''Historiae Ecclesiasticae Tripartitae Epitome'', the abridged history (in twelve books) of the early Christian Church known as the ''Tripartite History,'' was the standard manual of Church history in

Medieval Europe In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

. The work, dated to around 550 CE, consists of a compilation of church histories, parts of which were selected by

Cassiodorus Magnus Aurelius Cassiodorus Senator (c. 485 – c. 585), commonly known as Cassiodorus (), was a Roman statesman, renowned scholar of antiquity, and writer serving in the administration of Theodoric the Great, king of the Ostrogoths. ''Senator'' ...

, and translated into Latin by Epiphanius Scholasticus. It epitomized three Greek works in particular, the church histories of

Socrates Scholasticus Socrates of Constantinople ( 380 – after 439), also known as Socrates Scholasticus ( grc-gre, Σωκράτης ὁ Σχολαστικός), was a 5th-century Greek Christian church historian, a contemporary of Sozomen and Theodoret. He is th ...

Sozomen Salamanes Hermias Sozomenos ( grc-gre, Σαλαμάνης Ἑρμείας Σωζομενός; la, Sozomenus; c. 400 – c. 450 AD), also known as Sozomen, was a Roman lawyer and historian of the Christian Church. Family and home He was born aro ...

and

Theodoret Theodoret of Cyrus or Cyrrhus ( grc-gre, Θεοδώρητος Κύρρου; AD 393 – 458/466) was an influential theologian of the School of Antioch, biblical commentator, and Christian bishop of Cyrrhus (423–457). He played a pi ...

, written in the previous century. An Italian theory posited its composition around 510 CE, arguing that the work was composed using the library Cassiodorus assembled at the Monasterium Vivariense, the monastery of

Vivarium A vivarium (Latin, literally for "place of life"; plural: ''vivaria'' or ''vivariums'') is an area, usually enclosed, for keeping and raising animals or plants for observation or research. Water-based vivaria may have open tops providing they a ...

on his family estates at the foot of Mount Moscius on the shores of the Ionian Sea. It is now thought to have been composed several decades later, in Constantinople, around the time the crisis in relations between Justinian and the Western Church, around 550 CE. It describes a history of the Church from the year 324 to the year 439.CSEL vol. LXXI, 1952, s. XI. The book attained a high reputation. Only

Eusebius Eusebius of Caesarea (; grc-gre, Εὐσέβιος ; 260/265 – 30 May 339), also known as Eusebius Pamphilus (from the grc-gre, Εὐσέβιος τοῦ Παμφίλου), was a Greek historian of Christianity, exegete, and Chris ...

' ''History'', in a Latin translation by Rufinus, competed with it as the official version of church history in the West, until original sources began to be rediscovered, edited and printed by

humanist Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential and agency of human beings. It considers human beings the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry. The meaning of the term "human ...

scholars in the 15th century.

Notes

Citations

Sources

*
''Historia ecclesiastica tripartita: historiae ecclesiasticae ex Socrate''
CSEL vol. LXXI, Vindobonae 1952.

External links

''The History of a Historia''
Utrecht University 2010. 6th-century history books 6th-century Latin books Books about ancient Christianity History of Christianity texts {{Christian-book-stub