Orosius: Seven Books of History against the Pagans

by Paulus Orosius, A.T. Fear (Editor)

This book is a new annotated translation of Orosius's Seven Books of History against the Pagans. Orosius's History, which begins with the creation and continues to his own day, was an immensely popular and standard work of reference on antiquity throughout the Middle Ages and beyond. Its importance lay in the fact that Orosius was the first Christian author to write not a church history, but rather a history of the secular world interpreted from a Christian perspective. This approach gave new relevance to Roman history in the medieval period and allowed Rome's past to become a valued part of the medieval intellectual world.

The structure of history and methodology deployed by Orosius formed the dominant template for the writing of history in the medieval period, being followed, for example, by such writers as Otto of Freising and Ranulph Higden. Orosius's work is therefore crucial for an understanding of early Christian approaches to history, the development of universal history, and the intellectual life of the Middle Ages, for which it was both an important reference work and also a defining model for the writing of history.

Genres: History, Ancient History, Religion, Christianity, Nonfiction, Classics

456 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 415

About the author

Paulus Orosius (born c. 375, died after 418)[1] — less often Paul Orosius in English — was a Gallaecian Christian priest, historian and theologian, a student of Augustine of Hippo. It is possible that he was born in Bracara Augusta (now Braga), then capital of the Roman province of Gallaecia.[2] Although there are some questions regarding his biography, such as his exact date of birth, it is known that he was a person of some prestige from a cultural point of view, as he had contact with the greatest figures of his time such as Saint Augustine of Hippo and Saint Jerome. In order to meet with them Orosius travelled to cities on the southern coast of the Mediterranean Sea, such as Hippo Regius and Alexandria.

These journeys defined his life and intellectual output. Orosius did not just discuss theological matters with Saint Augustine, in fact he also collaborated with him on the book City of God.[3] In addition, in 415 he was chosen to travel to Palestine in order to exchange information with other intellectuals. He was also able to participate in a Church Council meeting in Jerusalem on the same trip and he was entrusted with transporting the relics of Saint Stephen. The date of his death is also unclear, although it appears to have not been earlier than 418, when he finished one of his books, or later than 423.[4]

He wrote a total of three books, of which his most important is his Seven Books of History Against the Pagans (Historiarum Adversum Paganos Libri VII), considered to be one of the books with the greatest impact on historiography during the period between antiquity and the Middle Ages, as well as being one of the most important Hispanic books of all time. Part of its importance comes from the fact that the author shows his historiographical methodology. The book is a historical narration focussing on the pagan peoples from the earliest time up until the time Orosius was alive.[5]

Orosius was a highly influential figure both for the dissemination of information (History Against the Pagans was one of the main sources of information regarding Antiquity that was used up to the Renaissance) and for rationalising the study of history (his methodology greatly influenced later historians)

Reviews

[فهد الفهد · Rating 5 out of 5]

أوروسيوس تاريخ العالم

التاريخ بالنسبة لي شغف قديم، يمكن لي أن اقرأ أي تاريخ، إن كان تواريخ العرب ودولهم، أو تواريخ المسلمين وحروبهم، أو أوروبا وثوراتها، أو الأمريكتين ومآسيها، أو أفريقيا وشعوبها، أو تواريخ الشرق الغامضة، أو حتى تواريخ الشعوب المنسية، أعطني كتاباً عن السومريين أو الأكاديين أو العيلاميين أو المصريين القدماء أو المايا والأنكا والأزتيك، لا يهم... سأجد في كل هذا شخصيات عظيمة ارتبط بها عاطفياً، سأجد قصصاً وأحداثاً أغرب من الخيال، وسأتعرف على نفسي من جديد من خلال صيني في ثورة التايبينغ أو أفريقي يواجه جيش شاكا زولو أو أزتيكي يواجه الفناء الأسباني، فلذا عندما أجد كتاباً يؤرخ للعالم كتبه كاهن مسيحي قبل 1500 عام، لا أستطيع مقاومة شهوة قراءة التاريخ من عين قديمة، كيف يبدو العالم قديماً وخرباً في عين كاهن يظن أنه يعيش آخر الأزمنة.

[Archaic Worlds · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good source text for history but lacks the depth and breadth of a more universal character as it claims to be and as one would hope of a “history of all times of the world.” Some of his delving into etymology does point to very archaic notions though, whether he knew it or not.

[Benjamin Phillips]

This is a quirky (but important!) history written by a quirky guy. When Augustine was halfway through the City of God, he commissioned Orosius (a Spanish cleric who was passing through Africa at the time) to write a history demonstrating that the Pax Deorum was a myth and that Roman history was full of disasters. Basically, a monograph treatment of De Civ III. Orosius ended up writing a history from Ninus to his own day in a learned but rushed (and therefore sloppy) compilation of Florus, Jerome, Justin, Livy, et. Al. The interpretation is advanced throughout that the world has, generally, gotten better since Christ came. Also, Augustus was providentially ordered.
As such, Orosius’ eschatology is different from Augustine’s and more triumphalist. Nonetheless, he is committed throughout to showing the atrocities of war, which is a significant twist on the classical ideal.

[Charlie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Orosius' Seven Books of History against the Pagans is a book of epochal importance. It was one of the most popular histories of the Middle Ages and a direct inspiration to several of the others. Even considered apart from its future influence, it marked a decisive advance in Latin Christianity's approach to history. Having it in a superb edition is a great boon to historians of Christianity. The introduction is a bit sparse but the smooth translation and copious, erudite notes more than make up for that.

[Stella Hansen]

Correlation vs causation final boss

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Orosius is an entertaining, combative writer. He twists Roman history on its head in thrilling and interesting ways: the sacks of Rome in the fifth century were not as bad as those in centuries past; from the perspective of conquered barbarians, earlier ages were not more humane and peaceful. A. T. Fear’s translation seems pretty good - it’s very readable.

[Ugur Arutan]

I would like to read this book....

[Santiago González (puntoartica) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Creo que cualquier persona culta debería leer esta obra solamente por el enorme valor de la tesis de su obra y de su teoría histórica y contrastarla con los anteriores. Obra importantísima ejemplo perfecto de ese cambio de paradigma de la antigüedad al cristianismo, aun manteniendo mucho de lo anterior.

Mantiene bastante razonablemente la veracidad histórica, lo que contrasta con otros historiadores cristianos algo anteriores como Lactancio y Eusebio (en su Vita Constantini).

[Lulu]

c. 416 CE

Despite criticisms of his work, Orosius's books were considered to be successes from virtually the day of their publication. Nearly two hundred manuscripts of the "Histories" have survived.

Historiae Adversus Paganos has been quoted by authors ranging from Braulio of Zaragoza to Dante Alighieri, and was one of the main books used by students of Ancient History throughout the Middle Ages. Via its Arabic translation ‎(كتاب هروشيوش), it became one of the sources of Ibn Khaldun in his history. Lope de Vega made Orosius a central character in his play The Cardinal of Bethlehem, which shows how long-lived his fame was.

[Kyla Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

A. T. Fear's careful annotations make this a unique resource for the struggle between traditional paganism and a new and aggressive Christianity,fought in seven books across every battlefield in history.