No Voice of Reason. Socrates of Constantinople’s adaptation of Athanasius of Alexandria as a Source for His Ecclesiastical History

Dahm, Karl

Abstract

This article explores Socrates of Constantinople's literary strategies in his use of Athanasius of Alexandria as a source for his Ecclesiastical History against the contemporary ecclesiastical and political background. Contrary to the prevailing view which sees Socrates as a blind copyist of Athanasius, this article argues that Socrates deliberately abandoned or altered aspects of his source as a criticism of Athanasius's depiction of the fourth-century "Trinitarian Controversy." Focusing on two case studies—the Melitian Schism and the Council of Serdica—I suggest that Socrates was unsettled by the way in which Athanasius had dealt with dogmatic disputes and dogmatic conflict. Athanasius exemplified the same irreconcilability that Socrates deemed responsible for the severity and longevity of the divisions caused by the "Trinitarian Controversy." Accordingly, Socrates adjusted Athanasius's narrative, investing his (often hostile) interpretations of events with a new, irenic message which he hoped would serve as a clarion call for conciliation at a time when ecclesiastical unity and peace were again threatened by the simmering "Nestorian Controversy."

Citation

Dahm, K. (2023). No Voice of Reason. Socrates of Constantinople’s adaptation of Athanasius of Alexandria as a Source for His Ecclesiastical History. Journal of Late Antiquity, 16(1), Article 74–105. https://doi.org/10.1353/jla.2023.0004

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Mar 1, 2022
• Online Publication Date: Mar 21, 2023
• Publication Date: 2023-09
• Deposit Date: Jan 29, 2024
• Journal: Journal of Late Antiquity
• Print ISSN: 1939-6716
• Electronic ISSN: 1942-1273
• Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 16
• Issue: 1
• Article Number: 74–105
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/jla.2023.0004
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/2185418