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 | | The Church History of Rufinus of Aquileia: Books 10 and 11 (Bks.10 & 11) by Rufinus of Aquilea, Philip R. Amidon (Translator) ISBN-10: 9780195110319 ISBN-10: 0-19-511031-5 ISBN-13: 9780195110319 ISBN-13: 978-0-19-511031-9 Hardcover 1997-09-25 Oxford University Press, USA Find Lowest Price |
Editorials | ||
Product Description Amidon offers the first English translation of Books 10 and 11 of Rufinus' Church History. Books 1-9 comprise a Latin translation of Eusebius' history. Books 10 and 11 are Rufinus' own continuation, covering the period 325-395. As the first Latin church history, this work exerted great influence over the subsequent scholarship of the Western Church. | ||
Reviews | ||
"The First Latin Ecclesiastical History" Rufinus Tyrannius, the scholarly bishop of Aquiliea, was an assiduous translator of Greek works into Latin, and a major influence in the Early Church. Through his efforts, the West was furnished with some of the greater works of Greek speaking ecclesiastics, such as the intelligent and infamous Origen's "First Principles" and the Semi-Arian bishop Eusebius of Caesarea's ground-breaking "Ecclesiastical History." Rufinus is also famous for writing the first commentary on the Apostle's Creed in Latin, and for his friendship with St Jerome, which tradgically ended in controversy due to their conflicting views on Origen's orthodoxy. Of all Rufinus' works, he is most well known for his own "Ecclesiastical History," which again was the first church history written in Latin. Rufinus intended this history to be a continuation of Eusebius' narrative, which covered the principle events of the Church from Christ's ascension to Constantine's victory over Maxentius in 312 AD at Milvian Bridge. Rufinus picks up his during the Council of Nicea in 325 AD and carries it all the way to 395 with the death of Theodosius the Great. Much like Eusebius, Rufinus intends to display the truth and triumph of Christianity through the exploits of emperors, martyrs, confessors, theologians, and holy men; their tone and means of doing this, however, is slightly different since Rufinus was a Catholic and Eusebius was a Semi-Arian. As history, Rufinus' narrative is chronologically flawed, but at the same time his work was used as a primary source in the later ecclesiastical histories of Socrates and Sozomen. For information on the lives of SS Athanasius, Basil, and Gregory Nazianzus, little information is given as a whole; but when their accomplishments served to convey Rufinus' point concerning the triumph of Orthodoxy, some colorful and rich allusions are given. It must be noted, also, that in the two short books of this history much of the narrative is soaked with tales of miracles, which are no doubt eloquent, entertaining, and necessary for Rufinus' purpose, but which are also disappointing for anyone looking for a treasure-trove of ecclesiastical events. In other words, the history is merely two short books treated as a summary of events, containing more saintly legends than useful historical content. Although, this does not totally demerit Rufinus' work, for the reasons addressed above, and for the fact that this is a rare find and a major recommendation for anyone seeking a deeper perceptive of the Early Church. Moreover, Philip R. Amidon's first English translation of Rufinus' history is excellent because it preserves the Latin author's antique style in a modern translation, which makes it a quick and compelling read, while at the same time retaining the brilliant Latinate form of prose. Rufinus' history should be brought out of oblivion and placed on the shelves of aspiring students and collectors of original historical works as well. | ||