The Presbyters Project

VIII.25

8. Ἀμβροσίῳ δὲ τοῦτῳ πολλὰ μὲν καὶ ἄλλα κατώρθωνται ἄξια ἱερωσύνης, ἃ μόνοις ἐπιχωρίοις κατὰ τὸ εἰκὸς ἔγνωσται. Τῶν δ' αὖ ἐπισημοτάτων αὐτοῦ ἔργων καὶ τοῦτο ἐπυθόμην. 9.Ἔθος ἦν τοὺς βασιλέας ἐν τῷ ἱερατείῳ ἐκκλησιάζειν κατ´ἐξοχὴν τῶν ὁρίων τοῦ λαοῦ κεχωρισμένους· κολακείας δὲ ἢ ἀταξίας εἶναι τοῦτο συνιδὼν τόπον εἶναι βασιλέως ἐν ἐκκλησίαις τέταχε, τὸν πρὸ τῶν δρυφάκτων τοῦ ἱερατείου· ὥστε τοῦμὲν λαοῦ τὸν κρατοῦντα τὴν προεδρίαν ἔχειν, αὐτοῦ δὲ τοὺς ἱερέας προκαθῆσθαι. Ταυτὴν δε τὴν ἀρίστην παράδοσιν ἐπῄνεσε Θεοδόσιος ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ οἱ μετὰ ταῦτα ἐκράτυναν, καὶ ἐξ ἐκείνου νυνὶ φυλαττομένην ὁρῶμεν.

(ed. Bidez 2008: 202)

VIII.25

8. Ambrose, no doubt, succeeded in many other actions worthy of his priestly office, which are known, as is likely, only to the inhabitants of the country. Among his illustrious deeds, I have learnt the following. 9. It was the custom of the emperor to take a seat in assemblies of the church within the sanctuary, so that by excellence he sat apart from the people. Ambrose, considering that this custom was either from subserviency or indiscipline, set a place in the church for the emperor outside the altar-rail, so that he sat in front of the people, and behind the priests. The emperor Theodosius approved of this best tradition, as did likewise his successors; and we are told that it has been ever since observed.

(trans. Hartranft 1890: 394; adapted by M. Szada)

Discussion:

The custom that the emperor entered the sanctuary was in the 4th c. common in the East, but presumably not in the West. Therefore, Ambrose did not introduce it in Milan, but simply forced Emperor Theodosius to observe the Western rules (see Angliviel de la Beaumelle, Sabbah 202-203, n. 2, and Theodoret of Cyrrhus, V.18 [1225]).

Place of event:

Region

Italy north of Rome with Corsica and Sardinia

City

Milan

About the source:

Author: Hermias Sozomen
Title: Ecclesiastical History, Church history, Historia ecclesiastica, Ἐκκλησιαστικὴ ἱστορία
Origin: Constantinople (East)
Denomination: Catholic/Nicene/Chalcedonian

Sozomen was born in Bethelea near Gaza in Palestine probably ca 380. We do not know the year of his death, but the last book of his work, written probably in 448, is incomplete, thus the death might hindered its completion. The Ecclesiastical History has nine books relating the history from the rule of Constantine (324-337) to the seventeenth consulate of Theodosius II (439). Originally the work was preceded by the two book compendium of the history of the Church of the first three centuries, but they did not survive to our times (Sabbah 1983: 7-31). Sozomen was a contemporary of the other ecclesiastical historian Socrates, and it is usually accepted that it was he who used the work of his collegue, although he had different approach and method (for the detailed comparison with further readings see Sabbah 1983: 57-87).

Edition:

J. Bidez, G.Ch. Hansen eds., Sozomenus, Historia ecclesiastica, Griechischen Christlichen Schriftsteller der ersten Jahrhunderte 50, Berlin 1960.

Translations:

Ch.D. Hartranft rev., The ecclesiastical history of Sozomen, [in:] A Select Library of the Nicene and Post-Nicene, second sereis, eds. P. Schaff, H. Wace, vol. 2, New York 1890

A.-J. Festugière trans., J. Bidez ed., Hermias Sozomen, Histoire ecclesiastique, Sources Chrétiennes 306, 418, 495, 516, Paris 1983, 1996, 2005, 2008.

G.Ch. Hansen trans., Hermias Sozomenos, Historia ecclesiastica Kirchengeschichte I–IV, Turnhout 2004.

Bibliography:

G. Sabbah, Introduction, [in:] A.-J. Festugière trans., J. Bidez ed., Hermias Sozomen, Histoire ecclesiastique, Sources Chrétiennes 306, Paris 1983.

Categories:

Described by a title - Sacerdos/ἱερεύς

Relation with - Monarch and royal/imperial family

Theoretical considerations - On church hierarchy

Please quote this record referring to its author, database name, number, and, if possible, stable URL: M. Szada, Presbyters in the Late Antique West, ER1160, http://www.presbytersproject.ihuw.pl/index.php?id=6&SourceID=1160