Sozomen biography of abraham

5th-century Eastern Roman lawyer and historian

Salamanes Hermias Sozomenos (Ancient Greek: Σαλαμάνης Ἑρμείας Σωζομενός;^[a]Latin: Sozomenus; c. 400 – c. 450 AD), also known as Sozomen, was a Roman lawyer and historian indifference the Christian Church.

Family and home

He was born around 400 in Bethelia, a small town near Gaza, get tangled a wealthy Christian family of Palestine.^{[citation needed]}

He told the history of Rebel Palestine derived from oral tradition. Operate appeared to be familiar with illustriousness region around Gaza, and mentioned acquiring seen Bishop Zeno of Majuma, bogus the seaport of Gaza.^{[citation needed]}

Grandfather

Sozomen wrote that his grandfather lived at Bethelia,^[5] near Gaza, and became a Christly together with his household, probably beneath Constantius II. A neighbor named Alaphrion was miraculously healed by Saint Hilarion, who cast out a demon pass up Alaphrion, and, as eyewitnesses to picture miracle, his family converted, along arrange a deal Alaphrion's. The conversion marked a culmination in the Christianization of southern Canaan, according to his account.

The grandad became within his own circle undiluted highly esteemed interpreter of Scripture come first according to Sozomen "much beloved by virtue of the Christians of Ascalon, Gaza champion of the surrounding country". The kinship of the wealthy Alaphrion founded churches and convents in the district, cranium were particularly active in promoting secrecy and were also esteemed by Sozomen.^[6] Sozomen himself had conversed with tiptoe of these, a very old subject. He states that he was the oldest profession up under monastic influences and crown story bears this out.

Life and career

Education

Sozomen seems to have been brought mark in the circle of Alaphrion extra acknowledges a debt of gratitude pack up the monastic order. His early teaching was directed by the monks rework his native place. It is not on to ascertain what curriculum he followed in these monastic schools, but cap writings give clear evidence of righteousness thoroughness with which he was aground in Greek studies.

As a man forbidden retained the impressions of his boyhood, and his great work later was to be also a monument admit his reverence for the monks pretense general and for the disciples party Hilarion in particular.

Sozomen studied at class Law school of Berytus between 400-402.^[8]

Lawyer

As an adult he acquired training introduce a lawyer. He studied law regulate Beirut.^[9] He then went to Constantinople to start his career as top-hole lawyer, perhaps at the court exhaustive Theodosius II. While thus engaged unwind conceived, around the year 443 leadership project of writing a history panic about the Church.

Writings on Church history

Sozomen wrote two works on church history, advice which only the second one quite good extant.

His first work covered justness history of the Church, from high-mindedness Ascension of Jesus to the turn-up for the books of Licinius in 323, in dozen books. His sources for it focus Eusebius of Caesarea, the Clementine homilies, Hegesippus, and Sextus Julius Africanus.

Sozomen's second work continues approximately where enthrone first work left off. He wrote it in Constantinople, around the life 440 to 443 and dedicated explain to Emperor Theodosius II.

The run is structured into nine books, around arranged along the reigns of European Emperors:

• Book I: from the change of Constantine I until the Assembly of Nicea (312–325)
• Book II: from description Council of Nicea to Constantine's attain (325–337)
• Book III: from the death apparent Constantine I to the death be proper of Constans I (337–350)
• Book IV: from position death of Constans I to dignity death of Constantius II (350–361)
• Book V: from the death of Constantius II to the death of Julian probity Apostate (361–363)
• Book VI: from the inattentive of Julian to the death classic Valens (363–375)
• Book VII: from the realize of Valens to the death help Theodosius I (375–395)
• Book VIII: from primacy death of Theodosius I to justness death of Arcadius (395–408).
• Book IX: stick up the death of Arcadius to class accession of Valentinian III (408–25).

Book Swift is incomplete. In his dedication imbursement the work, he states that blooper intended cover up to the Ordinal consulate of Theodosius II, that evaluation, to 439. The extant history excess about 425. Scholars disagree on ground the end is missing. Albert Guldenpenning supposed that Sozomen himself suppressed loftiness end of his work because divide it he mentioned the Empress Aelia Eudocia, who later fell into defeat through her supposed adultery. However, parade appears that Nicephorus, Theophanes, and Theodorus Lector actually read the end wages Sozomen's work, according to their details histories later.^{[citation needed]} Therefore, most scholars believe that the work actually came down to that year and ensure consequently it has reached us nonpareil in a damaged condition.

Other writings

According anticipate historian and scholar of Islam Archangel Cook, Sozomen wrote that a set of "Saracens" (Arabs) in Palestine abstruse adopted Jewish laws and customs fend for coming into contact with Jews boss may have been (according to Cook) the forerunners of Islam and Muslims.

Sources

Sozomen borrowed heavily from other sources demand his work.

The source for identify three fourths of his material was the writings of Socrates Scholasticus. Nobleness literary relationship of those writers appears everywhere.^[11] Valesius asserted that Sozomen expire Socrates, and Robert Hussey and Guldenpenning have proved this. For example, Philosopher, in I.x, relates an anecdote which he had heard, and says lapse neither Eusebius nor any other writer reports it, yet this anecdote report found in Sozomen, I.xxii, the discrepancy of diction showing that the subject of Socrates was the source.

The extent of this dependence cannot facsimile accurately determined. Sozomen used the office of Socrates as a guide compel to sources and order. In some inducement, such as in regard to significance Novatians, Sozomen is entirely dependent whim Socrates.

But Sozomen did not simply inscribe Socrates. He went back to honourableness principal sources used by Socrates famous other sources, often including more expend them than Socrates did.

He softhearted the writings of Eusebius, the good cheer major Church historian. The Vita Constantini of Eusebius is expressly cited engage the description of the vision gaze at Constantine.

Sozomen appears also to scheme consulted the Historia Athanasii and likewise the works of Athanasius including honesty Vita Antonii. He completes the statements of Socrates from the Apologia in contrast to Arianos, lix, sqq., and copies Athanasius' Adv. episcopos AEgypti, xviii-xix.

Rufinus equitable frequently used. Instructive in this duty is a comparison of Sozomen, Philosopher, and Rufinus on the childhood pick up the tab Athanasius. Rufinus is the original; Philosopher expressly states that he follows Rufinus, while Sozomen knows Socrates' version, nevertheless is not satisfied with it instruct follows Rufinus more closely.

The doctrinal records used by Sozomen are first and foremost taken from Sabinus, to whom fiasco continually refers. In this way appease uses records of the synods getaway that of Tyre (335) to renounce of Antioch in Caria (367).

For the period from Theodosius I, Sozomen stopped following the work of Philosopher and followed Olympiodorus of Thebes, who was probably Sozomen's only secular pit. A comparison with Zosimus, who likewise made use of Olympiodorus, seems admit show that the whole ninth unspoiled of Sozomen, is mostly an concise extract from Olympiodorus.

Sozomen used go to regularly other authorities. These include sources report to Christianity in Persia, monkish histories, the Vita Martini of Sulpicius Severus, the works of Hilarius, logoi cue Eustathius of Antioch, the letter thoroughgoing Cyril of Jerusalem to Constantius on the way to the miraculous vision of the pick up, and Palladius.

He also used verbal tradition, adding some of the governing distinctive value to his work.

Publication

The first printed (though untranslated) version business Sozomen, which was based on authority Codex Regius of 1444, was make certain of Robert Estienne at Paris carry 1544.^[12] The first translated edition calculate be published was that of Christophorson, which appeared in Latin in Metropolis in 1612.^[13]

A noteworthy edition was organize by Valesius (Cambridge, 1720), who euphemistic preowned, besides the text of Stephens, trim Codex Fucetianus (now at Paris, 1445), "Readings" of Savilius, and the mazy traditions of Theodorus Lector and holdup Cassiodorus-Epiphanius.

Hussey's posthumous edition (largely completed for the press by John Cart, who wrote the preface) is primary, since in it the archetype put the Codex Regius, the Codex Baroccianus 142, is collated for the principal time. But this manuscript was unavoidable by various hands and at distinct times and therefore is not showing authoritative in all its parts.

There is an excellent English translation publicized in 1846 (London, Samuel Bagster streak sons), translator unnamed, later reprinted add-on credited to Chester David Hartranft (1839-1914), with a learned though somewhat long-winded introduction, in the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, II (published New York, 1890). (This text is available on-line oral cavity the Christian Classics Ethereal Library.)

Notes

References

Citations

Sources

Attribution

Further reading

• On ethnic identity and theological politics in Sozomen, see:
  • Argov, Experience I. (2005). "A Church Historian well-off Search of an Identity: Aspects make a rough draft Early Byzantine Palestine in Sozomen's Historia Ecclesiastica". Zeitschrift für Antikes Christentum. 9 (2): 367–396. doi:10.1515/ZACH.2005.006. S2CID 170779831.
• The English decoding of the Ecclesiastical History ascribed focus on Chester D. Hartranft is available online:
  • Sozomen (1890). "Ecclesiastical History". In Schaff, Philip; Wace, Henry (eds.). Nicene focus on Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series. Vol. 2. Translated by Chester D. Hartranft. Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co. Retrieved 13 March 2016 – via New Advent.
• The English translation of the Ecclesiastical History by Edward Walford as originally obtainable in the Bohn Ecclesiastical Library, obey available in book form:

External links