DOCSLIB.ORG

'He Makes the Deaf Hear and the Mute Speak.'

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
'He Makes the Deaf Hear and the Mute Speak.' Éy à{x Blessed Virgin Mary 4123 Robertson Avenue | Sacramento | CA 95821-0208 Pastor—Fr. Stanley Poltorak Deacons—Lawrence Klimecki September 9th, 2018 & David Leatherby Our Mission Statement Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time To bring souls to the salvation which Jesus Christ has won for us, by our proclamation of and witnessing to the splendor, beauty and fullness of the Catholic Faith. Parish Office | 8:30am-4:30pm Closed from 12:00pm-1:00pm Fr. Stanley Poltorak | Pastor [email protected] Chris Garn [email protected] 916.481.7441 x200 Sacrament of Mass Times: Diana Jimenez | Bookkeeper Reconciliation: [email protected] Saturday Thursdays Saturdays 8:30am | Vigil • 5:30pm Parish School 6pm 4pm Principal-Carrie Donahue 916.482.0351 Sunday [email protected] www.presentationschool.net 8:00am | Family • 10:30am | Adoration of the Religious Education Youth • 4:30pm Blessed Sacrament Sidney Curry | 916.482.8883 Weekdays [email protected] Monday-Friday 6:30am | 8:00am 24 Hours A Day Youth Ministry Becky Poncini (Interim) 916.541.5805 [email protected] ‘He makes the deaf hear and Visit our website to find more the mute speak.’ information! www.presentationparish.org /presentationparish /pbvm_parish /pparish Deacon Lawrence Klimecki From the beginning, Christians have suffered persecution in one form or another. But that persecution does not always come from the outside, sometimes it comes from within. In A.D. 364, Flavius Julius Valens Augustus, known to history as Valens, was made emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire. Years earlier the emperor Constantine had made Christianity the official religion of the empire. Valens was a Christian but he held to the Arian heresy which claimed that Jesus was not God but merely a creature created by God. The Arian heresy prompted a persecution of Orthodox Christians who held to the Nicene Creed. The Arians were a powerful force of princes and bishops, nobles, senators and generals. They commanded powerful armies and senates and threatened to wipe out True Christianity. In A.D. 355, Constantius, the western emperor, called for an ecumenical council at Milan to ease the tension between the various Christian factions. The council instead turned to a condemnation of Athanasius, bishop of Alexandria Egypt, and the chief opponent of the Arians. Eusebius, the bishop of Vercelli, Italy, was appalled at this treatment and rose to defend Athanasius. For his trouble he was brought to the attention of Emperor Valens. Valens threatened Eusebius with the confiscation of all his goods, torture, banishment, or even death if the bishop did not condemn Athanasius as well. Eusebius replied, “He needs not fear confiscation, who has nothing to lose; nor banishment, to whom heaven is his country; nor torments, when his body can be destroyed at one blow; nor death, which is the only way to set him at liberty from sin and sorrow.” The healing of the deaf man with a speech impediment is told only in the Gospel according to St. Mark. Why was this? Besides the recounting of a miracle, what message was Mark trying to convey to his readers? Saint Mark addressed his Gospel to gentile converts living in Rome at the time of the first persecution of Christians under Nero. The followers of Christ were driven underground, literally, into the catacombs. They were a persecuted people. They could not openly speak the Lord’s name nor hear His words. They were in a very real sense, deaf and mute. Mark emphasizes God’s presence among the people in the person of Jesus. The miracles are very real and immediate. In today’s reading our attention is drawn to the physical reality of a hand, a finger, ears, tongue, and spitting. In Jesus, God has truly come in the flesh. He has come to set us free. He opens our ears so that we may hear His word, and loosens our tongue to praise His name even in the face of persecution. Mark prepared us for this as well. "They will hand you over to the courts. You will be beaten in synagogues. You will be arraigned before governors and kings because of me, as a witness before them. But the gospel must first be preached to all nations. You will be hated by all because of my name. But the one who perseveres to the end will be saved.” Mark 13:9-10, 13 Pax Vobiscum In trust of God’s infinite goodness, we pray to lift up our sick parishioners, family & friends, and those in need of healing of the body and soul. Almighty Father, hear out prayers for: Jan Almay, Sharon Anderson-Kunz, Anthony Andreozzi, Shaun Banagan, Pat Borri, Pat Botelho, Chris Cetti, Wally Dondero, Bill Dunphy, Judy DuPont, Leilani Fitzgerald, Patti Fox, Marcy French, Vienna Golsong, Doug Hagans, Conor Hagg, George Hague, Sharon Harrington, Lynn Hauf, Alex Henderson, Jonathan Hunt, Fred & Pat Ingram, Ed Jackson, Robert Johnson, Kimberly Kaufman, Devonne Keevers, June Kertes, Debbie Robrecht, Mary Largent, Georgia Latimer, Shirley Lauwers, Sue McLeod, Nilda Medina, Michael Mejia, Lucille Moessinger, Gene Moore, Karla Moore, Irene Pericic, David Qualls, Randy Qualls, Alex Quiroz, Maryanne Redmond, Bridget Ruiz, Amy Fleege Schaffner, Vic Senacal, Chris Shores, Mark Skvarla, Gracie Rose Smith, Laura Smith, Greg Spitz, Wanda Southern, Sarah Thompson, Dawn Wilson, Nic Windeshausen, Brenda Winn, Elizabeth & Grecielia Zuranich. † Mass Intentions † Religious Education News 9 Sunday Contact Sidney Curry | DRE | 482.8883 8:00am † Ed Perrin (D) Di Capo Family 10:30am | Family Children’s Faith Children’s Faith Formation † Glenn Bradd (D) Anderson Family 4:30pm | Youth CLASSES HAVE BEGUN! Register online or pay with cash/ check in the parish office. www.presentationparish.org † Peggy Tabarez (D) Christine & Peter Kowalski For children who do not receive Catholic religious education during their 10 Monday regular school hours, this program supplements the faith formation already 6:30am started in the home and during Masses. † Lucille Gruenwald (D) Nash This program includes First Eucharist, First Reconciliation and 8:00am Confirmation. 1st-8th Grade Classes begin on Sunday | Sep. 9 | 9am-10:15am † Charlene Bencken, Happy Birthday! (L) † Franklin Brown (D) McLoud Family 11 Tuesday Adult Faith Adult Faith Formation 6:30am RCIA begins on Monday September 10th 6:00pm Immaculata Please † Susan Hauser (L) call Sid Curry for more information 916.482.8883 8:00am [email protected] † Cletus Unterreiner (D) † Merette Wakeman (D) 12 Wednesday 6:30am A Big thank you to our Knights! † Mildred Gracey (D) Shawn Gracey & Family 8:00am Thank you so much to our very own Knights of Columbus for † Bob & Connie Marriott (D) providing our CFF catechist with a beautiful dinner for our 13 Thursday 6:30am start up meeting. Not only was this meal delicious but it † Shelley Murphy (L) made all of the catechists feel so thanked and appreciated! 8:00am † Pat Reicks (D) Felicia Abrahamson Thank you!! † Inez Morales (D) 14 Friday PBVM Parish Ministries 6:30am Youth Ministry † Fr. Stanley (L) St. Vincent de Paul 8:00am 916.485.3482 ·T/Th/F: 9-11am † John Frey (D) LifeTeen & Edge 916.477.6115 ·Voice or Text Saturday 15 8:30am † Jeanette Todd (D) Belton’s Scrip | PBVM School † Special Intention-Diocesan Healing Ministry We will resume around the 916.482.0351 5:30pm † Gabe Lopez (D) Illagan Family beginning of October. 16 Sunday Divine Mercy Prayer Line 8:00am Mari Farnsworth † Betty Simpson (D) 916.215.2175 10:30am | Family † Patricia Deragisch (D) Matt 4:30pm | Youth Music Ministry | Becky Poncini † Fr. Ho, in thanksgiving (L) 916.541.5805 [email protected] Legion Of Mary Immaculate Heart of Patricia Jackson 916.973.8537 Mary, Questions? [email protected] Altar Society Pray for us! Diana Jimenez 916.402.1028 Weekend Collection Amounts Knights of Columbus Greg Gillen—Grand Knight Sunday Collection: $11,256.50 916-487-1964 kofc15693.org Thank you for you generous donations! Respect Life Sacramento Help support our 8th Graders Washington D.C. Trip by getting your car washed! Praying year round at Butano on Sunday, September 23rd 7:30am — 1:00pm Wed & Fri 8am-11am You can drop your car off before Mass and it will be washed and vacuumed when you are done! We meet every 3rd Monday in the Immaculata at 6:30pm Thank you to all who supported our last car wash! Next meeting: 9/17 Questions? Call the school office 916-482-0351 Let us pray for the leaders of our nation: that Bibles & Catechisms they may remember that the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness apply to Has someone in your life shared his/her love of Scripture with you? all people, from conception to natural death! Would you like to share that love and gift with another? Thanks to the generosity of our parishioners, Bibles and Catechisms are given to every adult and child in our RCIA process as a gift from our parish community. Our parish RCIA process is in need of donations to give to our adults and children inquiring to be ‘one’ with us. The cost is $25. Please make checks payable to our parish and indicate at the bottom that it is for an RCIA Bible. THANK YOU!!! Welcome back Senior Joy! Please join us for our annual September outing to Red Hawk Casino! “Protecting our September 26th | 10am to 3pm Children A Red Hawk bus will be leaving Presentation parking Healing our Hearts” lot at 10am and will return at 3pm. Spaces are limited The Diocese of Sacramento provides a pastoral care To RSVP call Fran Trinca at 916-359-8263 coordinator to assist persons who have by September 19th! suffered sexual abuse by members of the Catholic clergy and other Catholic Church workers.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Crossing of the Danube and the Gothic Conversion , Greek, Roman and Byzantine Studies, 27:3 (1986:Autumn) P.289
    HEATHER, PETER, The Crossing of the Danube and the Gothic Conversion , Greek, Roman and Byzantine Studies, 27:3 (1986:Autumn) p.289 The Crossing of the Danube and the Gothic Conversion Peter Heather MMIANUS MARCELLINUS provides a detailed account of the re­ A lations between the Emperor Valens and the Goths during the period 367-378. But essentially because Ammianus does not mention it, there has been much controversy over the date of a Gothic conversion to Christianity ascribed in other sources to the reign of Valens. Equally, because the historians Socrates and So­ zomen link a civil war among the Goths to the conversion, it has also been unclear when this split might have taken place. It will be argued here that the primary accounts found in Socrates, Sozomen, and Eunapius can be reconciled with the secondary ones of Jordanes, Theodoret, and Orosius to suggest a Gothic conversion in 376. Fur­ ther, combined with Ammianus, they strongly indicate that Christian­ ity initially affected only elements of one Gothic group, the Tervingi, and was part of the agreement by which Valens allowed them to cross the Danube and enter the Empire in 376. It also becomes clear that the split too affected only the Tervingi, and occurred immediately before the crossing and conversion. This reconstruction in turn highlights the Huns' role in overturning the established order in Gothic society: their attacks first divided the Tervingi, who were unable to agree on an appropriate response, and prompted the larger group to seek asylum in the Empire and accept conversion to Christianity.
    [Show full text]
  • Calendar of Roman Events
    Introduction Steve Worboys and I began this calendar in 1980 or 1981 when we discovered that the exact dates of many events survive from Roman antiquity, the most famous being the ides of March murder of Caesar. Flipping through a few books on Roman history revealed a handful of dates, and we believed that to fill every day of the year would certainly be impossible. From 1981 until 1989 I kept the calendar, adding dates as I ran across them. In 1989 I typed the list into the computer and we began again to plunder books and journals for dates, this time recording sources. Since then I have worked and reworked the Calendar, revising old entries and adding many, many more. The Roman Calendar The calendar was reformed twice, once by Caesar in 46 BC and later by Augustus in 8 BC. Each of these reforms is described in A. K. Michels’ book The Calendar of the Roman Republic. In an ordinary pre-Julian year, the number of days in each month was as follows: 29 January 31 May 29 September 28 February 29 June 31 October 31 March 31 Quintilis (July) 29 November 29 April 29 Sextilis (August) 29 December. The Romans did not number the days of the months consecutively. They reckoned backwards from three fixed points: The kalends, the nones, and the ides. The kalends is the first day of the month. For months with 31 days the nones fall on the 7th and the ides the 15th. For other months the nones fall on the 5th and the ides on the 13th.
    [Show full text]
  • 4.1-Beginning of the Reign of Valentinian and Valens (364-371) Copyright 2018 Glen L
    4.1-Beginning of the Reign of Valentinian and Valens (364-371) Copyright 2018 Glen L. Thompson This document is provided for personal and educational use. It may not be used for commercial purposes without the permission of the copyright holder. Last updated: 6/6/2018 Socrates Sozomen Theodoret February 364 - Valentinian becomes Emperor 4.1.1 When the Emperor Jovian had died, as we have said, 6.6.2 When the troops arrived at Nicaea in Bithynia, 4.6.1 When the troops had learned of the emperor’s at Dadastana, in his own consulate and that of Varronian his they proclaimed Valentinian emperor. He was a good sudden death, they wept for the departed prince as if for son on the 17th of February, the army left Galatia and man and capable of holding the reins of the empire. a father and made Valentinian emperor in his place. It arrived at Nicaea in Bithynia in seven days’ march. There, was he who had struck the officer of the temple and was they unanimously proclaimed Valentinian emperor, on the sent to the castle. He was distinguished not only for his 25th of February, in the same consulate. courage, but also for prudence, temperance, justice, and 4.1.2 He was a Pannonian by race, a native of the city of great stature. Cibalis, and when he was entrusted with a military command, he displayed great skill in tactics. 4.1.3 Moreover, he had such a superior intellect, that he always seemed to exceed every degree of honor which he attained.
    [Show full text]
  • Overwhelmed by Immigrants
    HISTORYHISTORY — PAST AND PERSPECTIVE Overwhelmed by Immigrants No turning back: Migrating Goths cross a river en route to safety within Roman borders. Once The fall of the Western the fateful decision had been made to open the floo dgates of uncontrolled immigration from the Roman Empire was East, the Roman Empire was living on borrowed time. precipitated by of human history, a conflict that ran its itary and guaranteeing the supremacy of course quickly in the hot, parched coun- the Goths in the eastern portions of the immigrants — who had tryside, and left tens of thousands of men empire ever after. Within a generation, the fled to Roman protection most of them the flower of the Eastern Goths, emboldened and battle-hardened, Roman imperial military, including the would arrive at the gates of the Eternal from the Huns — when Roman emperor himself dead on the City itself, and become the first foreign the newcomers refused to field, while the comparatively small army power in eight centuries to sack Rome. of Goths and Alans rode triumphantly And all of it began because of an im- follow Roman laws. over the terrain, giving no quarter to the migration crisis. wounded and dying, slaying officer and by Charles Scaliger foot soldier alike. By late day, the field Charitable Notions belonged to the carrion fowl and blow- By the middle of the fourth century A.D., he late afternoon of August 9, 378 flies, already commencing their grim work German tribes were settled all along the A.D. was brutally hot in the fields among the heaps of corpses.
    [Show full text]
  • This Remarkable Collection of Genuine Coins
    This remarkable collection of genuine coins traces the history of the Empire from the late second through the fourth centuries, a period of tumult and uncertainty, when emperors came and went, almost none of them dying of natural causes. The Roman Empire was the greatest the world had ever known. Its dominions stretched from Britain to Persia, from the Maghreb to Northern Europe, and encompassed every inch of shoreline along the great Mediterranean Sea. While Rome endured for centuries, establishing a system of colonization and administration that is still copied today, the Empire was always on the brink of collapse. Indeed, the definitive history of Rome, Edward Gibbon’s The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, covers the period from 98 through 1590 CE. In other words, Rome’s decline and fall lasted for almost 15 centuries! This remarkable collection of genuine bronze coins traces the history of the Empire from the late second through the fourth centuries, a period of tumult and uncertainty, when emperors came and went, almost none of them dying of natural causes. Indeed, the entire history of the Roman Empire is revealed in its coinage. Coins were the newspapers of their day, used not only to exchange for goods and services, but to share information. The portraits, legends, and reverse iconographies describe the adoration of the emperors and their heirs and families, and communicate imperial agendas in the realms of politics, religion, domestic life and the military. All of this history is handed down to us on these ancient coins. 1.
    [Show full text]
  • BYZANTINE ROYAL ANCESTRY Emperors, 578-1453
    GRANHOLM GENEALOGY BYZANTINE ROYAL ANCESTRY Emperors, 578-1453 1 INTRODUCTION During the first half of the first century Byzantium and specifically Constantinople was the most influentional and riches capital in the world. Great buildings, such as Hagia Sophia were built during these times. Despite the distances, contacts with the Scandinavians took place, in some cases cooperation against common enemies. Vikings traded with them and served in the Emperors’ Court. Sweden’s King Karl XII took refuge there for four years after the defeat in the war against Peter the Great of Russia in Poltava. Our 6th great grandfather, “ Cornelius von Loos” was with him and made drawings of many of the famous buildings in that region. The Byzantine lineages to us are shown starting fr o m different ancestors. There are many royals to whom we have a direct ancestral relationship and others who are distant cousins. These give an interesting picture of the history from those times. Wars took place among others with the Persians, which are also described in the book about our Persian Royal Ancestry. Additional text for many persons is highlighted in the following lists. This story begins with Emperor Tiberius II, (47th great grandfather) born in 520 and ends with the death of Emperor Constantine XI (15th cousin, 17 times removed) in battle in 1453. His death marked the final end of the Roman Empire, which had continued in the East for just under one thousand years after the fall of the Western Roman Empire. No relations to us, the initial Emperor of the Byzantine was Justin I , born a peasant and a swineherd by initial occupation, reigned 518 to 527.
    [Show full text]
  • Chronological Overview
    Chronological Overview 284-305 Diocletian and the tetrarchy 565-591 Wars with Persia 306-337 Constantine I (sole ruler from 324) 566 + Slavs begin to infiltrate across Danube frontier; pressure 311 Edict of toleration issued by Galerius on frontier fortresses from Avars 312 Constantine's victory at the Milvian bridge 568+ Lombards driven westward from Danube, invade Italy 313 Edict of toleration issued by Constantine and Licinius 572 Lombards besiege Ravenna 325 Council of Nicaea and condemnation of Arianism (first 577 Major invasion of Balkans led by Avars ecumenical council) 584, 586 Avaro-Slav attacks on Thessalonica 330 Consecration of Constantinople 591-602 Gradual success in pushing Avars back across Danube 337 Baptism and death of Constantine I 602 Maurice overthrown, Phokas proclaimed emperor 361-363 Julian the Apostate leads pagan reaction and attempts to 603 War with Persia; situation in Balkans deteriorates limit the influence of Christianity 610 Phokas overthrown by Heraclius, son of exarch of Africa 364 Jovian dies: empire divided between Valentinian 1 (West) at Carthage and Valens (East) 611-620s Central and northern Balkans lost 378 Defeat and death of Valens at hands of Visigoths at battle 614-619 Persians occupy Syria, Palestine and Egypt of Adrianople 622 Mohammed leaves Mecca for Medina (the 'Hijra') 381 First Council of Constantinople (second ecumenical 622-627 Heraclius campaigns in east against Persians council): reaffirms rejection of Arianism; asserts right of 626 Combined Avaro-Slav and Persian siege of Constantinople
    [Show full text]
  • The Date of the Destruction of the Sanctuary of Poseidon on the Isthmus of Corinth
    THE DATE OF THE DESTRUCTION OF THE SANCTUARY OF POSEIDON ON THE ISTHMUS OF CORINTH (PLATES 61, 62) T HE deposit of coins here published was found in the spring campaign of 1971 at the Sanctuary of Poseidon on the Isthmus. Coins and five pieces of small sculpture in marble lay together within a small area in the fill at the southernmost of two corners made by joining walls of rubble construction in one of the buildings which occupy the field immediately east of the temple of Poseidon (grid S17, P1. 62).' We give here the complete account of the hoard promised elsewhere.2 Ninety-seven coins were recovered (IC 71-11 through 107), all bronze and all of small module (3 or 4). The seventy-six best preserved are these. ' Coins and sculpture were reported in AeXr. 26, XpOVLKa, 1971. Three sherds representing two vessels were found with the deposit. We thought that neither vase had been the container of the coins. 2 Clement, "The Date of the Hexamilion," Studies in Memory of Basil Laourdas, Thes- saloniki, 1975, pp. 98-101. Idem, "Alaric and the Fortifications of Greece," Ancient Macedonia (Second International Conference, August 19-24, 1973: Thessaloniki, Institute for Balkan Studies, forthcoming). The coin inventory for the 1971 campaign was written by Beaton during the course of the campaign. The coins of this hoard were studied in Kyras Vrysi by Clement in the summers of 1971 and 1974 and a draft of the present catalogue written. The whole material was put into essentially its final form by both collaborators working together in Los Angeles in the winter of 1974-1975.
    [Show full text]
  • Adrianople: Before and After
    Adrianople: Before and After Corry Atkinson East Carolina University Faculty Mentor: Wade Dudley East Carolina University ABSTRACT The Battle of Adrianople in 378, fought between the Roman Empire and the Goths, is often overlooked in the feld of Roman history. The purpose of this paper is to argue that the Battle of Adrianople is more important to Roman history than conventionally thought, and that it marked a major turning point for the Roman Empire. Throughout this paper I will argue that the Gothic victory at Adrianople caused a domino effect which led to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire. Using primary sources I show that many of the events that occurred after the battle, and played a role in the collapse of the Western Empire, can be linked together as aftereffects of the Roman defeat at Adrianople. he Gothic victory over the Romans at Adrianople led the Eastern Empire to abandon TAdrianople in 378 brought with it vast the West. Without the help of the East, the changes to the Roman world. The battle economically weaker Western Empire was in had a domino effect on both halves of the no condition to properly defend itself. Thus Empire, but the West suffered the most in 476 the Western Roman Empire fnally severe consequences. The Western Roman disintegrated, and by 493 Italy and Spain had Empire would never recover from the emerged as independent Gothic kingdoms. East’s defeat in 378. The political fallout The major barbarian groups of the fourth that followed Emperor Valens death at century consisted of Germanic confedera- Adrianople created hostilities between East tions who lived close to Roman borders, ei- and West that never dissipated.
    [Show full text]
  • Trajan and Egypt
    TRAJAN AND EGYPT In studying any aspect of the period covering the principate of the emperors Nerva and Trajan, one is continually faced with and seriously handicapped by the scarcity of data concerning this period. It is well-known that literary sources of this period are-for various reasons-lacking 1. Suetonius ends his ,,De Vita Caesarum" abruptly with the life of Domitian, the Scriptores Historiae Augustae only start their biographical descriptions of emperors with Hadrian 2, so that the lives of Nerva and Trajan just fall between the periods dealt with in these works. Tacitus (Historiae I, r: principatum Nervae et imperium Trajani, uberiorem secu­ rioremque materiam, senectuti seposui) has never fulfilled his intention of describing the times of Nerva and Trajan. The first thirteen books of his successor Ammianus Marcellinus have been lost and the remaining part of his works only starts in 353 A.D. There is a description of this period in the works of Dio Cassius, but only in the very faulty excerpt of the Byzantine monk Xiphilinus. Of the works of writers who have dealt with this period of the principate-such as Junius Cordus, Marius Maximus, Fabius Marcellinus, Aurelius Verus and Statius Valens (mentioned in the Historia Augusta; Vita Macrini r; Vita Alex. Severi 48)-no more is usually left than a mere reference or at best some un­ intelligible fragments 3• In other works 4 which do not specifically deal with the description of the principate of Trajan or date from a later period, incidental or brief notes on the activities of this emperor can be found.
    [Show full text]
  • The Battle of Adrianople: a Reappraisal
    108 Hirundo The Battle of Adrianople: A Reappraisal By Robert Eisenberg The Battle of Adrianople (AD 378) is perhaps one of the most studied battles in history. It is seen as a major turning point in both the history of the Roman Empire and in the evolution of warfare. There have been numerous studies of the causes the battle and its outcome, yet each one tends to focus on one particular cause. This study will present a synthesized appraisal of the reasons behind the Roman defeat at Adrianople, including both proximate and ultimate causes. While there are many determining factors in the course of any battle, this paper will focus on the setting of the encounter, as well as on long-term gen- eral trends in the composition of the Roman Army and the evolution of ‘barbarian’ policy. Additionally, the short-term causes for the strengths and weaknesses of both armies, the role of the commanders, the function of intelligence gathering, as well as the ‘God’ factor will be examined. The principal source for the Battle of Adrianople is the Roman historian Ammia- nus Marcellinus. Ammianus’ account is generally considered to be the most trustworthy and accurate, as he wrote within a short period after the battle, and was himself a military man, thus knowledgeable of technical details. Ammianus’ credibility is further supported by the fact that he openly confesses when he is unsure of details and presents opposing viewpoints instead of only including his own.1 However, there are certain weaknesses in his account. He is occasionally inaccurate with regards to geographical position and chro- nology.2 Moreover, as a pagan, Ammianus tends to moralize about the general decline of Roman society, for which he blames Christianity, an accusation which carries over into his descriptions of individuals.
    [Show full text]
  • Symmachus. Oration I. to Valentinian. 25 February 368 Or 369*
    Symmachus. Oration I. To Valentinian. 25 February 368 or 369* Introduction Oration I is probably the earliest of Symmachus' extant orations and may have been delivered at the same time as Oration III addressed to Gratian; it is earlier than Oration II, delivered 1 January 370. Symmachus covers the topics usual to a panegyric of an emperor, beginning with Valentinian's and Valens' family and earlier careers, especially Valentinian's. The 'deeds' portion of the oration, the part that is often of most interest to historians, includes Valentinian's election as emperor, his choice of his brother and son as co-rulers, his preference for the western provinces, rather vague assertions about his martial activities in defending the borders, and praise for his decision not to desert his chosen provinces to assist Valens in fighting off the usurpation of Procopius. For a brief outline noting topoi usual to panegyric, see Del Chicca 1985: 95–96. Translation 1 . You are natives1 of the whole world, an attainment reached in one place by birth, in another by benefit of your labors. Or should I not justly call Africa your native land as well, * C. Sogno p. 2 writes that Symmachus made the trip to Trier in the winter of 367–368; on p. 6 with n. 39 she notes that Praetextatus was still urban prefect in the fall of 368 and this would have helped Symmachus' selection as one of the envoys. So I am not sure if she thinks the travel was 367–368 or 368–369 and whether the oration was delivered in 368 or 369.
    [Show full text]