Rufinus of Aquileia, in his Church History (11.5), describes Edessa as the city adorned with the relics of *Thomas the Apostle (S00199). Written in Latin in Aquileia (northern Italy), c. 402.
Evidence ID
E04538
Type of Evidence
Literary - Other narrative texts (including Histories)
Major author/Major anonymous work
Rufinus of Aquileia
Rufinus of Aquileia, Church History 11.5
Edessa namque Mesopotamiae urbs fidelium populorum est Thomae apostoli reliquiis decorata.
'For Edessa in Mesopotamia, which is adorned with the relics of the apostle Thomas, is a city of the faithful.'
There follows a story of how persecution in Edessa was ordered by the Emperor Julian, but was not carried out by the prefect who wanted to avoid slaughter.
Text: Mommsen 1908, 1008.
Translation: Amidon 1997, 67.
Summary: Robert Wiśniewski.
Cult Places
Burial site of a saint - unspecified
RelicsBodily relic - unspecified
Source
In 402-403, some time after his return to Italy from Palestine, Tyrannius Rufinus, or Rufinus of Aquileia, translated the Church History of Eusebius into Latin. He added a few passages in books 1-9 and wrote two entirely new books (10-11), which continued Eusebius' narrative down to AD 395. He described mostly contemporary events and his sources are difficult to identify.Bibliography
Edition:Mommsen, Th., Eusebius Werke II/2. Historia ecclesiastica (Die Griechischen Christlichen Schriftsteller 9.2; Berlin, 1908), 957-1040.
Translation:
Amidon, P.R., The Church History of Rufinus of Aquileia: Books 10 and 11 (Oxford, 1997).
Further reading:
Thelamon, F., Païens et Chrétiens au IVe siècle. L'apport de l'«Histoire ecclésiastique» de Rufin d'Aquilée (Paris, 1981).
Record Created By
Robert Wiśniewski
Date of Entry
| ID | Name | Name in Source | Identity | S00199 | Thomas, the Apostle | Thomas | Certain |
|---|
Please quote this record referring to its author, database name, number, and, if possible, stable URL:
Robert Wiśniewski, Cult of Saints, E04538 - http://csla.history.ox.ac.uk/record.php?recid=E04538