Darulhadis İslami Araştırmalar Dergisi (Dec 2022)
Socrates and Sozomen’s Church History in Comparative Perspective
Abstract
Beginning in the 4th century with Eusebius of Caesarea and continued by writers such as Socrates, Sozomenus and Theodoretus, church historiography is very important in terms of historiography. The most important aim of church historians is to tell the story of Christianity, which has survived despite being suppressed and persecuted many times since its first emergence. The Christians, who were exposed to various persecutions until the beginning of the 4th century, experienced great relief with the conversion of Constantine the Great to this religion. After this date, the Christians, who found a relatively free environment, focused more on the nature of Jesus and gathered many councils to solve problems within the scope of theology and the hierarchy of the churches. Church History works, which contain these theological and hierarchical debates, need to be carefully examined in order to understand the conflicts. In addition, church historians, who were too concerned about secular events, reflected the turbulences of the Late Roman Empire in their works. At this point, the works of church historians, who sometimes refer to the Germans and from time to time to regions such as Armenia and Persia in the more eastern parts, shed light on political events.
