PAULUS OROSIUS Historia e Adversus Paganos THE GREATEST BOOKS OF CHRISTIAN CIVILIZATION DR. DAVID JOHN PAUL MARZAK EDITOR IN CHIEF ************************************************************************************ Paulus Orosius Volume 31 ******************************************************************* Michael Stephen Mary Marzak, Associate Editor ii KOLBE’S GREATEST BOOKS OF CHRISTIAN CIVILIZATION 1 Moses 15 Aristotle 2 Joshua 16 Euclid 3 King David 17 Archimedes 4 Homer 18 Cicero 5 Sun Tsu 19 Virgil 6 Confucius 20 Flavius Josephus 7 Hippocrates 21 Plutarch 8 Aeschylus 22 Justin Martyr 9 Sophocles 23 Galen 10 Euripides 24 Eusebius 11 Herodotus 25 St. Ephraem of Syria 12 Thucydides 26 St. Athanasius 13 Aristophanes 27 St. Basil the Great 14 Plato iv Politics – Philosophy – Science – Theology Education - Literature – Math – History KOLBE’S GREATEST BOOKS OF CHRISTIAN CIVILIZATION 28 St. Ambrose 41 St. Anselm 29 St. John Chrysostom 42 St. Bernard 30 St. Augustine 43 El Cid 31 Paulus Orosius 44 St. Francis of Assisi 32 St. Patrick 45 St. Albert the Great 33 St. Leo the Great 46 St. Bonaventure 34 Boethius 47 St. Thomas Aquinas 35 Saint Benedict 48 Dante Alighieri 36 St. Gregory the Great 49 Geoffrey Chaucer 37 Alfred the Great 50 St. Catherine of Sienna 38 Venerable Bede 51 Thomas a Kempis 39 Charlemagne 40 Song of Roland Politics – Philosophy – Science – Theology Education - Literature – Math – History Title of the English Original: Kolbe’s Greatest Books of Christian Civilization Volume 31—Paulus Orosius Published by The Kolbe Foundation Cover design by Michael S. Marzak Printed in the United States of America Translated by John Dryden (1697) ISBN ISBN © 2014 by The Kolbe Foundation, Lubbock, Texas All rights reserved Table of Contents PAULUS OROSIUS Introduction from Catholic Encyclopedia Page viii HISTORY AGAINST THE PAGANS Page x PREFACE Book One Page 13 Book Two Page 42 Book Three Page 66 Book Four Page 98 Book Five Page 134 Book Six Page 174 Book Seven Page 215 vii PAULUS OROSIUS INTRODUCTION FROM CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA PAULUS OROSIUS WAS an historian and christian apologist; b. probably at Bracara, now Braga, in Portugal, between 380 and 390, the dates of his birth and death not being precisely known. His first name has been known only since the eighth century. Having early consecrated himself to the service of God, he was ordained, and went to Africa in 413 or 414. The reason for his leaving his native country is not known; he tells us only that he left his fatherland "sine voluntate, sine necessitate, sine consensu" (Commonitorium, i). He repaired to St. Augustine, at Hippo, to question him as to certain points ofdoctrine, concerning the soul and its origin, attacked by the Priscillianists. In 414 he prepared for St. Augustine a "Commonitorium de errore Priscillianistarum et Origenistarum" (P.L. XXXI, 1211-16; also, ed. Schepss, in "Priscilliani quae supersunt", in "Corpus script. eccl. lat.", Vienna, 1889, XVIII, 149 sqq.) to which St. Augustine replied with his "Ad Orosium contra Priscillianistas et Origenistas". In order to become better acquainted with these questions concerning the soul and its origin, Orosius, with a hearty recommendation from .htm-->St. Augustine (Epist. clxvi), went to Palestine, to St. Jerome.Pelagius was then trying to spread his false doctrines in Palestine, and Orosius aided St. Jerome and others in their struggle against this heresy. In 415 Bishop John of Jerusalem, who was inclined to the teaching of Origen and influenced by Pelagius, summoned the presbyters of his church to a council atJerusalem. At this council Orosius sharply attacked the teachings of Pelagius. But, as Pelagiusdeclared that he believed it impossible for man to become perfect and avoid sin without God'sassistance, John did not condemn him, but decided that his opponents should state their arguments before Pope Innocent. In consequence of his opposition to Pelagius, Orosius was drawn into dissensions with Bishop John, who accused him of having maintained that it is not possible for man to avoid sin, even with God's grace. In answer to this charge, Orosius wrote his "Liber apologeticus contra Pelagium de Arbitrii libertate" (P.L. XXXI, 1173-1212, and ed. Zangemeister, "Orosii opera" in "Corpus script. eccl. lat.", V, Vienna, 1882), in which he gives a detailed account of the Council of 415 at Jerusalem, and a clear, correct treatment of the two principal questions against Pelagius: the capability of man's free will, and Christian perfection in doing God's will here on earth. In the spring of 416 Orosius left Palestine, to return to Augustine in Africa, and thence home. He brought a letter from St. Jerome (Epist. cxxxiv) to St. Augustine, as well as writings of the two Gallicbishops, Hero and Lazarus, who were in Palestine struggling against Pelagianism (cf. St. Augustine, viii Epist. clxxv). He also brought from Jerusalem the then recently discovered relics of the Protomartyr Stephen and a Latin letter from Lucian, who had discovered them (Gennadius, "De Viris Illustr.", xxxi, xlvi, xlvii, ed. Czapla, Münster, 1898, 87-89, 104). After a short stay with Augustine at Hippo, Orosius began his journey home, but, on reaching Minorca, and hearing of the wars and devastations of theVandals in Spain, he returned to Africa The relics of St. Stephen, which he left in Minorca, became the object of a great veneration, which spread into Gaul and Spain. On the conversion of Jews through these relics, cf. Severus, "De virtutibus ad conversionem Judaeorum in Minoricensi Insula factis", P.L. XLI, 821-32. Orosius went back to Africa and at St. Augustine's suggestion wrote the first ChristianUniversal History: "Historiarum adversus paganos libri septem" (P.L. XXXI, 663-1174; ed. Zangemeister, in "Corpus script. eccl. lat.", V, Vienna, 1882), thought to be a supplement to the "Civitas Dei", especially the third book, in which St. Augustine proves that the Roman Empire suffered as many calamities before as after Christianity was received, combating the pagan argument, that the abandonment of their deities had led to calamity. St. Augustine wished to have thisproof developed in a special work through the whole period of human history of all the known peoples of antiquity, with the fundamental idea that God determines the destinies of nations. According to his view, two chief empires had governed the world: Babylon in the East, and Rome in the West. Rome received the heritage of Babylon through the intermediate Macedonian and Carthaginian Empires. Thus he holds that there were four great empires in history — a view widely accepted in the Middle Ages. The first book briefly describes the globe, and traces its history from theDeluge to the founding of Rome; the second gives the history of Rome to the sack of the city by the Gauls, that of Persia to Cyrus, and of Greece to the Battle of Cunaxa; the third deals chiefly with the Macedonian Empire under Alexander and his successors, as well as the contemporary Roman history; the fourth brings the history of Rome to the destruction of Carthage; the last three books treat Roman history alone, from the destruction of Carthage to the author's own time. The work, completed in 418, shows signs of some haste. Besides Holy Scripture and the chronicle of Eusebius revised by St. Jerome, Livy, Eutropius, Caesar, Suetonius, Florus, and Justin are used as sources. In pursuance of the apologetic aim, all the calamities suffered by the various peoples are described. Thought superficial and fragmentary, the work is valuable; it contains contemporary information on the period after A.D. 378. It was used largely during the Middle Ages as a compendium, and nearly 200 manuscript copies are still extant. Alfred the Great translated it into Anglo-Saxon (ed. H. Sweet, London, 1843). ix HISTORY AGAINST THE PAGANS (Historiae Adversus Paganos) Kolbe’s Greates Books Volume Thirty One by Paulus Orosius HISTORIAE ADVERSUS PAGANOS PREFACE I HAVE OBEYED YOUR INSTRUCTIONS, blessed Augustine, and may my achievement match my good intentions. I am not at all certain, however, that I have done the work well. You, indeed, have already assumed the burden of judging whether I was capable of doing what you requested, but I am content with the evidence of obedience alone, if I have really done justice to that obedience by my will and my effort. So on a great and spacious family estate many different animals are able to help in the work of the estate, yet the care of the dogs is a particular concern. For these animals alone are so endowed by nature that they are driven on instinctively to do the things in which they are trained; through some inborn spirit of obedience they are held in check only by their fear of certain punishment, until the time when they are given permission, by word or sign, to do as they please. Indeed they have qualities peculiarly their own, so superior to those of brutes that they approach those of human beings, that is, they distinguish, they love, and they serve. When they distinguish between masters and strangers they do not really hate the strangers whom they attack but rather are zealous for their masters whom they love; in their attachment to their master and home they keep watch, not because they are so disposed naturally, but because they are inspired by a love filled with anxiety. Hence, according to the mystic revelation in the Gospels, the woman of Canaan was not ashamed to mention, nor did our Lord disdain to hear, that little dogs were eating the crumbs under their master's table. Nor did the blessed Tobias, following the guidance of an angel, scorn to have a dog as his companion. Therefore, since the love that all have for you is in my case united with a special love, I have willingly obeyed your wish.