Writing the History of Our Own Times

Theodore, holy man of God, we have carried out the task you gave us in the five books before this one. In them we have set down, as well as we were able, the history of the church from the time of Constantine. Notice, however, that we have taken no trouble at all over style. We judged that if we fussed too much over elegant expression, we might defeat the very purpose we had in view. And even supposing our purpose could still have been achieved, we were completely barred from using that freedom which the ancient historians seem to have taken so liberally, by which each of them thought himself quite free to enlarge on the facts or to cut them down. Besides, polished writing would do nothing to build up the common people and the unlettered, who only want to know the facts and not to admire fine phrasing. So, in order not to make my work useless to both kinds of readers — to the learned, because no amount of elaborate language could make them rank it with the grand style of the ancient writers, and to the unlearned, because they could not follow the facts if these were clouded by a display of words — we have deliberately chosen a style that makes no claim to grandeur, but is at the same time clear and plain. [a]

As we begin our sixth book, however, we must say this first. In setting out to tell the events of our own time, we fear that we may put forward things that many will find hard to swallow. It may be because, as the proverb says, “Truth is bitter”; or because we do not mention with praise the names of people some may love; or because we do not magnify their deeds. The zealous members of our churches will condemn us for not calling the bishops “Most dear to God,” “Most holy,” and the like. Others will pick a quarrel with us because we do not give the emperors the titles “Most divine” and “Lords,” or apply to them the other titles they are commonly given. But I could easily prove from the testimony of ancient authors that among them a servant was used to addressing his master simply by name, without mention of his rank or titles, because of the pressure of business. In the same way I will obey the laws of history, which demand a simple and faithful account, not hidden behind a veil of any kind. I will go on to record accurately what I have either seen myself or been able to learn from those who actually saw it. I have tested the truth by whether the witnesses who spoke of the same events agreed, and by every means I could possibly use. Finding out the truth was hard work indeed, since many different people gave different accounts, and some claimed to be eyewitnesses, while others claimed to know these things more closely than anyone else. [b]