Sozomen, Church History 3.14.41-3.14.42
https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/459
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 praises the leaders of the Church during the
4th century, including Acacius of Caesarea, for their great learning and prolific
writing.
Text
(41) … ἀνδρῶν μὲν οὖν πέρι, οἳ τότε ἐν εὐσεβείᾳ καὶ ἐκκλησιαστικῷ θεσμῷ
ἐφιλοσόφουν, τάδε ἔγνων ὡς συνέγραψα. (42) ὑπερφυῶς δὲ πολλοὶ καὶ μάλα ἐλλόγιμοι κατὰ
τὸν αὐτὸν χρόνον ἐν ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις διέπρεπον. ἐπισημότατοι δὲ ἐν τούτοις ἐγένοντο
Εὐσέβιος ὁ τὴν Ἐμέσης ἱερωσύνην ἐπιτροπεύσας καὶ Τίτος ὁ Βόστρης καὶ Σαραπίων ὁ Θμούεως,
Βασίλειός τε ὁ Ἀγκύρας καὶ Εὐδόξιος ὁ Γερμανικείας καὶ Ἀκάκιος ὁ
Καισαρείας καὶ Κύριλλος, ὃς τὸν Ἱεροσολύμων θρόνον
ἐπετρόπευσε. σύμβολα δὲ τῆς αὐτῶν παιδείας συνεγράψαντο καὶ καταλελοίπασι πολλά τε καὶ
λόγου ἄξια.1
Textual Note
Ed. Bidez and Hansen 1995Translation
(41) … I have now related what I have researched concerning the men
who professed study in pious action and church law. (42) There were many others who were
especially prominent in the churches around the same time on account of their great
eloquence. Among them the most distinguished were Eusebius, who administered the holy
office at Emesa; Titus, bishop of Bostra; Serapion, bishop of Thmuis; Basil, bishop of
Ancyra; Eudoxius, bishop of Germanicia; Acacius, bishop of
Caesarea; and Cyril, who administered the see of Jerusalem.
The writings they compiled and left behind, indications of their education, were
numerous and worthy of record.2
Translation Note
Adapted from Hartranft 1890Works 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: 3, ch: 14.41-14.42.
- 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: 294.
How to Cite This Entry
Joseph L. Rife, “Sozomen, Church History 3.14.41-3.14.42,” in Caesarea Maritima: A Collection of Testimonia, entry published April 28, 2023, https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/459.
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Bibliography:
Joseph L. Rife, “Sozomen, Church History 3.14.41-3.14.42.” 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 April 28, 2023. https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/459.About this Entry
Entry Title: Sozomen, Church History 3.14.41-3.14.42
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 3.14.41-3.14.42”
- Joseph L. Rife, entry contributor, “Sozomen, Church History 3.14.41-3.14.42”
Additional Credit:
- Testimonium edited 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
- Editorial review by Joseph L. Rife