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Sozomen, The Ecclesiastical History. — Prefatory Remarks, by Valesius
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Prefatory Remarks, by Valesius,
Chapter IX.— Constantine enacts a Law in favor of Celibates and of the Clergy .
Chapter X.— Concerning the Great Confessors who survived .
Chapter XI.— Account of St. Spyridon: His Modesty and Steadfastness .
Chapter XII.— On the Organization of the Monks: its Origin and Founders .
Chapter XIII.— About Antony the Great and St. Paul the Simple .
Chapter XIV.— Account of St. Ammon and Eutychius of Olympus .
Chapter XVII.— Of the Council convened at Nicæa on Account of Arius .
Chapter XIX.— When the Council was assembled, the Emperor delivered a Public Address.
Chapter IV.— What Constantine the Great effected about the Oak in Mamre he also built a Temple .
Chapter VII.— How the Iberians received the Faith of Christ .
Chapter VIII.— How the Armenians and Persians embraced Christianity .
Chapter X.— Christians slain by Sapor in Persia .
Chapter XI.— Pusices, Superintendent of the Artisans of Sapor .
Chapter XII.— Tarbula, the Sister of Symeon, and her Martyrdom .
Chapter XIII.— Martyrdom of St. Acepsimas and of his Companions .
Chapter XV.— Constantine writes to Sapor to stay the Persecution of the Christians .
Chapter XX.— Concerning Maximus, who succeeded Macarius in the See of Jerusalem .
Chapter XXII.— The Vain Machinations of the Arians and Melitians against St. Athanasius .
Chapter XXIII.— Calumny respecting St. Athanasius and the Hand of Arsenius .
Chapter XXV.— Council of Tyre Illegal Deposition of St. Athanasius .
Chapter XXX.— Account given by the Great Athanasius of the Death of Arius .
Chapter XXXIII.— Marcellus Bishop of Ancyra his Heresy and Deposition .
Chapter III.— Paul, Bishop of Constantinople, and Macedonius, the Pneumatomachian .
Chapter IV.— A Sedition was excited on the Ordination of Paul .
Chapter XV.— Didymus the Blind, and Aëtius the Heretic .
Chapter XVI.— Concerning St. Ephraim .
Chapter XXI.— Letter of Constantius to the Egyptians in behalf of Athanasius. Synod of Jerusalem .
Chapter XXII.— Epistle written by the Synod of Jerusalem in Favor of Athanasius .
Chapter III.— Martyrdom of the Holy Notaries .
Chapter IX.— Council of Milan. Flight of Athanasius .
Chapter XIV.— Letter of the Emperor Constantius against Eudoxius and his Partisans .
Chapter XVII.— Proceedings of the Council of Ariminum .
Chapter XVIII.— Letter from the Council at Ariminum to the Emperor Constantius .
Chapter XXII.— Council of Seleucia .
Chapter II.— The Life, Education, and Training of Julian, and his Accession to the Empire .
Chapter IX.— Martyrdom of the Saints Eusebius, Nestabus, and Zeno in the City of Gaza .
Chapter XIV.— The Partisans of Macedonius disputed with the Arians concerning Acacius .
Chapter III.— The Reign of Jovian he introduced Many Laws which he carried out in his Government .
Chapter VIII.— Election of Nectarius to the See of Constantinople his Birthplace and Education .
Chapter IX.— Decrees of the Second General Council. Maximus, the Cynical Philosopher .
Chapter XXI.— Discovery of the Honored Head of the Forerunner of our Lord, and the Events about it .
Chapter XXIV.— Victory of Theodosius the Emperor over Eugenius .
Chapter XXVI.— St. Donatus, Bishop of Eurœa, and Theotimus, High-Priest of Scythia .
Chapter XXVII.— St. Epiphanius, Bishop of Cyprus, and a Particular Account of his Acts .
Chapter IV.— Enterprise of Gaïnas, the Gothic Barbarian. Evils which he perpetrated .
Chapter II.— Discovery of the Relics of Forty Holy Martyrs .
Chapter III.— The Virtues of Pulcheria Her Sisters .
Chapter IV.— Truce with Persia. Honorius and Stilicho. Transactions in Rome and Dalmatia .
Chapter VI.— Alaric the Goth. He assaulted Rome, and straitened it by War .
Chapter X.— A Roman Lady who manifested a Deed of Modesty .
Chapter XVII.— Discovery of the Relics of Zechariah the Prophet, and of Stephen the Proto-Martyr .
Chapter IV.— Constantine commands the Sign of the Cross to be carried before him in Battle; an Extraordinary Narrative about the Bearers of the Sign of the Cross.
The emperor, amazed at the prophecies concerning Christ which were expounded to him by the priests, sent for some skillful
artisans, and commanded them to remodel the standard called by the Romans
Labarum ,
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Eus. V. C. i. 30, 31.
Eus. V. C. i. 30, 31.
to convert it into a representation of the cross, and to adorn it with gold and precious stones. This warlike trophy was valued
beyond all others; for it was always wont to be carried before the emperor, and was worshiped by the soldiery. I think that
Constantine changed the most honorable symbol of the Roman power into the sign of Christ, chiefly that by the habit of having
it always in view, and of worshiping it, the soldiers might be induced to abandon their ancient forms of superstition, and
to recognize the true God, whom the emperor worshiped, as their leader and their help in battle; for this symbol was always
borne in front of his own troops, and was, at the command of the emperor, carried among the phalanxes in the thickest of the
fight by an illustrious band of spearmen, of whom each one in turn took the standard upon his shoulders, and paraded it through
the ranks. It is said that on one occasion, on an unexpected movement of the hostile forces, the man who held the standard
in terror, placed it in the hands of another, and secretly fled from the battle. When he got beyond the reach of the enemy’s
weapons, he suddenly received a wound and fell, while the man who had stood by the divine symbol remained unhurt, although
many weapons were aimed at him; for the missiles of the enemy, marvelously directed by divine agency, lighted upon the standard,
and the bearer thereof, although in the midst of danger, was preserved.
It is also asserted that no soldier who bore this standard in battle ever fell, through any dark calamity, such as is wont to happen to the soldiery in war, or was wounded, or taken prisoner.