Socrates of Constantinople

Socrates Scholasticus ( Latinized Socrates Scholasticus; * 380 in Constantinople, Opel, † 440 ) was a late antique church historian. His main work is a seven-volume history of the Church ( Ekklesiastike historia, Latin Historia ecclesiastica ) in ancient Greek.

Socrates was an attorney in Constantinople Opel. His teachers were Helladios and the grammarian Ammonius. Theologically, influenced by the teachings of Socrates was regarded as unorthodox Origen. As he could, for heretical views understanding raise ( which is about the Novatian ) here but to leave without even the orthodox doctrine.

The Historia ecclesiastica is a continuation of the Ecclesiastical History of Eusebius of Caesarea. It deals with the period of the 4th and 5th century in chronological order (of which the years 305-329 annalistisch ). The sources were the church histories of Eusebius and Rufinus ( based on Gelasius of Caesarea ), the writings of the historian Eutropius and the Church Fathers Athanasius and Gregory of Nazianzus. In addition, he used his time records and reports ( Bishop lists, council records, Chronicle of Konstantin Opel ) and resorted to verbal reports and personal experiences.

Socrates has the Historia ecclesiastica revised once in his lifetime. Completely preserved only this later version, in the Armenian language, the original version is in ruins before.

The Historia ecclesiastica is an important historical source for the mid- and late 4th century and early 5th century. It served as a basis for the work of church history Sozomen, Theodorus Lector and Epiphanius.

Text output

• Günther Christian Hansen (ed.): Socrates: Church History. Akademie Verlag, Berlin 1995, ISBN 3-05-002546-8 ( critical edition without translation)