work we meet with of an historical nature: and it deserves particular notice as the earliest attempt to exhibit in a separate form the literary history of the Church'. But the writer who first continued the labours of Eusebius in a considerable work, was RUFINUS of Aquileia, so well known at one time as Jerome's intimate friend, and afterwards as his bitter adversary. Having made a Latin version of the work of Eusebius, he continued the history of the Church to the death of the elder Theodosius (392) 2. Both his translation and his original work are still extant. The former, through which Eusebius was for many ages known to the west, like his other translations, is only remarkable for the liberties which he has taken with the original + : and the latter possesses so very little historical

5

1 Appendix, Note F.

? These works were executed after his long residence of twenty-five years in Palestine, during Alaric's first invasion of Italy (400-403).

3 Walch (Bibl. Theol. iii. 116) mentions two editions of the translation, viz. Basil. 1523 and 1539; and three of the History, viz. Rom. 1470; Lugd. 1570; and Paris. 1580. But they are more carefully and correctly enumerated by Schönemann, Bibliotheca Historico - Literaria Patrum Latinorum, tom. i. 593-597.

'He has reduced it into nine books; and the omissions and interpolations are numerous. Vertit Eusebii Historiam Rufinus, sed ita ut varia passim, librumque decimum integrum propemodum omitteret, alia adderet atque interpolaret. Fabr. Bibl. Græc. vi. 59.

value, that it has been completely superseded by the labours of succeeding writers. But, defective as it was, the "Ecclesiastical History" of Rufinus no sooner appeared, than it was translated into Greek. The translator was Gelasius', bishop of Cæsarea, and nephew of St. Cyril of Jerusalem, who was, we are told, a worthy man and an eloquent writer, and probably regarded such a work as peculiarly suitable for a successor of Eusebius. But the version obtained less reputation than the original. For we only become acquainted with its having existed from its being cited by Gelasius of Cyzicus, the

'He is briefly noticed by Jerome; Gelasius Cæsareæ Palæstinæ, post Euzoium, episcopus, accurati limatique sermonis, fertur quædam scribere, sed celare. De Script. Eccles. cap. 130. Theodoret mentions him among the Fathers of the Council of Constantinople ; Γελάσιος ὁ Καισαρείας τῆς Παλαιστί νης, λόγῳ καὶ βίῳ κοσμούμενος. Eccles. Hist. lib. v. cap. 8. Opera, tom. iii. p. 1026. Edit. Schulze. He became bishop of Cæsarea, by the influence of his uncle, in 380. Cave, Hist. Lit.

2Ο γε μὴν Ρουφίνος, ἢ γοῦν Γελάσιος. Hist. Concil. Nicæni, lib. i. cap. 7; ap. Concil. Labbe, tom. ii. col. 124, D. Photius (Bibl. Cod. lxxxix. p. 120.) tells us, that Gelasius represented himself as having been induced to undertake the work by his uncle Cyril. But this may have been intended to apply only to the introductory part of the work, the part which was really his own. There certainly was such an introduction, for Photius gives this title, Προοίμιον ἐπισκόπου Καισαρείας Παλαιστίνης εἰς τὰ μετὰ τὴν ἐκκλησιαστικὴν ἱστορίαν Ευσεβίου τοῦ Παμφίλου. Cyril may have urged his nephew to undertake an Ecclesiastical History; but unless Rufinus communicated the early part of his work to his friends in Palestine long before gave it to the public, or even completed it, he could never

he

I.]

SULPICIUS SEVERUS-PAULUS OROSIUS. 23

historian of the council of Nice, and from its having been read by Photius'.

There are two other Latin writers occurring at the beginning of the fifth century, whom I must not omit to notice, though their works add little to our knowledge of the history of the Church. The "Sacred History" of SULPICIUS SEVERUS 2, which is a history of the Bible, continued to the year 400, written in an elegant Latinity, is important only for the account it gives of the Priscillianists; and the work of PAULUS OROSIUS, which was written with a

have seen the labours of the Latin author. Cyril died in 386, and Rufinus certainly did not publish his Ecclesiastical History till the beginning of the next century. The story, which Photius tells us he had met with in other writers, that Cyril was associated with Gelasius in translating Rufinus, probably originated in Cyril's having incited his nephew to his historical labours.

1 A passage from the Ecclesiastical History of Rufinus was read in Greek at the second Council of Nice (Concil. tom. viii. col. 80), but the name of the translator is not mentioned.

2

Sulpicius Severus is well known as the friend and panegyrist of St. Martin of Tours. He flourished about 401. The editions of the Historia Sacra are very numerous. See Fabr. Bibl. Lat. lib. iv. cap. 3. Schöttgen's Continuation of Fabr, Bibl. Lat. Med. et Infim. Ætatis, p. 461. Walch, Bibl. Theol. tom. iii. p. 46. Schönemann, Bibl. Hist. Lit. PP. Latinorum, tom. ii. p. 372-405.

3

Historiarum adversus Paganos Libri vii.; written about the year 416, at the suggestion of St. Austin, to disprove the objection of the Pagans, that the troubles of the empire, particularly the taking of Rome by Alaric in 410, were to be ascribed to the prevalence of Christianity. See Appendix,

controversial object against the Pagans, partakes more of the character of civil than of ecclesiastical history.

But we are now recalled to the East. The most extensive historical work produced by any ancient Christian writer, was written in the early part of the fifth century, by PHILIP OF SIDE, a distinguished ecclesiastic of the church of Constantinople. An intimate acquaintance with the illustrious Chrysostom had led him to apply with ardour to literary pursuits. According to Socrates', "he wrote much, affecting the Asiatic manner." But the chief result of his learning was, the work which he intituled the "Christian History." It commenced with the creation, and was brought down, at all events, somewhat lower than the year 425, when Sisinnius was appointed to the see of Constantinople. For we learn from Socrates, that Philip whose friends had on that occasion endeavoured to raise him to the Patriarchal dignity, made his history a vehicle for reflections on the character of his successful rival, and those who had procured his elevation. It was a

Note H. The editions are enumerated by Fabricius, Bibl. Lat. Med. et Infim. Etatis, tom. v. p. 515. et seq. and Schönemann, Bibl. Hist. Lit. PP. Latin. tom. ii. p. 486-503.

1

Ζηλώσας τὸν ̓Ασιανὸν τῶν λόγων χαρακτῆρα, πολλὰ συνέypape. Hist. Eccles. lib. vii. cap. 27. p. 376.

2 Πολλὰ τῆς χειροτονίας καθήψατο ἐν τῇ πεπονημένῃ αὐτῷ Χριστιανικῇ Ιστορίᾳ, διαβάλλων καὶ τὸν χειροτονηθέντα, καὶ τοὺς χειροτονήσαντας, καὶ πολλῷ πλέον τοὺς λαϊκούς. Hist. Eccles. lib. vii. cap. 26.

work of prodigious length', divided into thirty-six books, and sub-divided into nearly a thousand sections. It was written with ostentatious learning, but it found little favour with his contemporaries or with posterity. Socrates ill conceals his disapprobation; and Photius, in whose time it seems to have already become imperfect, speaks of the style and matter with great severity 2. We have probably, therefore, no great reason to regret that it has long since perished 3.

Though the Arian controversy was terminated in the East by the end of the fourth century, it was but natural that some of the zealous adherents of the sects which had so long distracted Christendom, should give expression to the sentiments of vexation and disappointment with which they regarded the triumph of their orthodox opponents. Among the writers whose zeal thus prevailed over their pru

2 Ἔστι πολύχους ταῖς λέξεσιν, οὐκ ἀστεῖος δὲ, οὐδὲ ἐπίχαρις· ἀλλὰ καὶ προσκορὴς, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ ἀηδής· καὶ ἐπιδεικτικὸς μᾶλ λον, ἢ ὠφέλιμος· καὶ παρεντιθεὶς ὡς πλεῖστα μηδὲν πρὸς τὴν ἱστορίαν συντείνοντα. ὡς οὐδὲν μᾶλλον ἱστορίαν εἶναι, ἢ πραγμάτων ἑτέρων τὴν πραγματείαν διάληψιν· οὕτως ἀπειροκάλως ἐκκέκυται. Bibl. Cod. xxxv. p. 9.

3 The celebrated fragment on the succession of the Alexandrine School, (first brought to light by Dodwell in his Dissert. Iren., and also printed in the ninth vol. of Galland. Bibl. PP.) is the only one which has been published. See Fabr. Bibl. Græc. vi. 113.