How Long to Read The Ecclesiastical History

How Long Does it Take to Read The Ecclesiastical History?

It takes the average reader 7 hours and 5 minutes to read The Ecclesiastical History by Socrates Scholasticus

Assuming a reading speed of 250 words per minute. Learn more

Description

Socrates of Constantinople (b. c. 380; d. after 439), also known as Socrates Scholasticus, was a 5th-century Christian church historian, a contemporary of Sozomen and Theodoret. He is the author of a Historia Ecclesiastica ("Church History") which covers the history of late ancient Christianity during the years 305 to 439. He was born at Constantinople. Even in ancient times nothing seems to have been known of his life except what can be gathered from notices in his Historia Ecclesiastica, which departed from its ostensible model, Eusebius of Caesarea, in emphasizing the place of the emperor in church affairs and in giving secular as well as church history. Socrates' teachers, noted in his prefaces, were the grammarians Helladius and Ammonius, who came to Constantinople from Alexandria, where they had been pagan priests. A revolt, accompanied by an attack on the pagan temples, had forced them to flee. This attack, in which the Serapeum was vandalized and destroyed, is dated about 391. It is not proved that Socrates of Constantinople later profited by the teaching of the sophist Troilus. No certainty exists as to Socrates' precise vocation, though it may be inferred from his work that he was a layman. In later years he traveled and visited, among other places, Paphlagonia and Cyprus.The history covers the years 305 to 439, and experts believe it was finished in 439 or soon thereafter, and certainly during the lifetime of Emperor Theodosius II, i.e., before 450. The purpose of the history is to continue the work of Eusebius of Caesarea (1.1). It relates in simple Greek language what the Church experienced from the days of Constantine to the writer's time. Ecclesiastical dissensions occupy the foreground, for when the Church is at peace, there is nothing for the church historian to relate (7.48.7). In the preface to Book 5, Socrates defends dealing with Arianism and with political events in addition to writing about the church. The Historia Ecclesiastica is one of the few sources of knowledge of Hypatia, the female mathematician and philosopher of Alexandria. Socrates' account is in many respects well-balanced. He is careful not to use hyperbolic titles when referring to prominent personalities in the church and the government. He is often assumed to have been a follower of Novatianism, but this is based on the fact that he gives a lot of details about the Novatianists, and speaks of them in generous terms, as he does of Arians and other groups. He speaks of himself as belonging to the Church. Socrates asserts that he owed the impulse to write his work to a certain Theodorus, who is alluded to in the proemium to the second book as "a holy man of God" and seems therefore to have been a monk or one of the higher clergy.

How long is The Ecclesiastical History?

The Ecclesiastical History by Socrates Scholasticus is 422 pages long, and a total of 106,344 words.

This makes it 142% the length of the average book. It also has 130% more words than the average book.

How Long Does it Take to Read The Ecclesiastical History Aloud?

The average oral reading speed is 183 words per minute. This means it takes 9 hours and 41 minutes to read The Ecclesiastical History aloud.

What Reading Level is The Ecclesiastical History?

The Ecclesiastical History is suitable for students ages 12 and up.

Note that there may be other factors that effect this rating besides length that are not factored in on this page. This may include things like complex language or sensitive topics not suitable for students of certain ages.

When deciding what to show young students always use your best judgement and consult a professional.

Where Can I Buy The Ecclesiastical History?

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