Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Series 2, Vol. 14 (Seven Ecumenical Councils)

ON THE SOURCES OF THE BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES

The materials for the following biographical sketches have been compiled with considerable care from various sources. The greater part of them have been taken from the Biographical Dictionary now publishing under the superintendence of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge. This work, from the extended plan on which it is conducted, and the great care bestowed on its preparation, possesses claims to accuracy and authenticity of the highest order. Many of the articles have been written by men eminently qualified for the task, and the information which they contain is derived from original documents and the best authorities.

The Biographical Dictionary of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge, though yet far from completion, already comprises a vast body of historical and biographical information. The sketches here presented to the reader have been carefully selected from this work, and wherever it was found necessary, additional particulars have been supplied from other authentic sources.

In several instances, where the materials for the lives were more accessible in another form, the editors have availed themselves of the biographical sketches contained in the Penny Cyclopædia, another valuable publication of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge. This work has long enjoyed the highest reputation for the accuracy and fullness of its details.

The accounts of the lives of some of the more distinguished individuals have been drawn from the pages of the Gallery of Portraits, also published by the same Society. These sketches, while they are necessarily brief, are distinguished by the same general characteristics of accuracy and impartiality.

In all cases where the sketches have not been directly taken from the publications of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge, the utmost care has been taken to consult the best and most recent authorities on the subject.

By these means, it is hoped that a collection of biographical sketches has been formed which will be found not only useful and instructive, but also worthy of confidence as regards the accuracy of the facts related.