them were not bishops but laymen, they generally preserved
Eusebius’ positive appraisal of the role of the empire in God’s
plan for humanity. Similarly, they continued to emphasize the
importance of the episcopate to the smooth running of the church
(Harries 1991; Urbainczyk 1997).
Several of Eusebius’ works were also translated into Latin
for readers in the western provinces of the Roman empire, the
Ecclesiastical Historyamong them. The circumstances in which
its translation was produced indicate that Eusebius’ positive
portrayal of God’s intervention in human history was part of its
appeal. In the first decade of the fifth century, groups of Gothic
warriors spilled through Alpine passes into northern Italy. The
first major city they encountered was Aquileia, a great trading
emporium at the head of the Adriatic (a sort of ancient equiva-
lent to Venice) and the seat of a thriving Christian community
(Humphries 1999: 191–6). These were worrying times for
Aquileia’s Christians who, fearing that the Goths might suddenly
attack them, looked to their bishop Chromatius to provide spiri-
tual inspiration. As part of his response, Chromatius commis-
sioned his friend the monk Rufinus, who had spent much of his
life in the Greek east of the Mediterranean, to translate Eusebius’
Ecclesiastical Historyinto Latin for his flock. Rufinus was also
asked to provide a continuation of Eusebius’ narrative, covering
events down to recent times. In his preface to the completed work,
Rufinus recounted how Eusebius’ positive account of Christian
history could provide inspiration to its readers. By contemplating
the earlier trials and tribulations of the faith, then, the inhabitants
of Aquileia might take heart that God would look after them in
their time of tribulation. Thus Eusebius’ positive appraisal of early
Christian history was disseminated to the west.
The years between Eusebius and Rufinus also saw contin-
ued investigation into the material heritage of early Christianity.
Persecution by the Roman state had stopped, in general, with
Constantine’s conversion, but accounts of martyrdoms continued
to be used as a source of spiritual and ethical inspiration for
Christians enjoying the new-found peace of the church (BrownTHE HISTORICAL QUEST FOR EARLY CHRISTIANITY
42