The Ecclesiastical History of Evagrius Scholasticus (Translated Texts for Historians)

Rating:
Summary: "A Reputable Source for Early Christian History"
Review: Evagrius Scholasticus, a native of Coelesyria, narrated the history of the Church from the Nestorian controversy in A.D. 428 all the way into the 12th year of Mauricius Tiberias' reign in A.D. 594. His works are the best continuous account during these times and are chiefly important for the information they provide concerning the councils of Ephesus and Chalcedon, and the Eutychian and Nestorian heresies; and they also contain priceless letters of bishops and popes, supplications to emperors, original documents and decrees, which are essential for acquiring knowledge for the events described above. Evagrius' orthodoxy becomes strikingly apparent throughout his writings; his eagerness to repudiate heresy and uplift the decretals of the Holy Synod's bears witness to this. Some interesting stories of saints and miracles are preserved here as well, along with the first known record of the Holy Shroud of Turin. Evagrius, as a source for secular events, is fairly reputable for the fact that he contributes much of his last two books to the study its affairs. As a historian, his enthusiastic spirit, often eloquent prose, and general accuracy for the events of his times, make him a conerstone to Church history, and an enduring figure in its two thousand year legacy.