Imperial Christian Hissoringraphy 359 ‘As with the chronicle cradition, the first significant offshoot of Eusebius’ (Church Hisrory was an expanded Latin teanslasion—in this ease by Rufinus of Aauileia, an energetic translator of Greek works who crossed swords with Jerome ‘over Origenism as wel as the usefulness of pagan literature.* Rufinus had been. commissioned in 402 by his local bishop, Chromatius, to translate Busebius in order to reassure the Christians of Aquileia during the Gothie siege oftheir ity by demonserating the long-term success of the Church through God's favour (Rufinus, /76 prologue). At points he expanded Eusebius’ accounts, but his iain contribution was the addition of ewo books which continued the nasrative of the erue faith, through the challenges ro the Council of Nicaea and he inter- Jude of Julian the Apostate, t the death of Theodosius I, who is presented as the standard for imitation by other rulers, Another possible catly continuator is, Gelasius, Bishop of Caesarea in Palestine from 367 to 395, who is connected by Photius (Biblioohec, codex 88, p. 12.30) with a re-edition and supplement of Eusebius’ account which provided considerable information on the Council of a and the Arian reaction.” Our knowledge, however, is complicaved by various factors—for example, che composition of an Ecclesiastical History by Gelasius of Cyzicus in the fifth cencury"*—the fact chat Phorius believed thar Gelasius had translated che History of Rufinus which was only commissioned several years after Gelasius’ death, and the links between the History of Soerates and Rufinus on which the traditional, and natural, view chat Socrates exploited his pretiecessor has now been powerfully challenged wich the suggestion thacall, our information about Gelasius the historian related to a late fifth-century imposter, Pseudo-Gelasius of Caesarea.” In the circumstances, speculation is best avoided. In the Greek East the last decade of the reign of Theodosius II (440-50) sa an extraordinary upsurge in ecclesiastical historiography, with chree extant continuations of Eusebius composed from an orthodox, Nicene, perspective by Socrates, Soromen, and Theodoret, inthis chronological order: slightly earlier the anti-Nicene Philostorgius had also continued Eusebius, but we only have wirect knowledge of this work through its surumary by Photius and iniluence fon other texts such as the Passio Artem.” From early on there has been a Van Deu, “The Church Historians after Eusebiue’ in Gabriele Maren (ed), Grevk amd onion Hisoragraphy in Late ntiqnty: Four te Sth Cotas (Leen 2003) 11-783 PP 1% formation is reviewed by Gable Maraico, “The Church Historians (0) Piilomorgiseand Gels of Cader, in Marc el), Greck and Roman sori in Late Aig > 88,56 p38 fect Van Natl, love de Care: Un compiltcrd cinguiime sé’, Become Zeit fos e022) 3 Gen Lp The Che oa Ste, Suomen and The rein Marco (el Gre and Roman Plrigripy i Lane nigra vry deal onsen a Sure and Soren in Von Malin Hse de pa ce pe Otis, "The Chach Hacorane (0) 8