediais diaperaiousthai, nēïtę̄ stolǭ sympleketai tautais, kai ek tou rhąstou pantas tous sympleontas tais schediais diaphtheirei. Ex hou Gaïnas terō pheugei, kai tines tōn Ounnōn ou pollou diarrhyentos chronou epelthantes auton anairousi; kai hē kephalē taricheutheisa eis Kōnstantinoupolin ekomisthē. Chōris de tōn eirēmenōn kakōn kai to Isaurōn genos pantodapous epēnenken olethrous. Pros men gar hēlion anischonta tēn te Kilikian katedramon, kai tēn homoron Syrian, ou tēn koilēn monon, alla kai tēn allēn mechr: Persōn autōn aphikomenēn Kata de Iapyga anemon kai Thraskian, Pamphylian te epēlthon, kai Lykious diephtheiron; Kypron te tēn nēson katastrepsamenoi; Lykaonas te kai Pisidas ēchmalōtisan. Kai Kappadokas to pleiston anastēsantes achri kai epi ton ponton diekindyneusan kai tōn allōn barbarōn ta cheirista tous haliskomenous houtoi diethento.
That some of the Huns, he says, having first conquered and devastated most of Scythia this side of the Ister, then crossed the frozen river and burst all at once into Roman territory; and spreading over all Thrace, they plundered the whole of Europe. Others, crossing the river Tanais toward the rising sun and flooding into the East, broke into the part of Greater Armenia called Melitene. From there they attacked Euphratesia, drove as far as Coele-Syria, and overrunning Cilicia, wrought an unheard-of slaughter of people. Not only these, but also the Mazices and the Auxorians (they live between Libya and the Africans) laid waste Libya on their eastern side and destroyed no small part of Egypt as well, and, falling on the Africans toward the setting sun, did the same. Besides all these, Tribigild too, a man of Scythian race, of those now called Goths (for there are very many different races of these Scythians): he had a barbarian force, was stationed at Nacoleia in Phrygia and held the rank of count, but broke away from friendship with the Romans into enmity. Beginning from Nacoleia itself, he took very many cities of Phrygia and wrought great slaughter. Gainas the general, who was sent against him, being himself a barbarian, betrayed the victory, intending to do the same to the Romans himself. From there Tribigild, as if escaping Gainas, attacked Pisidia and Pamphylia and ravaged them; then, his strength broken by many difficult places and battles with the Isaurians, he escaped to the Hellespont, crossed into Thrace, and not long afterwards perished. Gainas, after his treachery, returned to Constantinople with the rank of general and set about seizing the city. But an armed heavenly power appeared and terrified those who had set out to carry out the deed; it saved the city from capture and gave up those who were detected to human justice, and much of their blood was shed. Gainas fell into such fear that at once, while it was still night, he forced his way past the guards at the gates with as many as he could and rode out of the city. When Thrace had been laid waste and could neither supply anything needed nor bear further destruction, Gainas set out for the Chersonese, intending to cross over to Asia on rafts. When his plan became known to the emperor, Fravitta was sent as general against him, a Goth by race and a pagan by belief, but loyal to the Romans and very strong in war. While Gainas was sending his army ahead to cross on the rafts, Fravitta engaged them with a fleet and very easily destroyed all who were sailing on the rafts. Gainas then, despairing of his position, fled farther into the interior of Thrace; and not long afterwards some of the Huns came upon him and killed him, and his head was pickled and brought to Constantinople. Besides the evils mentioned, the Isaurian people too brought every kind of ruin. Toward the rising sun they overran Cilicia and neighbouring Syria, not only Coele-Syria but the rest of it too, reaching as far as the Persians themselves; toward the Iapyx and the Thrascias winds they attacked Pamphylia and ravaged the Lycians; they subdued the island of Cyprus; they took the Lycaonians and Pisidians captive; and after uprooting most of the Cappadocians, they pushed their raids as far as Pontus; and they treated those they captured worse than the other barbarians.
Notes and citation
Summary: The invasions of Huns, Mazices and Isaurians, and the revolts of Tribigild and Gainas, whom a heavenly power drove from Constantinople and Fravitta defeated.
- The words “despairing of his position, he went up into the interior of Thrace” are displaced in the scan into the sentence on the punishment of Gainas’s men; they belong to the sentence on his flight after the defeat on the rafts (…περαι]τέρω φεύγει) and are translated there.
- Several words have lost letters in the scan (Εὐρώπην, Μάζικες, βάρβαρος ὤν, κατ' αὐτοῦ, περαιτέρω) and are translated by sense. Iapyx and Thrascias are the west-north-west and north-north-west winds.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (word split by OCR): ἐκομί σθη → ἐκομίσθη.
Cite (SBL): Philostorgius, Hist. eccl. 11.8 (PG 65:601; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/philostorgius-historia/11-8). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/philostorgius-historia/11-8
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Valesius's text of Photius's epitome as printed in PG 65; every section compared afterwards with Walford's English (Bohn, 1855).