Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Series 1, Vol. 2 (Augustine: City of God, Christian Doctrine)

been made to record even the annals of the Christian Church. At the opening of the fourth century, Eusebius conceived the idea of writing a history that would include a complete account of the Church's life up to his own day. Hence, he has correctly been called the Father of Church History. His work was done so satisfactorily for his contemporaries and immediate successors that none of them undertook to go over the same field again That this was not due to a general conviction that one history of a period rendered another unnecessary is evident from the fact that the immediately succeeding period is treated by three successive historians, and that the second of these, at least, knows and uses the work of his predecessor.. They valued the thoroughness and accuracy of his work much more highly than later ages have. But this respect, which enhanced the importance of his work in their eyes, simultaneously inspired many of them with a desire to imitate him.

Thus, a school of church historians arose, and a number of continuations of Eusebius’ History were undertaken. Of these, six are known to have been produced: three of these are either partially or wholly lost, namely those of Philippus Sidetes, Philostorgius, and Hesychius. The first was lost because of internal characteristics that made it difficult to use; the second because its author was a heretic (an Arian), and as the sect to which he belonged waned, his work lost favor and was gradually ostracized by the orthodox, resulting in its loss, except for an abstract preserved by Photius; the third, for reasons unknown and undiscoverable, met the same fate, not even leaving behind an abstract. The remaining three are the histories of Socrates, Sozomen, and Theodoret. Theodoret’s history begins with the rise of Arianism and ends with Theodore of Mopsuestia (429 A.D.). Sozomen’s work was begun with the purpose of including the history of the years between 323 (the date of the overthrow of Licinius by Constantine) and 439 (the seventeenth consulship of Theodosius the Younger), but for some reason it ended with the death of the Emperor Honorius (423), covering exactly one hundred years. The work of Socrates, being evidently older than either of the other two, is more directly a continuation of the Ecclesiastical History of Eusebius. The motives that drove him to continue Eusebius's narrative can be gathered from his work to be his love for history Harnack, however, successfully proves that Socrates' ideal of history, in spite of his love for it, was far from being the scientific idea that existed among pagan writers even of the age preceding his own. See Herzog-Plitt, Real-Encyk. Vol. 14, p. 413 sq., especially that of his own times VI. 1., his respect for Eusebius, and the encouragement of Theodorus, to whom the work is dedicated See II. 1; VI. Introduction; VII. 47. This Theodorus is simply addressed as "holy man of God" (original: ἱερὲ τοῦ θεοῦ ἄνθρωπε), from which it has been rightly inferred that he was an ordained presbyter. The view that Theodore of Mopsuestia is the person addressed has been proved to be erroneous based on the date of his death, 429 A.D. The Ecclesiastical History was undoubtedly completed after that event and could not have contained an address to the eminent Theodore.. The author opens with a statement of his purpose to take up the account where Eusebius had left off and to review such matters as, in his judgment, had not been adequately treated by his predecessor. Accordingly, he begins with the accession of Constantine (306 A.D.), when the persecution begun by Diocletian ended, and he stops at the year 439. He mentions the number of years included in his work as 140. In fact, only 133 years are recorded; but the number given by the author is likely meant to be a round number rather than a precise one. The conclusion of his history is the seventeenth consulship of Theodosius the Younger—the same as the proposed end of Sozomen's work. Why Socrates did not continue his history further is unknown, except perhaps because, as he alleges, peace and prosperity seemed to be assured for the church, and history is not made in times of peace, but in the turmoils and disturbances of war and debate. The period covered by the work is very eventful. During this period, three of the most important councils of the church were held: Nicaea (325), Constantinople (381), and the first council of Ephesus (431), in addition to the second council of Ephesus—called the "Robbers' Council" (original: ληστρική)—and that of Chalcedon, which were held not much later. It is this period that saw the church coming into the ascendant. Instead of being persecuted or merely tolerated, it became dominant. With its day of peace from without came the day of its internal strife.