Church History 5.24–6.6
Greek text: PG 67 (OCR text layer from the Bavarian State Library, cleaned for this site).English: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), public domain (CC0). Compare: Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 2 (1890).
Chapter 5
5.24PG 67:647–649
Ἀλλὰ μὴν, οὐδὲ οἱ ἀπὸ Εὐνομίου ἀδιαίρετοι μεμενήκασιν. Αὐτὸς μὲν γὰρ Εὐνόμιος, ἤδη πρότερον Εὐδοξίου τοῦ χειροτονήσαντος αὐτὸν ἐπίσκοπον Κυζίκου κεχώριστο, πρόφασιν λαβὼν, ὅτι ᾿Αέτιον τὸν αὐτοῦ διδάσκαλον ἐκβληθέντα οὐ προσεδέχετο. Οἱ δὲ ἀπ᾿ αὐτοῦ εἰς διάφορα διῃρέθησαν. Πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ Θεοφρόνιός τις Καππαδόκης, ὑπὸ Εὐνομίῳ τὰ ἐριστικὰ παιδευθεὶς, καὶ παχυμερῶς τὰς Ἀριστοτέλους κατηγορίας καὶ τὸ περὶ ἑρμηνείας νοήσας, συντάξας βιβλία, Περὶ τῆς γυμνασίας τοῦ νοῦ ἐπέγραψε, προσοχθίσας τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ ὁμοθρήσκοις, ὡς ἀποστατήσας αὐτῶν ἐκβέβληται· καὶ παρασυνάξας αὐτοῖς, ἀφ᾿ ἑαυτοῦ ἐπώνυμον αἴρεσιν καταλέλοιπε · καὶ ἐν τῇ Κωνσταντίνου πόλει δὲ, Εὐτύχιός τις ἐκ ψυχροῦ ζητήματος ἐχωρίσθη τῶν Εὐνομιανῶν, καὶ νῦν τὰς συνάξεις κατ᾿ ἰδίαν ποιεῖται. Ονομάζονται οὖν οἱ μὲν Θεοφρονίῳ ἀκολουθήσαντες, Εύνομιοθεαφρονιανοί · οἱ δὲ Εὐτυχίῳ, Εὐνομιευτυχιανοί. Ὁποῖα δὲ ψυχρὰ ῥημάτιά ἐστι περὶ ὧν διαφέρονται, παραδοῦναι τῇ ἱστορίᾳ οὐκ ἄξιον εἶναι κέκρικα, ἵνα μὴ εἰς ἕτερα ἀποκλίνω τὸν λόγον· πλὴν ὅτι τὸ βάπτισμα παρεχάραξαν. Οὐ γὰρ εἰς τὴν Τριάδας, ἀλλ᾽ εἰς τὸν τοῦ Χριστοῦ βαπτίζουσι θάνατον. Γέγονε δὲ ἐπὶ χρόνον τινὰ καὶ ἐν Μακεδονιανοῖς διχόνοια, Εύτροπίου μὲν πρεσβυτέρου ἰδίᾳ συνάγοντος, Καρτερίου δὲ μὴ συναινοῦντος αὐτῷ. Ἴσως δ᾽ ἂν καὶ ἄλλαι τινὲς εἶεν θρησκεῖαι, ἐκ τούτων γινόμεναι ἐν ταῖς ἄλλαις τῶν πόλεων Ἐγὼ δὲ ἐν τῇ Κωνσταντίνου πόλει τὰς διατριβάς ποιούμενος, ἐν ᾗ ἐτέχθην τε καὶ ἀνετράφην, τὰ ἐν αὐτῇ γενόμενα πλατύτερον διηγοῦμαι ὅτι τινὰ τούτων καὶ αὐτοψίᾳ ἱστόρησα, καὶ ὅτι λαμπρότερα τὰ ἐν αὐτῇ γενόμενα καὶ ἄξια μνήμης καθἑστηκε. Ταῦτα μὲν οὖν οὐ κατὰ τὸν αὐτὸν χρόνον, ἀλλὰ κατὰ διαφόρους συνέβη γενέσθαι καιρούς. Εἰ δέ σοι φίλον ὀνόματα διαφόρων λαμβάνειν αἱρέσεων, τῷ ἐπιγραφομένῳ ᾿Αγκυρωτῷ βιβλίῳ, ὅ συνέταξεν ὁ Κυπρίων ἐπίσκοπος Επιφάνιος, ἐντυγχάνων διδάσκου. Περὶ μὲν δὴ τούτων ἀποχρώντως εἰρήσθω. Τὰ δὲ δημόσια πράγματα ἐταράττετο, ἐξ αἰτίας τοιαύτης·
Alla mēn, oude hoi apo Eunomiou adiairetoi memenēkasin. Autos men gar Eunomios, ēdē proteron Eudoxiou tou cheirotonēsantos auton episkopon Kyzikou kechōristo, prophasin labōn, hoti ᾿Aetion ton autou didaskalon ekblēthenta ou prosedecheto. Hoi de ap᾿ autou eis diaphora dię̄rethēsan. Prōton men gar Theophronios tis Kappadokēs, hypo Eunomiǭ ta eristika paideutheis, kai pachymerōs tas Aristotelous katēgorias kai to peri hermēneias noēsas, syntaxas biblia, Peri tēs gymnasias tou nou epegrapse, prosochthisas tois heautou homothrēskois, hōs apostatēsas autōn ekbeblētai; kai parasynaxas autois, aph᾿ heautou epōnymon airesin kataleloipe ; kai en tę̄ Kōnstantinou polei de, Eutychios tis ek psychrou zētēmatos echōristhē tōn Eunomianōn, kai nyn tas synaxeis kat᾿ idian poieitai. Onomazontai oun hoi men Theophroniǭ akolouthēsantes, Eunomiotheaphronianoi ; hoi de Eutychiǭ, Eunomieutychianoi. Hopoia de psychra rhēmatia esti peri hōn diapherontai, paradounai tę̄ historią ouk axion einai kekrika, hina mē eis hetera apoklinō ton logon; plēn hoti to baptisma parecharaxan. Ou gar eis tēn Triadas, all᾽ eis ton tou Christou baptizousi thanaton. Gegone de epi chronon tina kai en Makedonianois dichonoia, Eutropiou men presbyterou idią synagontos, Karteriou de mē synainountos autǭ. Isōs d᾽ an kai allai tines eien thrēskeiai, ek toutōn ginomenai en tais allais tōn poleōn Egō de en tę̄ Kōnstantinou polei tas diatribas poioumenos, en hę̄ etechthēn te kai anetraphēn, ta en autę̄ genomena platyteron diēgoumai hoti tina toutōn kai autopsią historēsa, kai hoti lamprotera ta en autę̄ genomena kai axia mnēmēs kathestēke. Tauta men oun ou kata ton auton chronon, alla kata diaphorous synebē genesthai kairous. Ei de soi philon onomata diaphorōn lambanein haireseōn, tǭ epigraphomenǭ ᾿Ankyrōtǭ bibliǭ, ho synetaxen ho Kypriōn episkopos Epiphanios, entynchanōn didaskou. Peri men dē toutōn apochrōntōs eirēsthō. Ta de dēmosia pragmata etaratteto, ex aitias toiautēs;
But neither did the followers of Eunomius remain undivided. Eunomius himself had earlier separated from Eudoxius, who had ordained him bishop of Cyzicus, taking as his pretext that he would not receive his teacher Aetius, who had been expelled. His followers were divided into various groups. First, one Theophronius, a Cappadocian, trained by Eunomius in disputation, who had a rough understanding of Aristotle's Categories and On Interpretation, composed books which he entitled On the Exercise of the Mind; having offended his fellow religionists, he was expelled as one who had revolted from them; and holding rival assemblies, he left behind a sect named after himself. In Constantinople too one Eutychius separated from the Eunomians over a frigid question and now holds his assemblies apart. Those who followed Theophronius are called Eunomiotheophronians, and those who followed Eutychius, Eunomioeutychians. What frigid little phrases they differ about I have judged not worth handing down to history, so as not to turn my account aside to other matters; except that they debased baptism, for they baptize not into the Trinity but into the death of Christ. For a time there was also discord among the Macedonians, the presbyter Eutropius holding assemblies apart, and Carterius not agreeing with him. Perhaps there are other religions too that arose from these in the other cities. But I, living in Constantinople, where I was born and brought up, relate more fully what happened there, both because I saw some of it with my own eyes and because what happened there is more notable and worth remembering. These things did not happen at the same time, but at different times. If you wish to learn the names of the various heresies, read the book entitled Ancoratus, which Epiphanius, bishop of the Cypriots, composed, and learn from it. Let this be enough about these things. Now public affairs were disturbed for the following reason.
Rom 6:3 (echo, low confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: The Eunomians split into Theophronians and Eutychians, who baptize into Christ's death rather than the Trinity; Socrates refers readers to Epiphanius's Ancoratus for the list of heresies.
- Epiphanius's Ancoratus is on this site.
Extrabiblical texts: Epiphanius, Anc. (The Well-Anchored Man; allusion)
Topics: Heresy, Baptism, Trinity
Cite (SBL): Socrates, Hist. eccl. 5.24 (PG 67:647–649; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/socrates-historia/5-24). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/socrates-historia/5-24
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Valesius's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 67 (Bavarian State Library OCR and Tesseract re-OCR); every chapter compared afterwards with Zenos's English in NPNF² 2.
5.25PG 67:649–653
Κατὰ τὰ ἑσπέρια μέρη γραμματικός τις ὀνόματι ( Εὐγένιος, Ῥωμαϊκοὺς παιδεύων λόγους, ἀφεὶς τὰ παιδευτήρια, ἐν τοῖς βασιλείοις ἐστρατεύετο, καὶ ἀντιγραφεὺς τοῦ βασιλέως καθίσταται. Διὰ δὲ τὴν τύχην μετρίως οὐκ ἤνεγκεν. Ἀλλὰ συνεργὸν λαβὼν ᾿Αρβογάστην, ὃς ἐκ τῆς μικρᾶς Γαλατίας ὁρμώμενος, στρατιωτικοῦ μὲν τάγματος ἡγεμών ἐτύγχανεν ὢν, τὸν δὲ τρόπον χαλεπὸς καὶ μιαιφονώτατος, εἰς τυραννίδα ἐπέκλινε. Βουλεύουσιν οὖν ἄμφω φόνον κατὰ τοῦ βασιλέως Οὐαλεντινιανοῦ, τοὺς ἐπικοιτωνίτας Εὐνούχους ἐπεισελθόντες. Οἱ δὲ ὑποσχέσεις μειζόνων ἢ εἶχον ἀξιωμάτων δεξάμενοι, καθεύδοντα τὸν βασιλέα ἀπέπνιξαν. Εὐθὺς οὖν ὁ Εὐγένιος ἐγκρατὴς τῶν ἐν τοῖς ἐσπερίοις μέρεσι πραγμάτων γενόμενος, ἔπραττεν ὅσα εἰκὸς ἦν ὑπὸ τυράννου γίνεσθαι. Ταῦτα ἀκούσας ὁ βασιλεὺς Θεοδόσιος, αὖθις ἐν φροντίσι μεγίσταις καθίστατο, δευτέρων ἀγώνων τῶν μετὰ Μάξιμον προκειμένης ὁδοῦ. τὸ εἶναι ἐλλόγιμος, πλέον τῶν ἄλλων τιμώμενος, Συγκροτήσας οὖν τὰς στρατιωτικὰς δυνάμεις, καὶ τὸν υἱὸν Ονώριον ἀναγορεύσας βασιλέα ἐν τῇ ἑαυτοῦ τρίτῃ ὑπατείᾳ καὶ Ἀβουνδαντίου, τῇ δεκάτῃ τοῦ Ἰαννουαρίου μηνὸς, αὖθις ἐπὶ τὰ ἑσπέρια μέρη μετὰ σπουδῆς ἐπορεύετο, καταλιπὼν ν ἀμφοτέρους υἱοὺς ἐν τῇ Κωνσταντίνου πόλει βασιλεύοντας. ᾿Απιόντι δὲ αὐτῷ ἐπὶ τὸν κατὰ Εὐγενίου πόλεμον, πλεῖστοι τῶν πέραν τοῦ Ἴστρου βαρβάρων ἐπηκολούθουν, συμμαχεῖν κατὰ τοῦ τυράννου προαιρούμενοι. Οὐ πολλοῦ δὲ διαγενομένου χρόνου, τὰς Γαλλίας κατέλαβε σὺν δυνάμει πολλῇ. Ἐκεῖ γὰρ ηὐτρεπίζετο ἔχων καὶ αὐτὸς στρα· τοῦ μυριάδας πολλάς. Γίνεται οὖν συμβολὴ περὶ τὸν ποταμὸν τὸν καλούμενον Φρίγδον, ὃς ἀπέχει καθ᾿ ὅ μὲν οὖν μέρος Ῥωμαῖοι πρὸς Ῥωμαίους συν– επλέκοντο, ἰσόπαλος ἦν ἡ μάχη· καθ' ὁ δὲ οἱ συμμαχοῦντες τῷ βασιλεῖ Θεοδοσίῳ βάρβαροι, κατ' ἐκεῖνο οἱ Εὐγενίου μᾶλλον ἐπεκράτουν. Ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς ὁρῶν τοὺς βαρβάρους ἀπολλυμένους, ἐν μεγίστῳ ἀγῶνι γενόμενος, χαμαὶ ῥίψας ἑαυτὸν, βοηθὸν ἐκάλει Θεὸν, καὶ τῆς αἰτήσεως οὐχ ἡστόχησεν. Βαχούριος γὰρ ὁ στρατηλάτης αὐτοῦ τοσοῦτον ἐπεῤῥώσθη, ὥστε σὺν τοῖς πρωταγωνισταῖς εἰσδραμεῖν, ὃ μέρος οἱ βάρβαροι ἐδιώχοντο" καὶ διαῤῥήσσει μὲν τὰς φάλαγγας " τρέπει δὲ εἰς φυγὴν τοὺς πρὸ βραχέως διώἙἘπιγίνεται δὲ ἄλλο θαύματος ἄξιον. Άλνεμος γὰρ σφοδρὸς ἐπιπνεύτας τὰ πεμπόμενα βέλη παρὰ τῶν Εὐγενίου χατ᾽ αὐτῶν περιέτρεπεν " οὗ μὴν ἀλλὰ τῶν ἀντιπάλων μετὰ σφοδροτέρας τῆς ὁρμῆς ἔφερε αὐτῶν " τοσοῦτον ἴσχυσεν ἡ τοῦ βασιλέως εὐχή. Τοῦτον δὴ τὸν τρόπον γενομένης τῆς τοῦ πολέμου τροπῆς, ὁ τύραννος προσδοαμὼν τοῖς τοῦ βασιλέως ποσὶν, ἐδέετο σιυτηρίας τυχεῖν. ᾿Αλλὰ πρὸς τοῖς ποσὶ τοῖς αὐτοῦ ὑπὸ τῶν στρατιωτῶν τὴν κεφαλὴν ἀπετμήθη. Ταῦτα πέπρακται τῇ ἔκτῃ τοῦ Σεπτεμβρίου μηνὸ:, ἐν ὑπατείᾳ ᾿Αρκαδίου τὸ τρίτον, ᾿θνωρίου τὸ δεύτερον. ᾿Αρθογάστης δὲ ὁ τῶν τηλικούτων κακῶν αἴτιος, μετὰ δύο τῆς συμἡμέρας φεύγων, ὡς ἔγνω οὐχ εἶναι αὐτῷ β:ώσιμα, τῷ οἰχείω ξίφει ἑαυτὸν διεχρήσατο.
Kata ta hesperia merē grammatikos tis onomati ( Eugenios, Rhōmaïkous paideuōn logous, apheis ta paideutēria, en tois basileiois estrateueto, kai antigrapheus tou basileōs kathistatai. Dia de tēn tychēn metriōs ouk ēnenken. Alla synergon labōn ᾿Arbogastēn, hos ek tēs mikras Galatias hormōmenos, stratiōtikou men tagmatos hēgemōn etynchanen ōn, ton de tropon chalepos kai miaiphonōtatos, eis tyrannida epekline. Bouleuousin oun amphō phonon kata tou basileōs Oualentinianou, tous epikoitōnitas Eunouchous epeiselthontes. Hoi de hyposcheseis meizonōn ē eichon axiōmatōn dexamenoi, katheudonta ton basilea apepnixan. Euthys oun ho Eugenios enkratēs tōn en tois esperiois meresi pragmatōn genomenos, epratten hosa eikos ēn hypo tyrannou ginesthai. Tauta akousas ho basileus Theodosios, authis en phrontisi megistais kathistato, deuterōn agōnōn tōn meta Maximon prokeimenēs hodou. to einai ellogimos, pleon tōn allōn timōmenos, Synkrotēsas oun tas stratiōtikas dynameis, kai ton huion Onōrion anagoreusas basilea en tę̄ heautou tritę̄ hypateią kai Aboundantiou, tę̄ dekatę̄ tou Iannouariou mēnos, authis epi ta hesperia merē meta spoudēs eporeueto, katalipōn n amphoterous huious en tę̄ Kōnstantinou polei basileuontas. ᾿Apionti de autǭ epi ton kata Eugeniou polemon, pleistoi tōn peran tou Istrou barbarōn epēkolouthoun, symmachein kata tou tyrannou proairoumenoi. Ou pollou de diagenomenou chronou, tas Gallias katelabe syn dynamei pollę̄. Ekei gar ēutrepizeto echōn kai autos stra; tou myriadas pollas. Ginetai oun symbolē peri ton potamon ton kaloumenon Phrigdon, hos apechei kath᾿ ho men oun meros Rhōmaioi pros Rhōmaious syn– eplekonto, isopalos ēn hē machē; kath' ho de hoi symmachountes tǭ basilei Theodosiǭ barbaroi, kat' ekeino hoi Eugeniou mallon epekratoun. Ho de basileus horōn tous barbarous apollymenous, en megistǭ agōni genomenos, chamai rhipsas heauton, boēthon ekalei Theon, kai tēs aitēseōs ouch hēstochēsen. Bachourios gar ho stratēlatēs autou tosouton eperrhōsthē, hōste syn tois prōtagōnistais eisdramein, ho meros hoi barbaroi ediōchonto" kai diarrhēssei men tas phalangas " trepei de eis phygēn tous pro bracheōs diōEEpiginetai de allo thaumatos axion. Alnemos gar sphodros epipneutas ta pempomena belē para tōn Eugeniou chat᾽ autōn perietrepen " hou mēn alla tōn antipalōn meta sphodroteras tēs hormēs ephere autōn " tosouton ischysen hē tou basileōs euchē. Touton dē ton tropon genomenēs tēs tou polemou tropēs, ho tyrannos prosdoamōn tois tou basileōs posin, edeeto siytērias tychein. ᾿Alla pros tois posi tois autou hypo tōn stratiōtōn tēn kephalēn apetmēthē. Tauta pepraktai tę̄ ektę̄ tou Septembriou mēno:, en hypateią ᾿Arkadiou to triton, ᾿thnōriou to deuteron. ᾿Arthogastēs de ho tōn tēlikoutōn kakōn aitios, meta dyo tēs symēmeras pheugōn, hōs egnō ouch einai autǭ b:ōsima, tǭ oicheiō xiphei heauton diechrēsato.
In the western parts a grammarian named Eugenius, who taught Latin letters, left the schools and took service in the palace, and was made the emperor's secretary; and because he was learned he was honoured more than the others. But he did not bear his good fortune with moderation. Taking as his accomplice Arbogast, who came from Lesser Galatia and was commander of a military unit, a harsh and most bloodthirsty man, he inclined to usurpation. So the two plotted the murder of the emperor Valentinian, winning over the eunuchs of the bedchamber; and these, receiving promises of higher ranks than they had, strangled the emperor in his sleep. At once Eugenius, having become master of affairs in the western parts, did all that might be expected of a usurper. When the emperor Theodosius heard this, he was again in the greatest anxiety, a second contest after that with Maximus lying ahead of him. Having gathered the military forces and proclaimed his son Honorius emperor, in his own third consulship and that of Abundantius, on the tenth of January, he again set out in haste for the western parts, leaving both his sons as emperors in Constantinople. As he went to the war against Eugenius, very many of the barbarians beyond the Danube followed him, choosing to fight as his allies against the usurper. Not much time later he reached Gaul with a great force; for there the usurper too was making ready, having many tens of thousands of soldiers. A battle took place near the river called Frigidus, which is … distant. Where Romans were engaged with Romans, the battle was equal; but where the barbarian allies of the emperor Theodosius fought, there Eugenius's men had the upper hand. The emperor, seeing the barbarians perishing, in the greatest distress threw himself on the ground and called on God for help; and he did not fail in his request. For his general Bacurius was so strengthened that with the foremost fighters he rushed into the part where the barbarians were being pursued, broke through the ranks, and put to flight those who a little before were pursuing. Another thing worthy of wonder also happened. A violent wind blew and turned back upon them the missiles sent by Eugenius's men, and moreover carried those of their opponents against them with greater force; so strong was the emperor's prayer. When the battle had turned in this way, the usurper ran to the emperor's feet and begged to be spared; but at his very feet his head was cut off by the soldiers. This was done on the sixth of September, in the consulship of Arcadius for the third time and Honorius for the second. Arbogast, the cause of such great evils, fleeing two days after the battle, when he knew there was no way for him to live, killed himself with his own sword.
Notes and citation
Summary: Eugenius and Arbogast murder Valentinian II; Theodosius defeats them at the Frigidus, helped, Socrates says, by a wind that answered his prayer.
- The consulship of Theodosius (third time) and Abundantius is 393; that of Arcadius (third) and Honorius (second) is 394.
- The scan text has lost the distance of the river Frigidus (the battle was in the Julian Alps, not in Gaul), and the line 'because he was learned he was honoured more than the others' is displaced; translated where the sense requires.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (stray footnote numeral; stray letter): Εὐγένιος 1, → Εὐγένιος,; ὑποσχέσεις η μειζόνων → ὑποσχέσεις μειζόνων.
Topics: Prayer
Cite (SBL): Socrates, Hist. eccl. 5.25 (PG 67:649–653; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/socrates-historia/5-25). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/socrates-historia/5-25
BibTeX · RIS · CSL-JSON (whole work; this passage's key: sophiascriptura-socrates-historia-5-25) · Report an error
Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Valesius's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 67 (Bavarian State Library OCR and Tesseract re-OCR); every chapter compared afterwards with Zenos's English in NPNF² 2.
5.26PG 67:653
Ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς Θεοδόσιος τοῦ πολεμιχοῦ μόχθου κακῶς διετέθη τὸ σῶμα. Ιροσδηοχῆσας δὲ τῆς ἐπιγενομένης ἀῤῥωστίας τέλος ἔχειν αὐτῷ τὰ τῆς ζωῆς, μείζονα τῆς τελευτῆς περὶ τῶν δημοσίων πραγμάτων εἶχε φροντίδα, λογιζόμενος ὅσα καταλαμβάνει κακὰ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους, βασιλέως τελευτήσαντος. Μεταπέμπεται οὖν ἧ τάχος τὸν υἱὺν ᾿Ονώριον τῆς Κωνσταντίνου πόλεως, καταστῆσαι τὰ ἑσπέρια μέρη βουλόμενος. Φθάσαντος δὲ τοῦ υἱοῦ ἐν τῇ Μεδιολάνῳ, ἀνεῤῥώσθη τῆς νόσου, ἱπποῦρομίας τε ἐπινιχίους ἐπιτελεῖ. Καὶ πρὸ ἀρίστου μὲν ἔῤῥωτο, τὰς ἱπποδρομίας θεώμενος " μετὰ δὲ τὸν ἄριστον ἐξαίφνης διετέθη κακῶς. Καὶ εἰς μὲν τὴν θέαν προελθεῖν οὐχ ἴσχυσεν" τὸν δὲ υἱὸν τὴν ἱπποδρομίαν ἐπιτελέσαι χελεύσα:, νυκτὸς ἐπιγενομένης ἐτελεύτησεν, ἐν ὑπατεία ᾿θλυθρίου δὲ τῇ ἑπτακαιδεκάτῃ τοῦ Ἰαννουαρίου μηνός 2. Τοῦτο , , δὲ ἣν πρῶτον ἕτος τῆς διακοστῆς ἐννενηχοστῆς τετάρτης Ὀλυμπιάδος, "Ἔζησε δὲ ὁ βασιλεὺς Θεοδόσιος ἔτη ἑξήκοντα· ἐβασίλευσε δὲ ἔτη ις΄. Περιέχει ἡ βίβλος χρόνον ἐτῶν δεκαὲξ, μηνῶν ὀκτώ.
Ho de basileus Theodosios tou polemichou mochthou kakōs dietethē to sōma. Irosdēochēsas de tēs epigenomenēs arrhōstias telos echein autǭ ta tēs zōēs, meizona tēs teleutēs peri tōn dēmosiōn pragmatōn eiche phrontida, logizomenos hosa katalambanei kaka tous anthrōpous, basileōs teleutēsantos. Metapempetai oun hē tachos ton huiyn ᾿Onōrion tēs Kōnstantinou poleōs, katastēsai ta hesperia merē boulomenos. Phthasantos de tou huiou en tę̄ Mediolanǭ, anerrhōsthē tēs nosou, hippouromias te epinichious epitelei. Kai pro aristou men errhōto, tas hippodromias theōmenos " meta de ton ariston exaiphnēs dietethē kakōs. Kai eis men tēn thean proelthein ouch ischysen" ton de huion tēn hippodromian epitelesai cheleusa:, nyktos epigenomenēs eteleutēsen, en hypateia ᾿thlythriou de tę̄ heptakaidekatę̄ tou Iannouariou mēnos 2. Touto , , de hēn prōton hetos tēs diakostēs ennenēchostēs tetartēs Olympiados, "Ezēse de ho basileus Theodosios etē hexēkonta; ebasileuse de etē is΄. Periechei hē biblos chronon etōn dekaex, mēnōn oktō.
The emperor Theodosius's body was badly affected by the toil of the war. Expecting that the illness that came upon him would be the end of his life, he cared more about public affairs than about his death, reckoning how many evils befall people when an emperor dies. So he sent in haste for his son Honorius from Constantinople, wishing to settle the western parts. When his son reached Milan, he recovered from his illness and held horse races in celebration of the victory. Before the midday meal he was well, watching the races; but after the meal he suddenly fell ill. He could not go out to the spectacle, but ordered his son to finish the races, and when night came on he died, in the consulship of Olybrius and Probinus, on the seventeenth of January. This was the first year of the two hundred and ninety-fourth Olympiad. The emperor Theodosius lived sixty years and reigned sixteen. The book covers a period of sixteen years and eight months.
Textual problem in this passage: see the notes.
Notes and citation
Summary: Theodosius falls ill after the war and dies at Milan in January 395; this book covers sixteen years and eight months.
- The consulship of Olybrius and Probinus is 395; the second name is lost in the scan text and supplied by sense.
Cite (SBL): Socrates, Hist. eccl. 5.26 (PG 67:653; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/socrates-historia/5-26). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/socrates-historia/5-26
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Valesius's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 67 (Bavarian State Library OCR and Tesseract re-OCR); every chapter compared afterwards with Zenos's English in NPNF² 2.
Chapter 6
6.0PG 67:657–659
Τὸ μὲν ἐπίταγμά σου, ὦ ἱερὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἄνθρωπε Θεόδωρε, ἐν πέντε τοῖς προλαβοῦσι βιβλίοις διεπονησάμεθα, ὡς οἷόν τε τὴν ἀπὸ τῶν Κωνσταντίνου χρόνων ἐκκλησιαστικὴν ἱστορίαν συγγράψαντες. Ἴσθι δὲ ἡμᾶς μὴ ἐσπουδακέναι περὶ τὴν φράσιν, ἐννοήσαντας ὡς εἰ σπουδάσαιμεν καλλιλεξία χρήσασθαι, ἴσως μὲν καὶ ἀποπεσούμεθα τοῦ σκοποῦ. Εἰ δὲ καὶ ἐπιτευξόμεθα, οὐ τοιαῦτα πάντως δυνησόμεθα γράφειν, οἷα τοῖς παλαιοῖς συγγραφεῦσιν εἴρηται, δι' ὧν αὔξειν τε καὶ χείρονα ποιεῖν νομίζοιτο ἄν τις τὰ πράγματα. Ἔπειτα δὲ καὶ οὐδαμῶς οἰκοδομήσει τοὺς πολλοὺς καὶ ἰδιώτας ὁ λόγος, οἳ τὰ πράγματα βούλονται μόνον εἰδέναι, οὐ τὴν λέξιν ὡς καλῶς συγκειμένην θαυμάσαι, Ἵνα οὖν μὴ ἀμφοτέροις ἀνόνητος ἡ πραγματεία γένηται, τοῖς μὲν εὐπαιδεύτοις, ὅτι μὴ ἀξία τῇ παλαιᾷ φράσει συγκρίνεσθαι, τοῖς δὲ ἰδιώταις, ὅτι μὴ δύνανται ἐφικέσθαι τῶν πραγμάτων, καλυπτομένων ὑπὸ τῆς κομψείας τοῦ λόγου · τὴν σαφεστέραν μὲν δοκοῦσαν, ταπεινοτέραν δὲ φράσιν ἐπετηδεύσαμεν. ᾿Αρχόμενοι δὲ ὅμως τοῦ ἕκτου βιβλίου, ἐκεῖνο προλέγομεν, ὅτι τῶν ἐπὶ τῆς ἡμετέρας ἡλικίας γε νομένων ἀπτόμενοι, δεδοίκαμεν ἤδη, μὴ οὐκ ἀρέσκοντα τοῖς πολλοῖς δόξωμεν γράφειν· ἢ ὅτι, κατὰ τὴν παροιμίαν, τὸ ἀληθές ἐστι πικρὸν, ὅτι μὴ σὺν ἐγκωμίῳ τὰ ὀνόματα ὧν φιλοῦσι παραλαμβάνομεν· ἢ ὅτι μὴ τὰς πράξεις αὐτῶν μεγαλύνομεν. Καὶ οἱ μὲν τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν ζηλωταὶ καταγνώσονται, ὅτι μὴ τοὺς ἐπισκόπους λέγομεν θεοφιλεστάτους ἢ ἁγιωτάτους, ἢ τὰ τοιαῦτα· ἄλλοι δὲ καὶ φιλοπραγμονήσουσιν ἔσθ᾽ ὅτε, ὅτι μὴ τοὺς βασιλεῖς θειοτάτους καὶ δεσπότας, καὶ ὅσα χρηματίζειν εἰώθασιν, ὀνομάζομεν. Ἐγὼ δὲ καὶ ἐκ τῶν τοῖς παλαιοῖς γεγραμμένων παραστήσειν ἔχων, καὶ δεικνύναι δυνάμενος, ὡς ὁ δοῦλος παρ' αὐτοῖς ἐξ ὀνόματος εἴωθε τὸν δεσπότην καλεῖν, διὰ τὴν τῶν πραγμάτων χρείαν, παρ᾿ οὐδὲν τὸ ἀξίωμα θέμενος, καὶ τῇ τῶν νόμων ἱστορίᾳ πειθόμενος, οἱ τὴν τῶν πραγμάτων ἀπαιτοῦσι διήγησιν καθαρὰν καὶ ἀληθῆ, καὶ παντὸς ἀπηλλαγμένην ἐπικαλύμματος, ἐπ᾿ αὐτὴν βαδιοῦμαι λοιπὸν τὴν ἐξήγησιν, ἅ τε αὐτὸς ἐθεασάμην συγγράφων, ἅ τε παρὰ τῶν ἑωρακότων ἠδυνήθημεν μαθεῖν, δοκιμάζων τἀληθὲς ἐκ τοῦ μὴ παραλλάττειν κατὰ τὴν ἀπαγγελίαν τοὺς διηγουμένους αὐτά. Ἐπιπόνως δέ μοι τὸ ἀληθὲς ἐγνωρίζετο, πολλῶν τε καὶ διαφόρων ἀπαγγελλόντων, καὶ τῶν μὲν παρεῖναι λεγόντων τοῖς πράγμασι, τῶν δὲ πάντων μᾶλλον ἀξιούντων εἰδέναι.
To men epitagma sou, ō hiere tou Theou anthrōpe Theodōre, en pente tois prolabousi bibliois dieponēsametha, hōs hoion te tēn apo tōn Kōnstantinou chronōn ekklēsiastikēn historian syngrapsantes. Isthi de hēmas mē espoudakenai peri tēn phrasin, ennoēsantas hōs ei spoudasaimen kallilexia chrēsasthai, isōs men kai apopesoumetha tou skopou. Ei de kai epiteuxometha, ou toiauta pantōs dynēsometha graphein, hoia tois palaiois syngrapheusin eirētai, di' hōn auxein te kai cheirona poiein nomizoito an tis ta pragmata. Epeita de kai oudamōs oikodomēsei tous pollous kai idiōtas ho logos, hoi ta pragmata boulontai monon eidenai, ou tēn lexin hōs kalōs synkeimenēn thaumasai, Hina oun mē amphoterois anonētos hē pragmateia genētai, tois men eupaideutois, hoti mē axia tę̄ palaią phrasei synkrinesthai, tois de idiōtais, hoti mē dynantai ephikesthai tōn pragmatōn, kalyptomenōn hypo tēs kompseias tou logou ; tēn saphesteran men dokousan, tapeinoteran de phrasin epetēdeusamen. ᾿Archomenoi de homōs tou hektou bibliou, ekeino prolegomen, hoti tōn epi tēs hēmeteras hēlikias ge nomenōn aptomenoi, dedoikamen ēdē, mē ouk areskonta tois pollois doxōmen graphein; ē hoti, kata tēn paroimian, to alēthes esti pikron, hoti mē syn enkōmiǭ ta onomata hōn philousi paralambanomen; ē hoti mē tas praxeis autōn megalynomen. Kai hoi men tōn ekklēsiōn zēlōtai katagnōsontai, hoti mē tous episkopous legomen theophilestatous ē hagiōtatous, ē ta toiauta; alloi de kai philopragmonēsousin esth᾽ hote, hoti mē tous basileis theiotatous kai despotas, kai hosa chrēmatizein eiōthasin, onomazomen. Egō de kai ek tōn tois palaiois gegrammenōn parastēsein echōn, kai deiknynai dynamenos, hōs ho doulos par' autois ex onomatos eiōthe ton despotēn kalein, dia tēn tōn pragmatōn chreian, par᾿ ouden to axiōma themenos, kai tę̄ tōn nomōn historią peithomenos, hoi tēn tōn pragmatōn apaitousi diēgēsin katharan kai alēthē, kai pantos apēllagmenēn epikalymmatos, ep᾿ autēn badioumai loipon tēn exēgēsin, ha te autos etheasamēn syngraphōn, ha te para tōn heōrakotōn ēdynēthēmen mathein, dokimazōn talēthes ek tou mē parallattein kata tēn apangelian tous diēgoumenous auta. Epiponōs de moi to alēthes egnōrizeto, pollōn te kai diaphorōn apangellontōn, kai tōn men pareinai legontōn tois pragmasi, tōn de pantōn mallon axiountōn eidenai.
Your command, Theodore, holy man of God, we have carried out in the five preceding books, writing as well as we could the history of the church from the times of Constantine. Know that we have not taken pains over the style, reflecting that if we tried to use fine language we might perhaps miss our aim; and even if we achieved it, we could certainly not write such things as were said by the ancient historians, by whose means one might be thought to magnify or diminish the facts. Besides, such writing would in no way edify the many and the unlearned, who want only to know the facts, not to admire the diction as finely composed. So, that the work may not be useless to both, to the well-educated because it is not worthy to be compared with the ancient style, and to the unlearned because they cannot reach the facts when they are covered by elegance of speech, we have cultivated a style that seems clearer, though plainer. Beginning the sixth book, however, we say this first: in touching on events of our own lifetime, we are already afraid that we may seem to write what does not please the many; either because, as the proverb says, the truth is bitter, or because we do not take up the names of those they love with praise, or because we do not magnify their deeds. The zealots of the churches will condemn us for not calling the bishops 'most dear to God' or 'most holy' or the like; others will even find fault sometimes because we do not call the emperors 'most divine' and 'lords' and the other titles they are accustomed to bear. But I, being able to show from what was written by the ancients that among them a slave would call his master by name because of the needs of the matter, setting no store by rank, and obeying the laws of history, which demand that the narrative of events be pure and true and free from every disguise, shall now proceed to the account itself, writing both what I saw myself and what we have been able to learn from those who saw it, testing the truth by whether those who told it did not vary in their report. The truth was learned by me with labour, since many people reported things differently, some saying they were present at the events, others claiming to know them better than anyone.
Notes and citation
Summary: In the preface to Book 6, addressed to Theodore, Socrates explains his plain style and why, in writing of recent events, he omits honorific titles for bishops and emperors.
- Theodore, to whom the History is dedicated, is otherwise unknown.
Cite (SBL): Socrates, Hist. eccl. 6.0 (PG 67:657–659; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/socrates-historia/6-0). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/socrates-historia/6-0
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Valesius's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 67 (Bavarian State Library OCR and Tesseract re-OCR); every chapter compared afterwards with Zenos's English in NPNF² 2.
6.1PG 67:659–661
Τοῦ δὴ βασιλέως Θεοδοσίου τελευτήσαντος, ἐν ὑπατείᾳ Ὀλυβρίου καὶ Προβίνου, τῇ ἑπτακαιδεκάτῃ τοῦ Ἰαννουαρίου μηνὸς, οἱ αὐτοῦ υἱοὶ τὴν Ῥωμαίων ἀρχὴν διαδέχονται. Καὶ ᾿Αρκάδιος μὲν τῶν ἑῴων, Ονώριος δὲ τῶν ἑσπερίων · εἶχε τὸ κράτος. Τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν δὲ κατὰ τούσδε τοὺς χρόνους προειστήκεισαν, ἐν μὲν τῇ βασιλευούσῃ Ῥώμῃ Δάμασος· ἐν δὲ ᾿Αλεξανδρείᾳ Θεόφιλος. Τῶν δὲ περὶ τὰ Ἱεροσό λυμα Ἰωάννης ἐκράτει. Φλαβιανὸς δὲ τὴν ᾿Αντιοχέων εἶχε. Κατὰ δὲ τὴν νέαν Ῥώμην Κωνσταντινούπολιν Νεκτάριος εἶχε τὸν θρόνον, καθὰ καὶ ἐν τῷ προλαβόντι βιβλίῳ ἡμῖν ἱστόρηται. Περὶ δὲ τὴν ὀγδόην τοῦ Νοεμβρίου μηνὸς, ἐν τῇ αὐτῇ ὑπατείᾳ, τὸ σῶμα Θεοδοσίου κομισθὲν, τῇ νενομισμένῃ κηδείᾳ ὁ υἱὸς ἐτίμα ᾿Αρκάδιος. Οὐκ εἰς μακρὰν δὲ μεταταῦτα, τῇ εἰκάδι ἑβδόμῃ τοῦ αὐτοῦ μηνὸς, καὶ ὁ στρατὸς παρῆν, ὁ ἅμα τῷ βασιλεῖ Θεοδοσίῳ κατὰ τοῦ τυράννου στρατεύσας. Ὡς οὖν ὁ βασιλεὺς ᾿Αρκάδιος κατὰ τὸ εἰωθὸς πρὸ τῶν πυλῶν ἀπήντησε τῷ στρατῷ, τηνικαῦτα καὶ οἱ στρατιῶται Ῥουφῖνον τὸν ὕπαρχον τοῦ βασιλέως ἀπέκτειναν. Ὑπωπτεύετο γὰρ εἰς τυραννίδα ὁ Ῥουφῖνος, καὶ δόξαν εἶχεν, ὡς αὐτὸς εἴη τοὺς Ούννους τὸ βάρβαρον ἔθνος ἐπικαλεσάμενος εἰς τὴν Ῥωμαίων χώραν. Καὶ γὰρ ἦσαν κατ' ἐκεῖνο τοῦ καιροῦ ᾿Αρμενίαν τε καί τινα μέρη τῆς ἑῴας κατατρέχοντες. Καθ᾽ ἣν μὲν οὖν ἡμέραν ὁ Ῥουφῖνος ἀνήρητο, κατ᾿ αὐτὴν καὶ ὁ τῶν Ναυατιανῶν ἐπίσκοπος Μαρκιανὸς ἐτελεύτησε· καὶ διαδέχεται τὴν ἐπισκοπὴν Σισίννιος, οὗ καὶ ἀνωτέρω ἐμνημονεύσαμεν.
Tou dē basileōs Theodosiou teleutēsantos, en hypateią Olybriou kai Probinou, tę̄ heptakaidekatę̄ tou Iannouariou mēnos, hoi autou huioi tēn Rhōmaiōn archēn diadechontai. Kai ᾿Arkadios men tōn heǭōn, Onōrios de tōn hesperiōn ; eiche to kratos. Tōn ekklēsiōn de kata tousde tous chronous proeistēkeisan, en men tę̄ basileuousę̄ Rhōmę̄ Damasos; en de ᾿Alexandreią Theophilos. Tōn de peri ta Hieroso lyma Iōannēs ekratei. Phlabianos de tēn ᾿Antiocheōn eiche. Kata de tēn nean Rhōmēn Kōnstantinoupolin Nektarios eiche ton thronon, katha kai en tǭ prolabonti bibliǭ hēmin historētai. Peri de tēn ogdoēn tou Noembriou mēnos, en tę̄ autę̄ hypateią, to sōma Theodosiou komisthen, tę̄ nenomismenę̄ kēdeią ho huios etima ᾿Arkadios. Ouk eis makran de metatauta, tę̄ eikadi hebdomę̄ tou autou mēnos, kai ho stratos parēn, ho hama tǭ basilei Theodosiǭ kata tou tyrannou strateusas. Hōs oun ho basileus ᾿Arkadios kata to eiōthos pro tōn pylōn apēntēse tǭ stratǭ, tēnikauta kai hoi stratiōtai Rhouphinon ton hyparchon tou basileōs apekteinan. Hypōpteueto gar eis tyrannida ho Rhouphinos, kai doxan eichen, hōs autos eiē tous Ounnous to barbaron ethnos epikalesamenos eis tēn Rhōmaiōn chōran. Kai gar ēsan kat' ekeino tou kairou ᾿Armenian te kai tina merē tēs heǭas katatrechontes. Kath᾽ hēn men oun hēmeran ho Rhouphinos anērēto, kat᾿ autēn kai ho tōn Nauatianōn episkopos Markianos eteleutēse; kai diadechetai tēn episkopēn Sisinnios, hou kai anōterō emnēmoneusamen.
When the emperor Theodosius died, in the consulship of Olybrius and Probinus, on the seventeenth of January, his sons succeeded to the Roman empire: Arcadius held power over the East and Honorius over the West. At this time the churches were headed, in imperial Rome by Damasus, in Alexandria by Theophilus; John held those about Jerusalem, and Flavian had that of the Antiochenes. In New Rome, Constantinople, Nectarius had the throne, as has been recorded by us in the preceding book. About the eighth of November, in the same consulship, the body of Theodosius was brought, and his son Arcadius honoured it with the customary funeral. Not long after, on the twenty-seventh of the same month, the army too arrived which had campaigned with the emperor Theodosius against the usurper. When the emperor Arcadius, according to custom, met the army before the gates, the soldiers then killed Rufinus, the emperor's prefect. For Rufinus was suspected of aiming at the throne and had the reputation of having himself called the Huns, the barbarian nation, into the land of the Romans; for at that time they were overrunning Armenia and some parts of the East. On the very day on which Rufinus was killed, Marcian, the bishop of the Novatians, died too; and Sisinnius, whom we mentioned above, succeeded to the episcopate.
Notes and citation
Summary: Arcadius and Honorius succeed Theodosius; the returning army kills the prefect Rufinus; Sisinnius succeeds Marcian as Novatian bishop.
- The opening words of the scan text ('... Rufinus the prefect is killed by them at the emperor's feet') are the end of Valesius's chapter title and are removed.
- Socrates names Damasus as bishop of Rome in 395; Damasus had died in 384 (his successor was Siricius). The army arrived in November 395.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (end of the printed chapter title leaked into the text): σαντος, Ρουφῖνος ὁ ὑπάρχων πρὸς τοῖς ποσὶ τοῦ βασιλέως ὑπ' αὐτῶν ἀναιρεῖται. Τοῦ δὴ → Τοῦ δὴ.
Topics: Church office
Cite (SBL): Socrates, Hist. eccl. 6.1 (PG 67:659–661; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/socrates-historia/6-1). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/socrates-historia/6-1
BibTeX · RIS · CSL-JSON (whole work; this passage's key: sophiascriptura-socrates-historia-6-1) · Report an error
Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Valesius's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 67 (Bavarian State Library OCR and Tesseract re-OCR); every chapter compared afterwards with Zenos's English in NPNF² 2.
6.2PG 67:661–663
Ὀλίγου δὲ διελθόντος χρόνου, καὶ Νεκτάριος ὁ τῆς Κωνσταντινουπόλεως ἐπίσκοπος ἐτελεύτησεν, ἐν ὑπατείᾳ Καισαρείου καὶ Ἀττικοῦ, περὶ τὴν εἰκάδα ἑβδόμην τοῦ Σεπτεμβρίου μηνός. Εὐθὺς οὖν σπουδὴ περὶ χειροτονίας ἐπισκόπου ἐγίνετο. Καὶ ἄλλων ἄλλον ἐπιζητούντων, περί τε τούτου πολλάκις προτεθείσης βουλῆς, τέλος ἐδόκει ἐκ τῆς ᾿Αντιοχείας μεταπέμπεσθαι Ἰωάννην τὸν τῆς ᾿Αντιοχείας πρεσβύτερον. Φήμη γὰρ ἐκράτει περὶ αὐτοῦ, ὡς εἴη διδακτικὸς ἐν ταὐτῷ καὶ ἐλλόγιμος. Ὀλίγου οὖν διαδράσαντος χρόνου, ψηφίσματι κοινῷ ὁμοῦ πάντων, κλήρου τέ φημι καὶ λαοῦ, ὁ βασιλεὺς αὐτὸν ᾿Αρκάδιος μεταπέμπεται. Διὰ δὲ τὸ ἀξιόπιστον τῆς χειροτονίας παρἦσαν ἐκ βασιλικοῦ προστάγματος πολλοί τε καὶ ἄλλοι ἐπίσκοποι, καὶ δὴ καὶ ὁ τῆς ᾿Αλεξανδρείας Θεόφιλος 4, τῶν βασιλέων ὕπαρχος. Ἐπεὶ δὲ ἐκφανὴς ὁ ἀνὴρ, ὅστις σπουδὴν ἐτίθετο, διασύραι μὲν τὴν Ἰωάννου δόξαν, Ἰσίδωρον δὲ ὑπ' αὐτῷ πρεσβύτερον πρὸς τὴν ἐπισκοπὴν προχειρίσασθαι, ὂν πάνυ ἡγάπα, ὅτι ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ ποτε κινδυνῶδες ἐπίταγμα ἀνεδέξατο. Τί δὲ τοῦτό ἐστι, λεκτέον. Ἡνίκα ὁ βασιλεὺς Θεοδόσιος πρὸς τὸν τύραννον ἠγωνίζετο Μάξιμον, Θεόφιλος διὰ Ἰσιδώρου ξένια πέμπων βασιλεῖ, δισσὰς αὐτῷ ἐπιστολὰς ἐνεχείρισεν, ἐντειλάμενος προσενεγκεῖν τῷ νικήσαντι καὶ τὰ δῶρα καὶ τὰ γράμματα. Τούτοις διακονούμενος Ἰσίδωρος, καταλαβὼν τὴν Ῥώμην, τῇ νίκῃ ἐφέδρευεν. ᾿Αλλ' οὐκ εἰς μακρὰν τὸ γινόμενον ἔλαθεν, ἀναγνώστου τοῦ συνόντος αὐτῷ τὰς ἐπιστολὰς ἐπικλέψαντος. Οὗ ἕνεκεν ὁ Ἰσίδωρος ἐν φόβῳ γενόμε νος, ὡς εἶχεν, ἐπὶ τὴν ᾿Αλεξάνδρειαν ἔφευγεν. Αὕτη πρόφασις ἦν Θεοφίλῳ τῆς ὑπὲρ Ἰσιδώρου σπουδῆς. Οἱ μέντοι κατὰ τὰ βασίλεια τὸν Ἰωάννην προέκριναν. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ κατηγορίας κατὰ Θεοφίλου πολλοὶ ἀνεκίνουν, βιβλία τε κατ᾿ αὐτοῦ ἄλλος δι' ἄλλην αἰτίαν τοῖς παροῦσιν ἐπισκόποις ἐδίδοσαν, ὁ προεστὼς τοῦ βασιλικοῦ κοιτῶνος Εὐτρόπιος, λαβὼν τὰς ἐγγράφους κατηγορίας, ἐπέδειξεν τῷ Θεοφίλῳ, εἰπὼν, ἐπιλογὴν ἔχειν, ἢ χειροτονεῖν Ἰωάννην, ἢ τὰς κατ᾿ αὐτοῦ κατηγορίας εἰς ἔλεγχον ἄγεσθαι. Ταῦτα φοβηθεὶς ὁ Θεόφιλος τὸν Ἰωάννην ἐχειροτόνησε. Χειροτονηθεὶς οὖν πρὸς τὴν τῆς ἐπισκοπῆς ἱερωσύνην, ἐνθρονίζεται τῇ εἰκάδι ἔκτῃ τοῦ Φεβρουαρίου μηνὸς ὑπατείᾳ τῇ ἑξῆς, ᾗ ἐπετέλουν, ἐν μὲν τῇ Ῥώμῃ ὁ βασιλεὺς Ὀνώριος, ἐν δὲ τῇ Κωνσταντίνου πόλει Εὐτυχιανὸς, ὁ τότε ἐξ ὧν τε κατέλειπε λόγων, καὶ ἐξ ὧν πολλοῖς δεινοῖς περιέπεσεν, ἄξιον ἡγοῦμαι μὴ σιγῆσαι τὰ κατ᾿ αὐτὸν, ἀλλ' ὡς οἷόν τε τὰ διὰ μακροτέρων λεχθησόμενα συστείλαι, εἰπεῖν τε ὅθεν ἦν, καὶ ἐκ τίνων, καὶ ὅπως ἐπὶ τὴν ἱερωσύνην ἐκλήθη· ὅπως τε ἀφῃρέθη αὐτῆς, καὶ ὡς μετὰ θάνατον ἐτιμήθη μᾶλλον ἢ περιών.
Oligou de dielthontos chronou, kai Nektarios ho tēs Kōnstantinoupoleōs episkopos eteleutēsen, en hypateią Kaisareiou kai Attikou, peri tēn eikada hebdomēn tou Septembriou mēnos. Euthys oun spoudē peri cheirotonias episkopou egineto. Kai allōn allon epizētountōn, peri te toutou pollakis protetheisēs boulēs, telos edokei ek tēs ᾿Antiocheias metapempesthai Iōannēn ton tēs ᾿Antiocheias presbyteron. Phēmē gar ekratei peri autou, hōs eiē didaktikos en tautǭ kai ellogimos. Oligou oun diadrasantos chronou, psēphismati koinǭ homou pantōn, klērou te phēmi kai laou, ho basileus auton ᾿Arkadios metapempetai. Dia de to axiopiston tēs cheirotonias parēsan ek basilikou prostagmatos polloi te kai alloi episkopoi, kai dē kai ho tēs ᾿Alexandreias Theophilos 4, tōn basileōn hyparchos. Epei de ekphanēs ho anēr, hostis spoudēn etitheto, diasyrai men tēn Iōannou doxan, Isidōron de hyp' autǭ presbyteron pros tēn episkopēn procheirisasthai, on pany hēgapa, hoti hyper autou pote kindynōdes epitagma anedexato. Ti de touto esti, lekteon. Hēnika ho basileus Theodosios pros ton tyrannon ēgōnizeto Maximon, Theophilos dia Isidōrou xenia pempōn basilei, dissas autǭ epistolas enecheirisen, enteilamenos prosenenkein tǭ nikēsanti kai ta dōra kai ta grammata. Toutois diakonoumenos Isidōros, katalabōn tēn Rhōmēn, tę̄ nikę̄ ephedreuen. ᾿All' ouk eis makran to ginomenon elathen, anagnōstou tou synontos autǭ tas epistolas epiklepsantos. Hou heneken ho Isidōros en phobǭ genome nos, hōs eichen, epi tēn ᾿Alexandreian epheugen. Hautē prophasis ēn Theophilǭ tēs hyper Isidōrou spoudēs. Hoi mentoi kata ta basileia ton Iōannēn proekrinan. Epeidē de katēgorias kata Theophilou polloi anekinoun, biblia te kat᾿ autou allos di' allēn aitian tois parousin episkopois edidosan, ho proestōs tou basilikou koitōnos Eutropios, labōn tas engraphous katēgorias, epedeixen tǭ Theophilǭ, eipōn, epilogēn echein, ē cheirotonein Iōannēn, ē tas kat᾿ autou katēgorias eis elenchon agesthai. Tauta phobētheis ho Theophilos ton Iōannēn echeirotonēse. Cheirotonētheis oun pros tēn tēs episkopēs hierōsynēn, enthronizetai tę̄ eikadi ektę̄ tou Phebrouariou mēnos hypateią tę̄ hexēs, hę̄ epeteloun, en men tę̄ Rhōmę̄ ho basileus Onōrios, en de tę̄ Kōnstantinou polei Eutychianos, ho tote ex hōn te kateleipe logōn, kai ex hōn pollois deinois periepesen, axion hēgoumai mē sigēsai ta kat᾿ auton, all' hōs hoion te ta dia makroterōn lechthēsomena systeilai, eipein te hothen ēn, kai ek tinōn, kai hopōs epi tēn hierōsynēn eklēthē; hopōs te aphę̄rethē autēs, kai hōs meta thanaton etimēthē mallon ē periōn.
After a short time Nectarius too, bishop of Constantinople, died, in the consulship of Caesarius and Atticus, about the twenty-seventh of September. At once there was eager concern about ordaining a bishop. Different people sought different men, and after the question had often been debated, it was finally decided to send to Antioch for John, the presbyter of Antioch; for the report about him prevailed that he was both a gifted teacher and eloquent. So after a short time, by the common decree of all together, I mean clergy and people, the emperor Arcadius sent for him. To give the ordination credibility, many other bishops were present by imperial order, and among them Theophilus of Alexandria, who was eager to disparage John's reputation and to advance to the bishopric Isidore, a presbyter under him, whom he loved greatly because Isidore had once undertaken a dangerous commission on his behalf. What this was must be told. When the emperor Theodosius was fighting the usurper Maximus, Theophilus, sending gifts to the emperor through Isidore, entrusted him with two letters and instructed him to present both the gifts and the letter to the victor. Serving in this, Isidore went to Rome and waited for the victory. But what was being done did not remain hidden long, since a reader who was with him stole the letters. On this account Isidore, in fear, fled at once to Alexandria. This was the reason for Theophilus's zeal for Isidore. Those at the palace, however, preferred John. Since many were raising accusations against Theophilus, and different people for different reasons were handing in documents against him to the bishops present, Eutropius, the head of the imperial bedchamber, took the written accusations and showed them to Theophilus, saying that he had a choice: either to ordain John or to have the accusations against him brought to trial. Theophilus, fearing this, ordained John. So, ordained to the priesthood of the episcopate, he was enthroned on the twenty-sixth of February, in the next consulship, which the emperor Honorius celebrated in Rome, and in Constantinople Eutychian, then prefect of the emperors. Since the man is famous both from the writings he left and from the many terrible things that befell him, I think it right not to be silent about him, but to compress as far as possible what would take longer to tell: to say where he came from and of whom, how he was called to the priesthood, how he was deprived of it, and how after his death he was honoured more than while he lived.
Notes and citation
Summary: After Nectarius's death John of Antioch is chosen bishop of Constantinople; Theophilus, who wanted his own presbyter Isidore, is forced by Eutropius to ordain him.
- The consulship of Caesarius and Atticus is 397; John was enthroned on 26 February 398.
- In the scan text the words 'prefect of the emperors' (belonging to Eutychian) and 'since the man is famous' stand in the wrong places, mixed with the sentence about Theophilus; they are translated where the sense requires.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (stray letter): ἐτελεύτησεν ο, → ἐτελεύτησεν,; Εὐτρόπιος ο, → Εὐτρόπιος,.
Topics: Church office
Cite (SBL): Socrates, Hist. eccl. 6.2 (PG 67:661–663; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/socrates-historia/6-2). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/socrates-historia/6-2
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Valesius's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 67 (Bavarian State Library OCR and Tesseract re-OCR); every chapter compared afterwards with Zenos's English in NPNF² 2.
6.3PG 67:665–669
Ἰωάννης ᾿Αντιοχεὺς μὲν ἣν τῆς Κοίλης Συρίας, υἱὺς δὲ Σεχούνδου καὶ μητρὸς ᾿Ανθούσης, ἐξ εὐπατριδῶν τῶν ἐκεῖ. Μαθητὴς δὲ ἐγένετο Λιβανίου τοῦ Σοφιστοῦ,͵ 'καὶ ἀχροατὴς ᾿Ανδραγαθίου τοῦ Φιλοσόρου. Μέλλων δὲ ἐπὶ διχανιχὴν ὁρμᾷν, καὶ συνιδὼν τὸν ἐν τοῖς δικαστηρίοις μοχθηρὸν ἄδικον βίον, ἐπὶ τὸν ἡσύχιον μᾶλλον ἐτρέπετο" τοῦτο ἐποίησε, ζηλώσας Εὐάγριον" ὃς καὶ αὐτὸς φοιτῶν παρὰ τοῖς αὐτοῖς διδασκάλοις, τὸν ἡσύχιον πάλαι βίον μετἤρχετο" εὐθύς τε καὶ μεταθεὶς τὸ σχῆμα βάδισμα, τοῖς ἀναγνώσμασι τῶν ἱερῶν γραμμάτων προτεἴχε τὸν νοῦν, καὶ συνεχεῖς ἐποιεῖτο τὰς ἐπὶ τὴν ἐκκλησίαν σπουδάς Πείθες δὲ καὶ Θεόδωρον καὶ Μάξιμον, συμφοιτητὰς; αὐτῷ ὄντα: παρὰ τῷ Σοφιστῇ Λιβανίῳ, καταλιπεῖν μὲν τὸν χρηματιστιχὸν βίον, μετιέναι δὲ τὸν λιτόν, Ὧν Θεόδωρος μὲν ὕστερον Μόψον ἑστίας τῆς ἐν Κιλικίᾳ πόλεως ἐπίσκοπος γέγῶνε, Μάξιμος δὲ Σελευκείας τῆς ἐν Ἰσαυρίᾳ Τηνικαῦτα οὖν οὗτοι σπουδαῖοι περὶ τὴν ἀρετὴν γενόμενοι, μαθητεύουσιν εἰς τὰ ἀσχητιχὰ Διοδώρῳ Καρτερίῳ, οἴτινες τότε μὲν ἀσκητηρίῳ προἴσταντο. Διόδωρος δὲ αὐτῶν ὕστερον ἐπίσκοπος Ταρσοῦ γενόμενος, πολλὰ βιβλία συνέγραψε, ψιλῷ τῷ γράμματι τῶν θείων προσέχων Γραφῶν, τὰς θεωρίας αὐτῶν ἐκτρεπόμενος. Ταῦτα μὲν οὖν περὶ τούτων. Ἰωάννην δὲ ἅμα Βασιλείῳ, τῷ ποτε μὲν διακόνῳ ὑπὸ Μελετίου κατασταθέντι, μεταταῦτα δὲ γενομένῳ Καισαρείας τῆς Καππαδοκῶν ἐπισκόπῳ, τὰ πολλὰ συνδιάγοντα, Ζήνων ὁ ἐπί· σκοπος ἐκ τῶν Ἱεροσολύμων ὑποστρέφων, ἀναγνώστην τῆς ἐν Ἀντιοχείᾳ Ἐκκλησίας καθίστησιν. Ἐν τῇ τοῦ ἀναγνώστου οὖν τάξει καθεστὼς, τὸν κατὰ Ἰουδαίων λόγον συνέταξεν 8. Μετ' οὐ πολὺ δὲ καὶ τῆς τοῦ διακόνου ἀξίας παρὰ Μελετίου τυχών, τοὺς περὶ ἱερωσύνης λόγους συνέταξε η, καὶ τοὺς πρὸς Σταγείριον· ἔτι μὴν καὶ τοὺς περὶ ἀκαταλήπτου, καὶ τοὺς περὶ τῶν συνεισάκτων. Μεταταῦτα δὲ Μελετίου ἐν Κωνσταντίνου πόλει τελευτήσαντος· ἐκεῖ γὰρ παραγεγόνει διὰ τὴν Γρηγορίου τοῦ Ναζιανζηνοῦ κατάστασιν· ἀναχωρήσας Ἰωάννης τῶν Μελετια - νῶν, καὶ μήτε Παυλίνῳ συγκοινωνῶν, ἐπὶ τρεῖς ὅλους ἐνιαυτοὺς ἡσύχως διῆγεν· ὕστερον δὲ, Παυλίνου τελευτήσαντος, ὑπὸ Εὐαγρίου τοῦ διαδεξαμένου Παυλίνον χειροτονεῖται πρεσβύτερος. Αὕτη μὲν ἡ Ἰωάννου πρὸ τῆς ἐπισκοπῆς, ὡς συντόμως εἰπεῖν, διαγωγή. Ἧν δὲ ἄνθρωπος, ὡς φασι, διὰ ζῆλον σωφροσύνης πικρότερος, καὶ πλέον, ὡς ἔφη τις τῶν οἰκειοτάτων αὐτῷ ἐκ νέας ἡλικίας, θυμῷ μᾶλλον ἢ αἰδοῖ ἐχαρίζετο· καὶ διὰ μὲν ὀρθότητα βίου οὐκ ἀσφαλῆς πρὸς τὰ μέλλοντα, δι' ἁπλότητα δὲ εὐχερής. Ἐλευθεροστομίᾳ τε πρὸς τοὺς ἐντυγχάνοντας ἀμέτρως ἐκέχρητο· καὶ ἐν μὲν τῷ διδάσκειν πολὺς ἦν ὠφελῆσαι τὰ τῶν ἀκουόντων ἤθη· ἐν δὲ ταῖς συντυχίαις ἀλαζονικὸς τοῖς ἀγνοοῦσιν αὐτὸν ἐνομίζετο.
Iōannēs ᾿Antiocheus men hēn tēs Koilēs Syrias, huiys de Sechoundou kai mētros ᾿Anthousēs, ex eupatridōn tōn ekei. Mathētēs de egeneto Libaniou tou Sophistou,͵ 'kai achroatēs ᾿Andragathiou tou Philosorou. Mellōn de epi dichanichēn hormąn, kai synidōn ton en tois dikastēriois mochthēron adikon bion, epi ton hēsychion mallon etrepeto" touto epoiēse, zēlōsas Euagrion" hos kai autos phoitōn para tois autois didaskalois, ton hēsychion palai bion metērcheto" euthys te kai metatheis to schēma badisma, tois anagnōsmasi tōn hierōn grammatōn proteiche ton noun, kai synecheis epoieito tas epi tēn ekklēsian spoudas Peithes de kai Theodōron kai Maximon, symphoitētas? autǭ onta: para tǭ Sophistę̄ Libaniǭ, katalipein men ton chrēmatistichon bion, metienai de ton liton, Hōn Theodōros men hysteron Mopson hestias tēs en Kilikią poleōs episkopos gegōne, Maximos de Seleukeias tēs en Isaurią Tēnikauta oun houtoi spoudaioi peri tēn aretēn genomenoi, mathēteuousin eis ta aschēticha Diodōrǭ Karteriǭ, oitines tote men askētēriǭ proistanto. Diodōros de autōn hysteron episkopos Tarsou genomenos, polla biblia synegrapse, psilǭ tǭ grammati tōn theiōn prosechōn Graphōn, tas theōrias autōn ektrepomenos. Tauta men oun peri toutōn. Iōannēn de hama Basileiǭ, tǭ pote men diakonǭ hypo Meletiou katastathenti, metatauta de genomenǭ Kaisareias tēs Kappadokōn episkopǭ, ta polla syndiagonta, Zēnōn ho epi; skopos ek tōn Hierosolymōn hypostrephōn, anagnōstēn tēs en Antiocheią Ekklēsias kathistēsin. En tę̄ tou anagnōstou oun taxei kathestōs, ton kata Ioudaiōn logon synetaxen 8. Met' ou poly de kai tēs tou diakonou axias para Meletiou tychōn, tous peri hierōsynēs logous synetaxe ē, kai tous pros Stageirion; eti mēn kai tous peri akatalēptou, kai tous peri tōn syneisaktōn. Metatauta de Meletiou en Kōnstantinou polei teleutēsantos; ekei gar paragegonei dia tēn Grēgoriou tou Nazianzēnou katastasin; anachōrēsas Iōannēs tōn Meletia - nōn, kai mēte Paulinǭ synkoinōnōn, epi treis holous eniautous hēsychōs diēgen; hysteron de, Paulinou teleutēsantos, hypo Euagriou tou diadexamenou Paulinon cheirotoneitai presbyteros. Hautē men hē Iōannou pro tēs episkopēs, hōs syntomōs eipein, diagōgē. Hēn de anthrōpos, hōs phasi, dia zēlon sōphrosynēs pikroteros, kai pleon, hōs ephē tis tōn oikeiotatōn autǭ ek neas hēlikias, thymǭ mallon ē aidoi echarizeto; kai dia men orthotēta biou ouk asphalēs pros ta mellonta, di' haplotēta de eucherēs. Eleutherostomią te pros tous entynchanontas ametrōs ekechrēto; kai en men tǭ didaskein polys ēn ōphelēsai ta tōn akouontōn ēthē; en de tais syntychiais alazonikos tois agnoousin auton enomizeto.
John was an Antiochene of Coele-Syria, the son of Secundus and his mother Anthusa, of the nobility there. He was a pupil of Libanius the sophist and a hearer of Andragathius the philosopher. When he was about to turn to the law courts, seeing the toilsome and unjust life in the courts, he turned rather to the quiet life. He did this in emulation of Evagrius, who had himself studied with the same teachers and had long been following the quiet life. At once he changed his dress and his gait, applied his mind to reading the sacred writings, and was assiduous in going to church. He also persuaded Theodore and Maximus, who had been his fellow students under Libanius the sophist, to leave the life of gain and pursue the simple life. Of these, Theodore later became bishop of Mopsuestia, a city in Cilicia, and Maximus of Seleucia in Isauria. At that time, then, zealous for virtue, they became disciples in the ascetic life of Diodore and Carterius, who were then in charge of an ascetic house. Diodore later became bishop of Tarsus and wrote many books, attending to the bare letter of the divine Scriptures and avoiding their spiritual interpretations. So much about these. John, who was spending much of his time with Basil, who had been made a deacon by Meletius and afterwards became bishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia, was appointed reader of the church in Antioch by Zeno the bishop, returning from Jerusalem. While in the order of reader he composed the discourse Against the Jews. Not long after, receiving the rank of deacon from Meletius, he composed the books On the Priesthood and those To Stagirius, and also those On the Incomprehensible and those On the Women Living with Clergy. Afterwards, when Meletius had died at Constantinople, for he had gone there for the installation of Gregory of Nazianzus, John withdrew from the Meletians and, without communicating with Paulinus either, lived quietly for three whole years. Later, when Paulinus died, he was ordained presbyter by Evagrius, Paulinus's successor. Such, briefly, was John's life before his episcopate. He was, they say, a man rather harsh because of his zeal for self-control, and, as one of those most intimate with him from his youth said, he gave way to anger rather than to modesty. Because of the uprightness of his life he was not wary about the future, and because of his simplicity he was easily led. He used unbounded freedom of speech toward those he met; in teaching he was very effective in helping the characters of his hearers, but in conversation those who did not know him thought him arrogant.
Notes and citation
Summary: Socrates sketches John Chrysostom's family, education, ascetic life under Diodore, early writings and ordinations at Antioch, and his severe and outspoken character.
- Socrates confuses Basil here with another person: Basil of Caesarea died in 379 and was not ordained deacon by Meletius; modern scholars identify John's friend Basil as a different man (cf. John's On the Priesthood).
- John's works named are Against the Jews (the Adversus Iudaeos discourses), On the Priesthood, To Stagirius, On the Incomprehensible Nature of God, and On the Subintroductae; they are not yet on this site.
Topics: Church office, Scripture and canon
Cite (SBL): Socrates, Hist. eccl. 6.3 (PG 67:665–669; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/socrates-historia/6-3). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/socrates-historia/6-3
BibTeX · RIS · CSL-JSON (whole work; this passage's key: sophiascriptura-socrates-historia-6-3) · Report an error
Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Valesius's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 67 (Bavarian State Library OCR and Tesseract re-OCR); every chapter compared afterwards with Zenos's English in NPNF² 2.
6.4PG 67:669–671
Τοιοῦτος ὢν τὸ ἦθος, καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν ἐπισκοπὴν προβληθεὶς, μείζονι ἢ ἐχρῆν τῇ ὀφρύϊ κατὰ τῶν ὑπηκόων ἐκέχρητο, διορθοῦν τοὺς βίους τῶν ὑφ᾽ αὐτῷ κληρικῶν, ὡς ᾤετο, προαιρούμενος. Εὐθὺς οὖν ἐν ἀρχῇ φανεὶς τοῖς τῆς ἐκκλησίας τραχὺς, ὑπ' αὐτῶν ἐμισεῖτο, πολλοί τε πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀπηχθάνοντο, καὶ ὡς ὀργίλον ἐξέκλινον. Ἐνῆγε δὲ αὐτὸν πρὸς τὸ πᾶσι προσκρούειν Σαραπίων διάκονος ὑπ᾿ αὐτῷ ταττόμενος. Καί ποτε παρόντων τῶν κληρικῶν, μεγάλῃ τῇ φωνῇ πρὸς τὸν ἐπίσκοπον τοιοῦτον λόγον ἐφθέγξατο· Οὔποτε, ὦ ἐπίσκοπε, τούτων κρατῆσαι δυνήσῃ, εἰ μὴ μιᾷ ῥάβδῳ πάντας ἐλαύνοις. Τοῦτο λεχθὲν τὸ κατὰ τοῦ ἐπισκόπου μίσος ἐξήγειρεν. Ὁ δὲ ἐπίσκοπος οὐκ εἰς μακρὰν πολλοὺς τῆς ἐκκλησίας, ἄλλον δι᾿ ἄλλην αἰτίαν ἐξέβαλλεν· οἱ δὲ, οἷα φιλεῖ γίνεσθαι ἐν ταῖς τοιαύταις τῶν κρατούντων ὁρμαῖς, φατρίας συνίστασαν κατ᾿ αὐτοῦ, καὶ διαβολαῖς πρὸς τὸν δῆμον ἐκέχρηντο. Εἰς πίστιν δὲ ἦγεν τοὺς ἀκούοντας τὰ λεγόμενα, τὸ μὴ βούλεσθαι τὸν ἐπίσκοπον συνεσθίειν τινί, μηδὲ καλούμενον ἐφ᾽ ἐστίαν παραγίνεσθαι· ἐξ οὗ καὶ μάλιστα ἡ μείζων ἐκράτησε διαβολὴ κατ' αὐτοῦ. Καὶ τίνι μὲν σκοπῷ συνεσθίειν οὐδενὶ προήρητο, σαφῶς οὐδεὶς ἀπαγγεῖλαι δεδύνηται. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ ἀπολογεῖσθαι βουλόμενοι ἔφασκον, ὡς εἴη ἐμπαθὴς, καὶ δυσφόρως τὰ σιτία προσφέροιτο, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο μόνος ἐσθίει. "Αλλοι δὲ, ὅτι δι᾽ ὑπερβάλλουσαν ἄσκησιν τοῦτο ἐποίει. "Οπως δὲ ἀληθείας ἂν εἶχε τὸ γινόμενον, οὐ μικρὰ συνεβάλλετο πρὸς διαβολὴν τοῖς κατηγοροῦσιν αὐτοῦ. Ὁ μέντοι λαὸς, διὰ τοὺς ἐν τῇ ἐκκλησία λεγομένους ὑπ' αὐτοῦ λόγους, σφόδρα συνεκρότει καὶ ἠγάπα τὸν ἄνθρωπον, μικρά φροντίζων τῶν κατηγορεῖν ἐπιχει ρούντων αὐτοῦ. Ὁποῖοι δὲ εἰσιν οἵ τε ἐκδοθέντες παρ᾿ αὐτοῦ λόγοι, καὶ οἱ λέγοντος αὐτοῦ ὑπὸ τῶν ὀξυγράφων ἐκληφθέντες, ὅπως τε λαμπροὶ, καὶ τὸ ἐπαγωγὸν ἔχοντες, τί δεῖ νῦν λέγειν, ἐξὸν τοῖς βουλομένοις αὐτοὺς ἀναλέγεσθαι, καὶ τὴν ἐξ αὐτῶν ὠφέλειαν καρποῦσθαι;
Toioutos ōn to ēthos, kai epi tēn episkopēn problētheis, meizoni ē echrēn tę̄ ophryï kata tōn hypēkoōn ekechrēto, diorthoun tous bious tōn hyph᾽ autǭ klērikōn, hōs ǭeto, proairoumenos. Euthys oun en archę̄ phaneis tois tēs ekklēsias trachys, hyp' autōn emiseito, polloi te pros auton apēchthanonto, kai hōs orgilon exeklinon. Enēge de auton pros to pasi proskrouein Sarapiōn diakonos hyp᾿ autǭ tattomenos. Kai pote parontōn tōn klērikōn, megalę̄ tę̄ phōnę̄ pros ton episkopon toiouton logon ephthenxato; Oupote, ō episkope, toutōn kratēsai dynēsę̄, ei mē mią rhabdǭ pantas elaunois. Touto lechthen to kata tou episkopou misos exēgeiren. Ho de episkopos ouk eis makran pollous tēs ekklēsias, allon di᾿ allēn aitian exeballen; hoi de, hoia philei ginesthai en tais toiautais tōn kratountōn hormais, phatrias synistasan kat᾿ autou, kai diabolais pros ton dēmon ekechrēnto. Eis pistin de ēgen tous akouontas ta legomena, to mē boulesthai ton episkopon synesthiein tini, mēde kaloumenon eph᾽ estian paraginesthai; ex hou kai malista hē meizōn ekratēse diabolē kat' autou. Kai tini men skopǭ synesthiein oudeni proērēto, saphōs oudeis apangeilai dedynētai. Hoi men gar hyper autou apologeisthai boulomenoi ephaskon, hōs eiē empathēs, kai dysphorōs ta sitia prospheroito, kai dia touto monos esthiei. "Alloi de, hoti di᾽ hyperballousan askēsin touto epoiei. "Opōs de alētheias an eiche to ginomenon, ou mikra syneballeto pros diabolēn tois katēgorousin autou. Ho mentoi laos, dia tous en tę̄ ekklēsia legomenous hyp' autou logous, sphodra synekrotei kai ēgapa ton anthrōpon, mikra phrontizōn tōn katēgorein epichei rountōn autou. Hopoioi de eisin hoi te ekdothentes par᾿ autou logoi, kai hoi legontos autou hypo tōn oxygraphōn eklēphthentes, hopōs te lamproi, kai to epagōgon echontes, ti dei nyn legein, exon tois boulomenois autous analegesthai, kai tēn ex autōn ōpheleian karpousthai?
Being of such a character and having been advanced to the episcopate, he treated those under him with more haughtiness than he ought, choosing, as he thought, to correct the lives of the clergy under him. So, appearing harsh to the members of the church right from the beginning, he was hated by them; many became hostile to him and avoided him as irascible. Serapion, a deacon under him, urged him on to offend everyone. Once, in the presence of the clergy, he said in a loud voice to the bishop, 'You will never be able to master these, bishop, unless you drive them all with one rod.' This saying roused hatred against the bishop. Not long after, the bishop expelled many from the church, one for one reason and another for another; and they, as usually happens in such impulses of those in power, formed factions against him and used slanders before the people. What made their hearers believe what was said was that the bishop would not eat with anyone and would not come to a meal when invited; from this above all the greater slander against him prevailed. For what purpose he had chosen to eat with no one, no one has been able to report clearly. Those who wished to defend him said that he had an ailment and digested food with difficulty, and so ate alone; others said that he did this because of his exceeding asceticism. However the truth of the matter stood, it contributed not a little to slander for his accusers. The people, however, because of the discourses he delivered in the church, warmly supported and loved the man, caring little for those who tried to accuse him. What the discourses are like, both those he published and those taken down by the shorthand writers as he spoke, how brilliant and attractive they are, why need I say now, when those who wish may read them and reap the benefit from them?
Notes and citation
Summary: As bishop John alienates his clergy by his severity, urged on by the deacon Serapion, and his habit of eating alone feeds slander; the people love his preaching.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (stray letter): κληρικῶν ἱ, → κληρικῶν,; προήρητο ἱ, → προήρητο,; ἐκδοθέντες Ο παρ᾿ → ἐκδοθέντες παρ᾿.
Topics: Church office
Cite (SBL): Socrates, Hist. eccl. 6.4 (PG 67:669–671; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/socrates-historia/6-4). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/socrates-historia/6-4
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Valesius's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 67 (Bavarian State Library OCR and Tesseract re-OCR); every chapter compared afterwards with Zenos's English in NPNF² 2.
6.5PG 67:671–675
Ἕως μὲν οὖν τῷ κλήρῳ μόνῳ προσέκρουεν, ἀσθε νὴς ἦν σκευωρουμένη ἡ κατ' αὐτοῦ μηχανή. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ καὶ πολλοὺς τῶν ἐν τέλει πέρα τοῦ προσήκοντος ἐξελέγχειν επειρᾶτο, τηνικαῦτα καὶ ὁ κατ᾿ αὐτοῦ φθόνος πλείων ἐξήπτετο· καὶ πολλὰ μὲν ἐλέγετο κατ' αὐτοῦ· τὰ πλεῖστα δὲ λοιπὸν καὶ πίστιν ἐνεποίει τοῖς ἀκούουσι. Προσθήκην δὲ τῇ διαβολῇ ἐποίει, ἡ κατὰ Εὐτροπίου τότε λεχθεῖσα ὑπ᾿ αὐτοῦ προσομιλία. Εὐτρόπιος γὰρ εὐνοῦχος προεστὼς τοῦ βασιλικοῦ κοιτῶνος, καὶ τὴν τοῦ ὑπάτου ἀξίαν πρῶτος εὐνούχων παρὰ βασιλέως λαβὼν, ἀμύνασθαί τινας προσφεύγοντας τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ βουλόμενος, σπουδὴν πεποίητο νόμον παρὰ τῶν αὐτοκρατόρων προτεθῆναι, κελεύοντα μηδένα προσφεύγειν ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς ἤδη προσφεύγοντας ἀφέλκεσθαι. Δίκη δὲ εὐθὺς ἐπηκολούθει. Προὔκειτο γὰρ ὁ νόμος, καὶ μετ' οὐ πολὺ προσκρούσας τῷ βασιλεῖ ὁ Εὐτρόπιος, ἐν τοῖς πρόσφυξιν ἦν. Ὁ οὖν ἐπίσκοπος, τοῦ Εὐτροπίου ὑπὸ τὸ θυσιαστήριον κειμένου, καὶ ἐκπεπληγότος ὑπὸ τοῦ φόβου, καθεσθεὶς ἐπὶ τοῦ ἄμβωνος, ὅθεν εἰώθει καὶ πρότερον ὁμιλεῖν χάριν τοῦ ἐξακούεσθαι, λόγον ἐλεγκτικὸν ἐξέτεινε κατ᾿ αὐτοῦ. Ἐφ᾽ ᾧ πλέον ἐδόκει προσκρούειν τισὶν, ὅτι τὸν ἀτυχοῦντα οὐ μόνον οὐκ ἠλέει, ἀλλ᾽ ἐκ τοῦ ἐναντίου καὶ ἤλεγχεν. Εὐτροπίου μὲν οὖν τότε τὴν ὕπατον ἀξίαν ἐγχειρίζοντος, διά τινα πταίσματα ὁ βασιλεὺς τὴν κεφαλὴν ἀποτμηθῆναι ἐκέλευσεν· ἐκ δὲ τοῦ καταλόγου τῶν ὑπάτων περιηρέθη τὸ ὄνομα, καὶ μόνου τοῦ συνυπατεύσαντος Θεοδώρου ἐγέγραπτο. Λόγος δὲ, ὅτι ὁ ἐπίσκοπος Ἰωάννης καὶ Γαϊνᾶν τὸν τηνικαῦτα στρατηλάτην, τῇ συνήθει παῤῥησίᾳ χρώμενος, ἰσχυρῶς περιύβρισεν, ὅτι μίαν ἐκκλησίαν τῶν ἐντὸς τῆς πόλεως προσνεμηθῆναι τοῖς ὁμοθρήσκοις αὐτοῦ ᾿Αρειανοῖς παρὰ τοῦ βασιλέως αἰτῆσαι ἐτόλμησεν. ῎Αλλον τε δι' ἄλλην αἰτίαν τῶν κρατούντων ἐξήλεγχεν σὺν παῤῥησία πολλῇ, δι᾿ ἣν πολλοῖς διάφορος ἦν. Ὅθεν καὶ Θεόφιλος ὁ ᾿Αλεξανδρείας ἐπίσκοπος, εὐθὺς μετὰ τὴν χειροτονίαν, ἐπενόει ὅπως αὐτὸν σκευωρήσηται· και τισι μὲν τῶν παρόντων περὶ τούτου κρυφαίως διελέγετο, πολλοῖς δὲ καὶ τῶν μακρὰν ἀπόντων τὴν οἰκείαν διήγγειλε βούλησιν. Ἐλύπει γὰρ αὐτὸν οὐ μόνον ἡ ὑπερβάλλουσα Ἰωάννου παῤῥησία, ἀλλ᾿ ὅτι καὶ Ἰσίδωρον τὸν πρεσβύτερον ὑπ' αὐτῷ ταττόμενον εἰς τὴν ἐπισκοπὴν Κωνσταντίνου πόλεως προβάλλεσθαι οὐκ ἴσχυσεν. Ἐν τούτοις μὲν τὰ κατὰ Ἰωάννην τὸν ἐπίσκοπον ἦν· καὶ εὐθὺς ἐν ἀρχῇ κατ' αὐτοῦ ὤδινε τὸ κακόν. Καὶ τὰ μὲν περὶ αὐτοῦ προϊόντες δηλώσομεν.
Heōs men oun tǭ klērǭ monǭ prosekrouen, asthe nēs ēn skeuōroumenē hē kat' autou mēchanē. Epeidē de kai pollous tōn en telei pera tou prosēkontos exelenchein epeirato, tēnikauta kai ho kat᾿ autou phthonos pleiōn exēpteto; kai polla men elegeto kat' autou; ta pleista de loipon kai pistin enepoiei tois akouousi. Prosthēkēn de tę̄ diabolę̄ epoiei, hē kata Eutropiou tote lechtheisa hyp᾿ autou prosomilia. Eutropios gar eunouchos proestōs tou basilikou koitōnos, kai tēn tou hypatou axian prōtos eunouchōn para basileōs labōn, amynasthai tinas prospheugontas tę̄ ekklēsią boulomenos, spoudēn pepoiēto nomon para tōn autokratorōn protethēnai, keleuonta mēdena prospheugein tais ekklēsiais, alla kai tous ēdē prospheugontas aphelkesthai. Dikē de euthys epēkolouthei. Proukeito gar ho nomos, kai met' ou poly proskrousas tǭ basilei ho Eutropios, en tois prosphyxin ēn. Ho oun episkopos, tou Eutropiou hypo to thysiastērion keimenou, kai ekpeplēgotos hypo tou phobou, kathestheis epi tou ambōnos, hothen eiōthei kai proteron homilein charin tou exakouesthai, logon elenktikon exeteine kat᾿ autou. Eph᾽ hǭ pleon edokei proskrouein tisin, hoti ton atychounta ou monon ouk ēleei, all᾽ ek tou enantiou kai ēlenchen. Eutropiou men oun tote tēn hypaton axian encheirizontos, dia tina ptaismata ho basileus tēn kephalēn apotmēthēnai ekeleusen; ek de tou katalogou tōn hypatōn periērethē to onoma, kai monou tou synypateusantos Theodōrou egegrapto. Logos de, hoti ho episkopos Iōannēs kai Gaïnan ton tēnikauta stratēlatēn, tę̄ synēthei parrhēsią chrōmenos, ischyrōs periybrisen, hoti mian ekklēsian tōn entos tēs poleōs prosnemēthēnai tois homothrēskois autou ᾿Areianois para tou basileōs aitēsai etolmēsen. ᾿Allon te di' allēn aitian tōn kratountōn exēlenchen syn parrhēsia pollę̄, di᾿ hēn pollois diaphoros ēn. Hothen kai Theophilos ho ᾿Alexandreias episkopos, euthys meta tēn cheirotonian, epenoei hopōs auton skeuōrēsētai; kai tisi men tōn parontōn peri toutou kryphaiōs dielegeto, pollois de kai tōn makran apontōn tēn oikeian diēngeile boulēsin. Elypei gar auton ou monon hē hyperballousa Iōannou parrhēsia, all᾿ hoti kai Isidōron ton presbyteron hyp' autǭ tattomenon eis tēn episkopēn Kōnstantinou poleōs proballesthai ouk ischysen. En toutois men ta kata Iōannēn ton episkopon ēn; kai euthys en archę̄ kat' autou ōdine to kakon. Kai ta men peri autou proïontes dēlōsomen.
As long as he offended only the clergy, the scheme being contrived against him was weak. But when he tried to rebuke many of those in high office too, beyond what was fitting, then the envy against him was kindled more; much was said against him, and most of it now gained credence with the hearers. The address that he gave at that time against Eutropius added to the slander. Eutropius, the eunuch at the head of the imperial bedchamber, the first of eunuchs to receive the rank of consul from the emperor, wishing to take revenge on some who had fled to the church for refuge, had taken pains to have a law issued by the emperors ordering that no one should take refuge in the churches, and that even those who had already taken refuge should be dragged away. Justice followed at once: the law was published, and not long after Eutropius, having offended the emperor, was among the refugees. So the bishop, while Eutropius lay beneath the altar, stricken with fear, sat on the ambo, from which he had been accustomed to preach before so as to be heard, and delivered a long speech of rebuke against him. In this he seemed to some to give greater offence, because he not only did not pity the unfortunate man but on the contrary even rebuked him. When Eutropius, who then held the consular rank, was ordered by the emperor to be beheaded for certain offences, his name was removed from the list of the consuls, and only that of his colleague Theodore was recorded. It is said that John the bishop, using his usual frankness, also strongly insulted Gainas, then general, because he dared to ask the emperor that one of the churches within the city be assigned to his fellow religionists, the Arians. He rebuked one of the powerful for one reason and another for another, with great boldness, and for this reason he was at odds with many. Hence Theophilus, the bishop of Alexandria, immediately after the ordination began to consider how he might plot against him; he talked about this secretly with some of those present, and made his wish known to many who were far away. For not only John's excessive frankness grieved him, but also that he had not been able to advance Isidore, the presbyter under him, to the bishopric of Constantinople. Such was the position of John the bishop, and at once from the beginning evil was in labour against him. What concerns him we shall show as we proceed.
Notes and citation
Summary: John's rebukes of the powerful, his sermon against the fallen Eutropius, and his refusal of a church to Gainas's Arians multiply enemies; Theophilus begins to plot against him.
- John's homilies on Eutropius survive.
- Eutropius was consul in 399 with Theodore; he was executed later that year.
- The words 'sitting on the ambo' are repeated in the scan text in the sentence about Theophilus and are removed there, as is a stray syllable at the end.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (repeated marginal words; stray footnote numeral; stray syllable at the end): ἀλλ᾿ ὅτι Καθεσθεὶς ἐπὶ τοῦ ἄμβωνος. καὶ Ἰσίδωρον → ἀλλ᾿ ὅτι καὶ Ἰσίδωρον; δηλώσομεν. Εἰ → δηλώσομεν.; τότε 1 τὴν → τότε τὴν.
Topics: Church office
Cite (SBL): Socrates, Hist. eccl. 6.5 (PG 67:671–675; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/socrates-historia/6-5). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/socrates-historia/6-5
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Valesius's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 67 (Bavarian State Library OCR and Tesseract re-OCR); every chapter compared afterwards with Zenos's English in NPNF² 2.
6.6PG 67:675–681
Πρᾶγμα δὲ ἄξιον μνήμης ἐπὶ τῶνδε τῶν χρόνων γενόμενον διηγήσομαι, δεικνὺς ὅπως ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ πρόνοια τὴν πόλιν καὶ τὰ Ῥωμαίων ἐκ μεγίστου κινδύνου παραδόξοις βοηθείαις ἐῤῥύσατο. Τί δέ ἐστι τοῦτο, λεκτέον. Γαϊνᾶς βάρβαρος μὲν ἦν τὸ γένος· ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίοις δὲ γενόμενος, καὶ στρατείᾳ προσομιλήσας, κατὰ βραχὺ δὲ προκόψας, τέλος στρατηλάτης Ῥωμαίων ἱππικῆς τε καὶ πεζικῆς ἀναδείκνυται. Ἐπιλαβόμενος δὲ τῆς τηλικαύτης δυναστείας, ἑαυτὸν οὐκ ἐγίνωσκεν, οὐδὲ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ διάνοιαν κατέχειν ἠδύνατο. ᾿Αλλὰ πάντα λίθον, τὸ δὴ λεγόμενον, ἐκίνει, ὅπως ἂν ὑφ᾽ ἑαυτῷ τὰ Ῥωμαίων ποιήσειε. Καὶ πᾶν μὲν τὸ Γότθων ἔθνος ἐκ τῆς αὐτοῦ χώρας μετεπέμψατο. Τοὺς δὲ αὐτῷ ἐπιτηδείους τῶν στρατιωτικῶν ἀριθμῶν, τούτους ἔχειν παρεσκεύαζεν. Τριβιγίλδου δὲ, ἑνὸς τῶν αὐτοῦ συγγενῶν, χιλιαρχοῦντος τῶν ἱδρυμένων ἐν τῇ Φρυγίᾳ στρατιωτῶν, καὶ γνώμῃ Γαϊνα ( νεωτερίσαντος, καὶ τὰ Φρυγῶν ἔθνη παντάπασιν ἀνατρέποντος, αὐτὸς ἐπιτραπῆναι ἑαυτῷ κατασκευάζει τὴν τῶν ἐκεῖ πραγμάτων φροντίδα. Ἔπειτα ὁ βασιλεὺς ᾿Αρκάδιος, οὐδὲν προειδόμενος, ἑτοίμως ἐπέτρεψεν · καὶ ὃς εὐθὺς ἐπορεύετο, τῷ μὲν λόγῳ κατὰ Τριβιγίλδου· τῷ δὲ ἔργῳ τυραννῆσαι βουλόμενος· ἦγε δὲ μεθ' ἑαυτοῦ Γότθων βαρβάρων οὐκ ὀλίγας μυριάδας· καὶ καταλαβὼν τὴν Φρυγίαν, πάντα ἀνέτρεπεν. Εὐθὺς οὖν ἐν ταραχῇ ἦν τὰ Ῥωμαίων, οὐ μόνον διὰ τὸ προσὸν τῷ Γαϊνᾷ πλῆθος βαρβάρων, ἀλλ' ὅτι καὶ τὰ τῆς ἑῴας ἐπίκαιρα μέρη κινδυνεύειν ἔμελλε. Τότε δὴ ὁ βασιλεὺς, γνώμῃ χρηστῇ πρὸς τὸν παρόντα καιρὸν χρησάμενος, τέχνῃ μετῆλθε τὸν βάρ· βαρον. Διαπεμψάμενος γοῦν πρὸς αὐτὸν, πᾶσι λόγοις καὶ ἔργοις θεραπεύειν ἕτοιμος ἦν. Τούτου δὲ ἐξαιτοῦντος δύο τῶν πρώτων" τῆς συγκλήτου ἄνδρας ἀπὸ 316 ὑπάτων, οὖς ἐπενόει ἐχχόψειν αὐτοῦ τὰς ὁρμὰς, Σατορνῖνον καὶ Αὐρηλιανὸὺν, ἄκων αὐτοὺς τῇ ἀνάγκη τοῦ καιροῦ παρεῖχεν ὁ βασιλεύς. Καὶ οἱ μὲν, ὑπὲρ τοῦ κοινοῦ προαποθνήσχειν αἱρούμενοι, γενναίως τῇ τοῦ βασιλέως χελεύσει ὑπήχουον᾽ πόῤῥω τῆς Χαλχηδόνος, ἐν χωρίῳ ἱπποδρόμῳ ἀπήντων, ἕτοιμοι πάσχειν πᾶν ὁτιοῦν ὁ βάρβαρος ἤθελεν. ᾿Αλλ᾽ οὗτοι μὲν οὐδὲν φαῦλον ὑπέμειναν. Ὁ δὲ ἀκχιζόμενος παρῆν ἐπὶ τὴν Χαλκηδόνα, ἀπήντα δὲ ἐκεῖσε καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς ᾿Αρκάδιος. Γενόμενοί τε ἐν τῷ μαρτυρίῳ, ἔνθα τὸ σῶμα " τῆς μάρτυρος Εὐφημίας ἀπόκειται, ὄρχοις ἐπιστοῦντο ἀλλήλοις ὅ τε βασιλεὺς ὁ βάρθδαρος, ἢ μὴν μὴ ἐπιθουλεύσειν ἀλλήλοις. ᾿Αλλ᾽ ὁ μὲν βασιλεὺς, τις ἀνὴρ, καὶ διατοῦτο θεοφιλὴς, τοῖς ὄρχοις ἐνἐμεινε. Γαϊνᾶς δὲ παρεσπόνδει τε τοῦ οἰκείου σκοποῦ οὐχ ἐξέθαινεν, ἀλλ᾽ ἐμπρησμούς τε λαφυραγωγίας ἐμελέτα ποιήσασθαι κατά τε τῆς Κωνσταντίνου πόλεως, καὶ καθ᾽ ὅλης, εἰ δύναιτο, τῆς μαίων ἀρχῆς. Βεύαρθάρωτο οὖν ἡ πόλις ὑπὸ τῶν πολλῶν μυριάδων, καὶ οἱ αὐτῆς οἰχήτορες ἐν βαλώτων μοίρᾳ ἐγένοντο. Τοσοῦτος δὲ ἦν ὁ ἐπιχρεμασθεὶς τῇ πόλει χίνδυνος, ὡς χομήτην μέγιστον τοῦ οὐρανοῦ μέχρι τῆς γῆς διήχοντα, καὶ οἷον οὐδεὶς ἐθεάσατο πρότερον, μηνύειν αὐτόν. Ὃ μέντοι Γαϊνᾶς πρῶτον μὲν ἐπειράθη ἀναίδην διαρπαγὴν τοῦ δημοσίᾳ ἐν τοῖς ἐργαστηρίοις πωλουμένου ἀργυρίου ποιήσασθαι. Ὡς δὲ, φήμης προμηνυθείσης, ἐφυλάξαντο προθεῖναι ἐν ταῖς τραπέζαις τὸν ἄργυρον, αὖθις ἐπὶ ἑτέραν χωρεῖ βουλήν" καὶ νυκτὸς μὲν οὕτης, ἐχπέμπλῆθος βαρόάρων ἐπὶ τὸ ἐμπρῆσαι τὰ βασίλεια. Τότε δὴ καὶ ἐδείχθη περιφανῶς, ὅπως ὁ Θεὸς πρόνοιᾶν ἐποιεῖτο τῆς πόλεως. ᾿Αγγέλων γὰρ πλῆθος ὥφθη τοῖς ἐπιδουλεύουσιν, ἐν σχήματι ὁπλιτῶν, μεγάλα ἐχόντων τὰ σώματα. ὑποτοπήσαντες οἱ βάρβαροι ἀληθῶς εἶναι στρατὸν πολὺν καὶ γενναῖον, κατέἐπλάγῆσάν τε καὶ ὑπανεχύρησαν. Ὥς ὃὲ ἀγγελθὲν τοῦτο τῷ πέρα πίστεως κατεφαίνετο. Ἠπίστατο γὰρ μὴ παρεῖναι τὸ πολὺ τῶν Ρωμαίων ὀπλιτιχόν κατὰ τὰς πόλεις γὰρ ἐνίδρυτο. Πέμπει καὶ αὖθις ἑτέρους τῇ ἐχομένῃ νυκτὶ, μεταταῦτα πολλάκις. Ὡς δὲ καὶ διαφόρως ἀποστείλαντι τὰ αὐτὰ ἀπηγγέλλετο" ἀεὶ γὰρ οἱ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἄγγελοι τὴν αὐτὴν τοῖς ἐπιδουλεύουσι παρεῖχον φαντασίαν, τέως αὐτὸς σὺν πλήθει πολλῷ προσελθών, πεῖραν λαμβάνει τοῦ θαύματος. Ὑπονοήσας δὲ ἀληθῶς στρατιωτῶν εἶναι πλῆθος, καὶ τοῦτο δι᾽ ἡμέρας μὲν λανθάνειν, νύκτωρ δὲ πρὸς τὴν αὐτοῦ ἐπιχείρησιν ἀντέχειν, τεχνάζεται βούλησιν, ὡς μὲν ἐνόμιζεν, Ῥωμαίους βλάπτουσαν, ἐπωφελῆ δὲ, ὡς ἡ ἔκβασις ἔδειξεν. Ὑποκρινόμενος γὰρ δαιμονᾷν, ὡς εὐξόμενος τὸ μαρτύριον • τοῦ ἀποστόλου Ἰωάννου ἑπτὰ δὲ σημείοις ἀπέχει τοῦτο τῆς πόλεως· καταλαμβάνει. Συνεξῄεσαν δὲ αὐτῷ καὶ οἱ βάρβαροι, τὰ ὅπλα κρυφαίως ἐξάγοντες, τοῦτο μὲν κεράμοις κατακρύψαντες, τοῦτο δὲ καὶ ἑτέραις χρώμενοι μηχαναῖς. Ὡς δὲ οἱ φρουροὶ τῶν πυλῶν τὸν δόλον εὑρόντες, ἐκφέρεσθαι τὰ βέλη διεκώλυον, οἱ βάρβαροι τὰ ξίφη σπασάμενοι τοὺς φρουροὺς διεχρήσαντο. Θόρυβός τε ἐντεῦθεν τὴν πόλιν εἶχε δεινὸς, καὶ πᾶσιν ὁ θάνατος παρεῖναι ἐδόκει. Ἀλλ᾿ ὅμως ἡ μὲν πόλις ἐν τῷ ἀσφαλεῖ τότε ἐγίνετο, τῶν πανταχῆ πυλῶν αὐτῆς ὠχυρωμένων. Γνώμῃ δὲ χρηστῇ ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐν καιρῷ ἐχρήσατο, καὶ φανερὸν πολέμιον κηρύξας εἶναι τὸν Γαϊνᾶν, κελεύει τοὺς ὑπολειφθέντας ἐν τῇ πόλει βαρβάρους ἀναιρεῖσθαι. Μιᾶς τε ἐν μέσῳ μετὰ τὴν τῶν πυλῶν ἀναίρεσιν διαγενομένης ἡμέρας, συμβάλλουσιν οἱ παρόντες στρατιῶται τοῖς βαρβάροις ἐντὸς τῶν πυλῶν, περὶ τὴν ἐκκλησίαν τῶν Γότθων· ἐνταῦθα γὰρ πάντες οἱ ὑπολειφθέντες ἠθροίσθησαν. Καὶ αὐτὴν μὲν ἐμπιμπρῶσιν· ἀναιροῦσι δὲ αὐτῶν σφόδρα πολλούς. Ὁ Γαϊνᾶς δὲ μαθὼν ἀνῃρῆσθαι τοὺς μὴ φθάσαντας ἐξελθεῖν τῶν πυλῶν, γνούς τε μηκέτι αὐτῷ προχωρεῖν τὰς ἀπάτας, ἄρας ἀπὸ τοῦ μαρτυρίου, ἥλαυνεν ἐπὶ τὰ Θράκια μέρη · καὶ καταλαβὼν τὴν Χερρόνησον, ἐξ αὐτῆς διαπεραιοῦσθαι, καὶ καταλαμβάνειν τὴν Λάμψακον ἐσπούδαζεν, ὅπως ἂν ἐντεῦθεν τῶν ἑῴων μερῶν κρατῆσαι δυνήσηται. Ὡς δὲ ὁ βασιλεὺς ἔφθη δύναμιν ἀποστείλας διά τε γῆς καὶ θαλάσσης, ἐνταῦθα πάλιν τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ προνοίας θαυμαστὸν ἔργον ἐδείκνυτο. Ὡς γὰρ οἱ βάρβαροι ἀποροῦντες πλοίων, σχεδίας συμπήξαντες, ἐπ᾿ αὐτῶν ἐπεραιοῦντο, ἑτέρων Ῥωμαίων στρατιωτικαὶ νῆες ὅσον οὐδέπω παρῆσαν, ἄνεμός τε Ζέφυρος πνεῖ σφοδρός. Καὶ οἱ μὲν Ῥωμαῖοι ταῖς ναυσὶ ῥᾳδίως διεξέπλεον· οἱ δὲ βάρβαροι ἅμα τοῖς ἵπποις ἐν ταῖς σχεδίαις ὑπὸ τοῦ κλύδωνος ἀναῤῥιπτούμενοι ἐξελικμῶντο, καὶ ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ διεφθείροντο. Πολλοὶ δὲ καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν Ῥωμαίων ἀπώλλυντο. Οὕτω μὲν οὖν τότε πλεῖστον πλῆθος τῶν βαρβάρων ἐν τῷ διέκπλῳ ἀπώλετο. δὲ ἀναζεύξας, καὶ διὰ τῆς Θράκης φυγῇ χρώμενος, περιπέπτει ἑτέρᾳ δυνάμει Ῥωμαίων, ἀναιρεῖται ἅμα τοῖς σὺν αὐτῷ ϑαρδάροις. Καὶ ταῦτα μὲν, ὡς ἐν ἐπιδρομῇ, περὶ Γαϊνᾷ ἀποχρώντως λελέχθω. δέ τῳ φίλον ἀκριβῶς μαθεῖν τὰ ἐν ἐχείνμ τῷ πολέμῳ γεγενημένα, ἐντυγχανέτω τῇ Γαϊνίᾳ τοῦ Σχολαστιχοῦ Εὐσεδίου, ὃς ἐφοίτα μὲν τηνικαῦτα παρὰ Τρωΐλῳ τῷ Σοφιστῇ" αὐτόπτης δὲ τοῦ πολέμου γενόμενος, τέσσαρσ: βιβλίοις ἡρωϊκῷ μέτρῳ τὰ γενόμενα διηγήσατο. Καὶ προσφάτων ὄντων τῶν πραγμάτων, σφόδρα ἐπὶ τοῖς ποιήμασιν ἐθαυμάσθη. Καὶ νῦν δὲ ὁ ποιητὴς ᾿Αμμώνιος τὴν αὐτὴν ὑπόθεσιν ῥαψῳδήσας, ἐν τῇ ἐχχαιδεκάτῃ ὑπατείᾳ τοῦ νέον Θεοδοσίου, ἣν ἅμα Φαύστῳ ἐπετέλει, ἐπὶ τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος ἐπιδειξάμενος, λαμπρῶς εὐδοχίμησε. Τέλος δὲ ἔσχεν οὗτος ὁ πόλεμος, ἐν τῇ ὑπατείᾳ Στελίχωνος Αὐρηλιανοῦ. Τὴν δὲ ἑξῆς ὑπατείαν ἐδίδου Φραύϊτος, Γότθος μὲν αὐτὸς τῷ γένει, μεγάλῃ δὲ εὐνοίᾳ τῇ πρὸς Ῥωμαίους χρησάμενος, μεγάλα δὲ καὶ ἐν τῷδε τῷ πολέμῳ ἀγωνισάμενος. Διὸ καὶ τῆς τοῦ ὑπάτου ἀξίας μετέσχεν, καθ᾽ τίχτετα: τῷ βασιλεῖ ᾿Αρχαδίῳ υἱὸς, ὁ ἀγαθὸς Θεοδόσιος, τῇ δεκάτῃ τοῦ ᾿Απριλλίου μηνός. Τοσαῦτα μὲν οὖν περὶ τούτων εἰρήσθω. Τηλιχούτων δὲ τότε χατειληφότων τὰ μαίων πράγματα, οἱ τὴν ἱερωσύνην πεπιστευμένοι τοῦ ῥάπτειν καθ᾽ ἑαυτῶν δόλους, ἐφ᾽ ὕδρει τοῦ Χριστιανισμοῦ, οὐδαμῶς ἀπείχοντο. Καὶ γὰρ ἐν τούτῳ τῷ χρόνῳ ἐπαναστάσεις ἐμελέτων χατ᾽ ἀλλήλων οἵ ἱερεῖς. ᾿Αρχὴν δὲ τὸ κακὸν τῆς Αἰγύπτου ἐλάμθανε, δι᾽ αἰτίαν τοιαύτην" οἱ
Pragma de axion mnēmēs epi tōnde tōn chronōn genomenon diēgēsomai, deiknys hopōs hē tou Theou pronoia tēn polin kai ta Rhōmaiōn ek megistou kindynou paradoxois boētheiais errhysato. Ti de esti touto, lekteon. Gaïnas barbaros men ēn to genos; hypo Rhōmaiois de genomenos, kai strateią prosomilēsas, kata brachy de prokopsas, telos stratēlatēs Rhōmaiōn hippikēs te kai pezikēs anadeiknytai. Epilabomenos de tēs tēlikautēs dynasteias, heauton ouk eginōsken, oude tēn heautou dianoian katechein ēdynato. ᾿Alla panta lithon, to dē legomenon, ekinei, hopōs an hyph᾽ heautǭ ta Rhōmaiōn poiēseie. Kai pan men to Gotthōn ethnos ek tēs autou chōras metepempsato. Tous de autǭ epitēdeious tōn stratiōtikōn arithmōn, toutous echein pareskeuazen. Tribigildou de, henos tōn autou syngenōn, chiliarchountos tōn hidrymenōn en tę̄ Phrygią stratiōtōn, kai gnōmę̄ Gaïna ( neōterisantos, kai ta Phrygōn ethnē pantapasin anatrepontos, autos epitrapēnai heautǭ kataskeuazei tēn tōn ekei pragmatōn phrontida. Epeita ho basileus ᾿Arkadios, ouden proeidomenos, hetoimōs epetrepsen ; kai hos euthys eporeueto, tǭ men logǭ kata Tribigildou; tǭ de ergǭ tyrannēsai boulomenos; ēge de meth' heautou Gotthōn barbarōn ouk oligas myriadas; kai katalabōn tēn Phrygian, panta anetrepen. Euthys oun en tarachę̄ ēn ta Rhōmaiōn, ou monon dia to proson tǭ Gaïną plēthos barbarōn, all' hoti kai ta tēs heǭas epikaira merē kindyneuein emelle. Tote dē ho basileus, gnōmę̄ chrēstę̄ pros ton paronta kairon chrēsamenos, technę̄ metēlthe ton bar; baron. Diapempsamenos goun pros auton, pasi logois kai ergois therapeuein hetoimos ēn. Toutou de exaitountos dyo tōn prōtōn" tēs synklētou andras apo 316 hypatōn, ous epenoei echchopsein autou tas hormas, Satorninon kai Aurēlianoun, akōn autous tę̄ anankē tou kairou pareichen ho basileus. Kai hoi men, hyper tou koinou proapothnēschein hairoumenoi, gennaiōs tę̄ tou basileōs cheleusei hypēchouon᾽ porrhō tēs Chalchēdonos, en chōriǭ hippodromǭ apēntōn, hetoimoi paschein pan hotioun ho barbaros ēthelen. ᾿All᾽ houtoi men ouden phaulon hypemeinan. Ho de akchizomenos parēn epi tēn Chalkēdona, apēnta de ekeise kai ho basileus ᾿Arkadios. Genomenoi te en tǭ martyriǭ, entha to sōma " tēs martyros Euphēmias apokeitai, orchois epistounto allēlois ho te basileus ho barthdaros, ē mēn mē epithouleusein allēlois. ᾿All᾽ ho men basileus, tis anēr, kai diatouto theophilēs, tois orchois enemeine. Gaïnas de parespondei te tou oikeiou skopou ouch exethainen, all᾽ emprēsmous te laphyragōgias emeleta poiēsasthai kata te tēs Kōnstantinou poleōs, kai kath᾽ holēs, ei dynaito, tēs maiōn archēs. Beuartharōto oun hē polis hypo tōn pollōn myriadōn, kai hoi autēs oichētores en balōtōn moirą egenonto. Tosoutos de ēn ho epichremastheis tę̄ polei chindynos, hōs chomētēn megiston tou ouranou mechri tēs gēs diēchonta, kai hoion oudeis etheasato proteron, mēnyein auton. Ho mentoi Gaïnas prōton men epeirathē anaidēn diarpagēn tou dēmosią en tois ergastēriois pōloumenou argyriou poiēsasthai. Hōs de, phēmēs promēnytheisēs, ephylaxanto protheinai en tais trapezais ton argyron, authis epi heteran chōrei boulēn" kai nyktos men houtēs, echpemplēthos baroarōn epi to emprēsai ta basileia. Tote dē kai edeichthē periphanōs, hopōs ho Theos pronoian epoieito tēs poleōs. ᾿Angelōn gar plēthos hōphthē tois epidouleuousin, en schēmati hoplitōn, megala echontōn ta sōmata. hypotopēsantes hoi barbaroi alēthōs einai straton polyn kai gennaion, kateeplagēsan te kai hypanechyrēsan. Hōs hoe angelthen touto tǭ pera pisteōs katephaineto. Ēpistato gar mē pareinai to poly tōn Rōmaiōn oplitichon kata tas poleis gar enidryto. Pempei kai authis heterous tę̄ echomenę̄ nykti, metatauta pollakis. Hōs de kai diaphorōs aposteilanti ta auta apēngelleto" aei gar hoi tou Theou angeloi tēn autēn tois epidouleuousi pareichon phantasian, teōs autos syn plēthei pollǭ proselthōn, peiran lambanei tou thaumatos. Hyponoēsas de alēthōs stratiōtōn einai plēthos, kai touto di᾽ hēmeras men lanthanein, nyktōr de pros tēn autou epicheirēsin antechein, technazetai boulēsin, hōs men enomizen, Rhōmaious blaptousan, epōphelē de, hōs hē ekbasis edeixen. Hypokrinomenos gar daimonąn, hōs euxomenos to martyrion • tou apostolou Iōannou hepta de sēmeiois apechei touto tēs poleōs; katalambanei. Synexę̄esan de autǭ kai hoi barbaroi, ta hopla kryphaiōs exagontes, touto men keramois katakrypsantes, touto de kai heterais chrōmenoi mēchanais. Hōs de hoi phrouroi tōn pylōn ton dolon heurontes, ekpheresthai ta belē diekōlyon, hoi barbaroi ta xiphē spasamenoi tous phrourous diechrēsanto. Thorybos te enteuthen tēn polin eiche deinos, kai pasin ho thanatos pareinai edokei. All᾿ homōs hē men polis en tǭ asphalei tote egineto, tōn pantachē pylōn autēs ōchyrōmenōn. Gnōmę̄ de chrēstę̄ ho basileus en kairǭ echrēsato, kai phaneron polemion kēryxas einai ton Gaïnan, keleuei tous hypoleiphthentas en tę̄ polei barbarous anaireisthai. Mias te en mesǭ meta tēn tōn pylōn anairesin diagenomenēs hēmeras, symballousin hoi parontes stratiōtai tois barbarois entos tōn pylōn, peri tēn ekklēsian tōn Gotthōn; entautha gar pantes hoi hypoleiphthentes ēthroisthēsan. Kai autēn men empimprōsin; anairousi de autōn sphodra pollous. Ho Gaïnas de mathōn anę̄rēsthai tous mē phthasantas exelthein tōn pylōn, gnous te mēketi autǭ prochōrein tas apatas, aras apo tou martyriou, hēlaunen epi ta Thrakia merē ; kai katalabōn tēn Cherronēson, ex autēs diaperaiousthai, kai katalambanein tēn Lampsakon espoudazen, hopōs an enteuthen tōn heǭōn merōn kratēsai dynēsētai. Hōs de ho basileus ephthē dynamin aposteilas dia te gēs kai thalassēs, entautha palin tēs tou Theou pronoias thaumaston ergon edeiknyto. Hōs gar hoi barbaroi aporountes ploiōn, schedias sympēxantes, ep᾿ autōn eperaiounto, heterōn Rhōmaiōn stratiōtikai nēes hoson oudepō parēsan, anemos te Zephyros pnei sphodros. Kai hoi men Rhōmaioi tais nausi rhądiōs diexepleon; hoi de barbaroi hama tois hippois en tais schediais hypo tou klydōnos anarrhiptoumenoi exelikmōnto, kai en tę̄ thalassę̄ diephtheironto. Polloi de kai hypo tōn Rhōmaiōn apōllynto. Houtō men oun tote pleiston plēthos tōn barbarōn en tǭ diekplǭ apōleto. de anazeuxas, kai dia tēs Thrakēs phygę̄ chrōmenos, peripeptei heterą dynamei Rhōmaiōn, anaireitai hama tois syn autǭ ϑardarois. Kai tauta men, hōs en epidromę̄, peri Gaïną apochrōntōs lelechthō. de tǭ philon akribōs mathein ta en echeinm tǭ polemǭ gegenēmena, entynchanetō tę̄ Gaïnią tou Scholastichou Eusediou, hos ephoita men tēnikauta para Trōïlǭ tǭ Sophistę̄" autoptēs de tou polemou genomenos, tessars: bibliois hērōïkǭ metrǭ ta genomena diēgēsato. Kai prosphatōn ontōn tōn pragmatōn, sphodra epi tois poiēmasin ethaumasthē. Kai nyn de ho poiētēs ᾿Ammōnios tēn autēn hypothesin rhapsǭdēsas, en tę̄ echchaidekatę̄ hypateią tou neon Theodosiou, hēn hama Phaustǭ epetelei, epi tou autokratoros epideixamenos, lamprōs eudochimēse. Telos de eschen houtos ho polemos, en tę̄ hypateią Stelichōnos Aurēlianou. Tēn de hexēs hypateian edidou Phrauïtos, Gotthos men autos tǭ genei, megalę̄ de eunoią tę̄ pros Rhōmaious chrēsamenos, megala de kai en tǭde tǭ polemǭ agōnisamenos. Dio kai tēs tou hypatou axias meteschen, kath᾽ tichteta: tǭ basilei ᾿Archadiǭ huios, ho agathos Theodosios, tę̄ dekatę̄ tou ᾿Aprilliou mēnos. Tosauta men oun peri toutōn eirēsthō. Tēlichoutōn de tote chateilēphotōn ta maiōn pragmata, hoi tēn hierōsynēn pepisteumenoi tou rhaptein kath᾽ heautōn dolous, eph᾽ hydrei tou Christianismou, oudamōs apeichonto. Kai gar en toutǭ tǭ chronǭ epanastaseis emeletōn chat᾽ allēlōn hoi hiereis. ᾿Archēn de to kakon tēs Aigyptou elamthane, di᾽ aitian toiautēn" hoi
I shall relate a thing worth remembering that happened in these times, showing how the providence of God rescued the city and the Roman state from very great danger by unexpected help. What this is must be told. Gainas was a barbarian by race; but having come under the Romans and taken up military service, he advanced little by little and was finally appointed commander of both the Roman cavalry and infantry. Having gained such great power, he did not know himself, nor could he restrain his ambition, but, as the saying goes, he moved every stone to bring the Roman state under himself. He summoned the whole nation of the Goths from their own land, and arranged to have his own adherents in command of the military units. When Tribigild, one of his kinsmen, a tribune of the soldiers stationed in Phrygia, revolted at Gainas's instigation and was utterly devastating the peoples of Phrygia, Gainas arranged to have the management of affairs there entrusted to himself. The emperor Arcadius, foreseeing nothing, readily entrusted it; and he set out at once, in word against Tribigild, but in fact wishing to seize power, and he led with him not a few tens of thousands of Gothic barbarians. Reaching Phrygia, he overturned everything. At once the Roman state was in turmoil, not only because of the multitude of barbarians with Gainas, but also because the important parts of the East were about to be in danger. Then the emperor, using good judgment suited to the moment, dealt with the barbarian by craft. He sent to him and was ready to court him with every word and deed. When Gainas demanded two of the leading men of the senate, former consuls, Saturninus and Aurelian, whose influence he planned to cut off, the emperor reluctantly gave them up under the necessity of the moment. They, choosing to die first for the common good, nobly obeyed the emperor's command: they went to meet him at a place called the Hippodrome some distance from Chalcedon, ready to suffer whatever the barbarian wished. But they suffered no harm. Gainas, feigning, came to Chalcedon, and the emperor Arcadius went to meet him there too. In the martyr-shrine where the body of the martyr Euphemia lies, the emperor and the barbarian pledged to each other by oaths that neither would plot against the other. The emperor, a pious man and for that reason dear to God, kept his oaths; but Gainas broke the treaty and did not depart from his own aim, but planned arson and plunder against Constantinople, and, if he could, against the whole Roman empire. So the city was overrun by barbarians, many tens of thousands of them, and its inhabitants were in the position of captives. So great was the danger hanging over the city that a very great comet, reaching from heaven to the earth, such as no one had seen before, signified it. Gainas first tried to make a shameless seizure of the silver sold publicly in the shops. But when, the rumour having given warning, they took care not to set out the silver on the tables, he turned to another plan: at night he sent out a multitude of barbarians to set fire to the palace. Then it was shown very plainly how God took care of the city. For a multitude of angels appeared to the plotters, in the form of armed soldiers with huge bodies. The barbarians, supposing that it was really a large and brave army, were terrified and withdrew. When this was reported to Gainas, it seemed beyond belief; for he knew that most of the Roman soldiery was not present, being stationed in the cities. He sent others again the next night, and afterwards many times. And when the same report came back to him from those he sent at different times, for the angels of God always presented the same appearance to the plotters, at last he came himself with a large force and put the wonder to the test. Supposing that it really was a body of soldiers, hidden by day but resisting his attempt by night, he devised a plan that he thought would harm the Romans, but that, as the outcome showed, was beneficial. Pretending to be possessed by a demon, he went as if to pray to the martyr-shrine of the apostle John, which is seven miles from the city. The barbarians went out with him, carrying their weapons out secretly, some hiding them in jars, others using other devices. When the guards of the gates discovered the trick and prevented the arms from being carried out, the barbarians drew their swords and killed the guards. From then a terrible tumult held the city, and death seemed present for everyone. Yet the city was then in safety, the gates everywhere having been secured. The emperor used good judgment at the right moment: declaring Gainas a public enemy, he ordered the barbarians left in the city to be put to death. One day after the killing at the gates, the soldiers present engaged the barbarians inside the gates near the church of the Goths, for all who had been left had gathered there. They set the church on fire and killed very many of them. Gainas, learning that those who had not managed to get out of the gates had been killed, and knowing that his deceits no longer succeeded, set out from the martyr-shrine and marched toward the parts of Thrace; and reaching the Chersonese, he tried to cross from there and seize Lampsacus, so as to be able from there to master the eastern parts. But the emperor had already sent a force by land and sea, and here again a wonderful work of the providence of God was shown. For when the barbarians, lacking ships, had put together rafts and were crossing on them, the warships of the Romans were suddenly upon them, and a violent west wind blew. The Romans sailed through easily with their ships, while the barbarians on their rafts, with their horses, were tossed up and down by the surge, scattered, and perished in the sea; many were also killed by the Romans. So a very great multitude of the barbarians perished then in the crossing. Gainas, breaking camp and fleeing through Thrace, fell in with another Roman force and was killed together with the barbarians with him. Let this be enough said, as in a summary, about Gainas. If anyone wishes to learn accurately what happened in that war, let him read the Gainea of Eusebius Scholasticus, who was then studying with Troilus the sophist; being an eyewitness of the war, he narrated what happened in four books in heroic metre, and because the events were recent he was much admired for the poems. And now the poet Ammonius, having treated the same subject in verse, gave a reading before the emperor in the sixteenth consulship of the young Theodosius, which he held with Faustus, and won brilliant acclaim. This war came to an end in the consulship of Stilicho and Aurelian. The next consulship was held by Fravitta, a Goth by race but of great goodwill toward the Romans, who had fought greatly in this war too; for this reason he received the consular rank. In that consulship a son, the good Theodosius, was born to the emperor Arcadius, on the tenth of April. Let this much be said about these things. While such great troubles were besetting the Roman state, those entrusted with the priesthood did not refrain at all from weaving plots against one another, to the insult of Christianity. For at this time the priests were planning uprisings against one another. The evil took its beginning from Egypt, for the following reason.
Textual problem in this passage: see the notes.
Notes and citation
Summary: Gainas the Goth tries to seize Constantinople; angels in the form of soldiers protect the palace, the Goths in the city are killed, and Gainas's army is destroyed crossing the Hellespont.
- The consulship of Stilicho and Aurelian is 400; Fravitta was consul in 401, when Theodosius II was born; the sixteenth consulship of Theodosius II with Faustus is 438.
- The Gainea of Eusebius Scholasticus and Ammonius's poem are lost.
- Several small words are lost in the scan text of this chapter (e.g. 'the emperor and the barbarian', 'a pious man', 'when this was reported to Gainas'); they are translated by sense.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (stray footnote numeral; stray mark): χομήτην 5 μέγιστον → χομήτην μέγιστον; Θεοδόσιος «, → Θεοδόσιος,.
Cite (SBL): Socrates, Hist. eccl. 6.6 (PG 67:675–681; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/socrates-historia/6-6). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/socrates-historia/6-6
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Valesius's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 67 (Bavarian State Library OCR and Tesseract re-OCR); every chapter compared afterwards with Zenos's English in NPNF² 2.