Sozomen facts for kids

Salamanes Hermias Sozomenos (who was also known as Sozomen) was a Roman lawyer and a historian of the Christian Church. He lived from about 400 AD to 450 AD.

Sozomen's Early Life and Family

Sozomen was born around the year 400 in a small town called Bethelia, which was close to Gaza. His family was wealthy and Christian, living in the region of Palestine.

He learned about the history of Southern Palestine from stories passed down by people. He knew the area around Gaza well. He even mentioned seeing Bishop Zeno from Majuma, a seaport near Gaza.

His Grandfather's Conversion

Sozomen wrote that his grandfather lived in Bethelia, near Gaza. His grandfather and his whole family became Christians. This probably happened when Constantius II was emperor.

A neighbor named Alaphrion was very sick. He was miraculously healed by Saint Hilarion, who helped him get rid of a demon. Sozomen's family saw this miracle. Because of what they saw, his family and Alaphrion's family decided to become Christians. Sozomen said that this event was a big moment for Christianity in southern Palestine.

Sozomen's grandfather became a respected person who could explain the Scripture to others. The rich family of Alaphrion later built churches and convents in the area. They were very active in supporting monasticism, which is a way of life for monks and nuns. Sozomen himself talked to a very old man from this family. Sozomen said he grew up with strong influences from monks, and his writings show this.

Sozomen's Education and Career

Learning and Monastic Influence

Sozomen grew up connected to Alaphrion's family and felt thankful to the monks. Monks in his hometown guided his early education. We don't know exactly what he studied in these monastic schools. However, his writings clearly show he learned a lot about Greek studies.

As an adult, he remembered his youth. His most important work later on showed his deep respect for monks in general. He especially admired the followers of Hilarion.

Becoming a Lawyer

When he was older, Sozomen trained to be a lawyer. He studied law in Beirut. After finishing his studies, he moved to Constantinople. He started his career as a lawyer there, possibly working for Emperor Theodosius II. While working as a lawyer, around the year 443, he decided to write a history of the Church.

Sozomen's Writings on Church History

Sozomen wrote two books about the history of the Church. Only his second book still exists today.

His first book covered the history of the Church from the Ascension of Jesus until the defeat of Licinius in 323 AD. This book had twelve parts. For this work, he used sources like Eusebius of Caesarea, the Clementine homilies, Hegesippus, and Sextus Julius Africanus.

Sozomen's second book picked up where his first one left off. He wrote it in Constantinople between 440 and 443 AD. He dedicated this important work to Emperor Theodosius II.

This second book has nine parts, organized by the time periods of different Roman Emperors:

• Book I: From Constantine I becoming Christian to the Council of Nicea (312–325 AD).
• Book II: From the Council of Nicea to Constantine's death (325–337 AD).
• Book III: From the death of Constantine I to the death of Constans I (337–350 AD).
• Book IV: From the death of Constans I to the death of Constantius II (350–361 AD).
• Book V: From the death of Constantius II to the death of Julian the Apostate (361–363 AD).
• Book VI: From the death of Julian to the death of Valens (363–375 AD).
• Book VII: From the death of Valens to the death of Theodosius I (375–395 AD).
• Book VIII: From the death of Theodosius I to the death of Arcadius (395–408 AD).
• Book IX: From the death of Arcadius to Valentinian III becoming emperor (408–425 AD).

Book IX is not complete. Sozomen said he wanted to cover history up to the 17th year of Theodosius II's rule, which was 439 AD. However, the history we have ends around 425 AD. Experts disagree on why the end is missing. But later historians like Nicephorus, Theophanes, and Theodorus Lector seem to have read the full ending of Sozomen's work. So, most experts believe the work was completed but has reached us in a damaged state.

Other Interesting Writings

Historian Michael Cook noted that Sozomen wrote about a group of "Saracens" (Arabs) in Palestine. These Arabs had started following Jewish laws and customs after meeting Jewish people. According to Cook, these groups might have been early followers of Islam.

Sources Sozomen Used

Sozomen used many other writings to create his history.

About three-quarters of his material came from the writings of Socrates Scholasticus. It is clear that Sozomen read Socrates' work. For example, Socrates tells a story in his book that he heard, saying no one else reported it. This same story appears in Sozomen's book, with very similar words. This shows that Socrates' text was the source.

Sozomen did not just copy Socrates. He also looked at the main sources that Socrates used, and other sources too. Sometimes, Sozomen included more details from these sources than Socrates did.

He used the writings of Eusebius, who was the first major Church historian. Sozomen specifically mentioned Eusebius's Vita Constantini when describing Constantine's vision.

Sozomen also seemed to have read the Historia Athanasii and other works by Athanasius. He added details to Socrates' statements using Athanasius's Apologia contra Arianos.

Rufinus was another frequent source. For example, when talking about Athanasius's childhood, Rufinus was the original source. Socrates said he followed Rufinus, but Sozomen, knowing Socrates' version, followed Rufinus even more closely.

The church records Sozomen used mostly came from Sabinus. Sozomen often referred to Sabinus. Through Sabinus, he used records from church meetings (synods) from 335 AD to 367 AD.

For the time after Theodosius I, Sozomen stopped following Socrates. Instead, he followed Olympiodorus of Thebes, who was likely Sozomen's only non-religious source. Comparing Sozomen's work with Zosimus (who also used Olympiodorus) suggests that Sozomen's entire ninth book is mostly a shorter version of Olympiodorus's work.

Sozomen used many other important sources. These included writings about Christianity in Persia, histories written by monks, the Vita Martini by Sulpicius Severus, works by Hilarius, and letters from Cyril of Jerusalem. He also used Palladius's writings.

He also included stories passed down by word of mouth. These oral traditions add unique and valuable information to his work.

See also

In Spanish: Sozomeno para niños