17 Facts About Orosius

Orosius was able to participate in a Church Council meeting in Jerusalem on the same trip and he was entrusted with transporting the relics of Saint Stephen.

Orosius wrote a total of three books, of which his most important is his Seven Books of History Against the Pagans, considered to be one of the books with the greatest impact on historiography during the period between antiquity and the Middle Ages, as well as being one of the most important Hispanic books of all time.

Orosius was a highly influential figure both for the dissemination of information and for rationalising the study of history.

The main biographical references for Orosius come from the writings of Gennadius of Massilia and Braulio of Zaragoza, although his own writings should not be overlooked.

Orosius, author of Historiarum Adversum Paganos Libri vii, was a Briton, born at latest c AD 375.

The classical theories suggest that Orosius belonged to a family with good social standing, which would have allowed him to gain a good education.

Orosius had a confrontation with the Archbishop of Jerusalem, John II at the synod, in which Orosius was accused of heresy in front of the entire conclave.

Gennadius of Massilia considers that Orosius lived at least until the end of the Roman emperor Honorius' reign, which lasted until 423.

Paulus Orosius's masterpiece is, the only history book that he wrote, which gives insight into the historiographical methodology of the Spanish priesthood.

Orosius never offers a negative image of the Pagans, in this way he is being true to the traditions of the Graeco-Roman historians of that time, who always tried to give a positive impression of their "enemies".

The Universalist nature of Orosius's work is perhaps its most notable aspect.

Orosius was always clear in his objectives, he wanted to write the history starting with the creation and leading up to the times in which he lived, which is a clear declaration of his universalist intentions as a historian.

Orosius uses the so-called "succession of the four world empires theory" throughout his works, which traced world history based on the premise that out of the ruins of one great civilization another arose.

Orosius is thereby able to present the past as a series of adversities with concrete examples, from Noah's flood to the shipwrecking of ships in the Mediterranean Sea, and the future as something positive despite the reality of the times in which he lived.

From a historiographical point of view this approach led to some inconsistencies, as, in order to bring the reader round to his point of view, Orosius sometimes described myths and legends as if they were historic fact.

Orosius never seems lacking in sources of information, he even affirms that an historian should be selective with those he has, it rather seems that this difference in level of detail reflects the emphasis that he wants to place on reinforcing his ideas.

The sources Orosius used have been investigated by Teodoro de Morner; besides the Old and New Testaments, he appears to have consulted Caesar, Livy, Justin, Tacitus, Suetonius, Florus and a cosmography, attaching great value to Jerome's translation of the Chronicles of Eusebius.