Sozomen, Church History 2.25.16-2.25.17
https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/458
Context
Salaminius Hermias Sozomenos, or Sozomen, was an ecclesiastical
historian of the first half of the 5th century. Born to a wealthy Christian family in
the region of Gaza, he learned classical and sacred literature under the guidance of
local monks, studied law at Beirut, and spent his career at Constantinople during the
reign of Theodosius II. His extant history, which depends significantly on the works by
Eusebius, Rufinus, and Socrates, surveys the events of the church from the conversion of
Constantine to the accession of Valentinian III, but the ending is either unfinished or
possibly damaged. In this passage, Sozomen records the thorough condemnation of
Athanasius of Alexandria by the bishops at First Synod of Tyre in 355 C.E., which
Constantine I had summoned to evaluate the charges brought by the Arians against the
patriarch.
Text
(16) δηλοῦσι δὲ τὰ πεπραγμένα τῷ βασιλεῖ καὶ γράφουσι τοῖς πανταχῇ
ἐπισκόποις μὴ μεταδοῦναι αὐτῷ κοινωνίας μήτε γράφειν μήτε γράμματα παρ’ αὐτοῦ δέχεσθαι,
ὡς ἐληλεγμένου ἐν οἷς διήκουσαν καὶ διὰ τῆς φυγῆς καὶ ἐπὶ ταῖς μὴ ἀγωνισθείσαις γραφαῖς
ἁλόντος. (17) ἐδήλουν δὲ διὰ τῆς ἐπιστολῆς ἐπὶ τοιαύτην προῆχθαι ψῆφον πρῶτον μὲν ὅσα
χαλεπαίνοντες, καθότι τοῦ βασιλέως προστάξαντος ἐν τῷ παρελθόντι ἐνιαυτῷ συνελθεῖν αὐτοῦ
χάριν εἰς Καισάρειαν τοὺς ἀνὰ τὴν ἕω ἐπισκόπους οὐκ ἀπήντησεν,
ἐπὶ μακρῷ χρόνῳ ταλαιπωρουμένην τὴν σύνοδον ἰδὼν καὶ τῶν τοῦ κρατοῦντος προσταγμάτων
καταφρονήσας.1
Textual Note
Ed. Bidez and Hansen 1995Translation
(16) (The bishops) gave their proceedings to the emperor
[Constantine I], and wrote to the bishops of all regions not to receive (Athanasius)
into communion, and neither to write to him nor receive letters from him. For he had
been convicted of the crimes which they had investigated, and due to his flight he was
also guilty in those indictments which had not been tried. (17) They likewise indicated
in this letter that they came to this vote at first with great irritation, since, even
though the emperor in the previous year had commanded the bishops of the East to
assemble on his account at Caesarea, (Athanasius) disobeyed, kept
the bishops waiting a long time for him, and disregarded the commands of the ruler.2
Translation Note
Revised from Hartranft 1890Discussion Note
Works Cited
- 1 Sozomen, Kirchengeschichte, ed. Joseph Bidez and Günther Christian Hansen, 2nd ed., Griechischen christlichen Schriftsteller der ersten drei Jahrhunderte (Berlin: Akademie-Verlag, 1995), bk: 2, ch: 25.16-25.17.
- 2 Sozomen, Sozomenus: Church History from A.D. 323-425, in Socrates, Sozomenus: Church Histories., trans. Chester David Hartranft, repr. of American ed., A Select Library of Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church. Second Series 2 (New York: Christian Literature Publishing, 1890), 179–427, p: 276.
How to Cite This Entry
Joseph L. Rife, “Sozomen, Church History 2.25.16-2.25.17,” in Caesarea Maritima: A Collection of Testimonia, entry published June 30, 2023, https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/458.
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Bibliography:
Joseph L. Rife, “Sozomen, Church History 2.25.16-2.25.17.” In Caesarea Maritima: A Collection of Testimonia, edited by Joseph L. Rife., edited by Joseph L. Rife. Caesarea City and Port Exploration Project, 2023. Entry published June 30, 2023. https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/458.About this Entry
Entry Title: Sozomen, Church History 2.25.16-2.25.17
Authorial and Editorial Responsibility:
- Joseph L. Rife, general editor, Vanderbilt University
- Joseph L. Rife, editor, Caesarea Maritima: A Collection of Testimonia
- David A. Michelson, Daniel L. Schwartz, and William L. Potter, technical editor, “Sozomen, Church History 2.25.16-2.25.17”
- Joseph L. Rife, entry contributor, “Sozomen, Church History 2.25.16-2.25.17”
Additional Credit:
- TEI record created by Joseph L. Rife
- Testimonium translated by Joseph L. Rife
- Testimonium transcribed by Joseph L. Rife
- Testimonium identified by Joseph L. Rife
- TEI record created by Joseph L. Rife
- Testimonium translated by Joseph L. Rife
- Testimonium transcribed by Joseph L. Rife
- Testimonium identified by Joseph L. Rife