{"id":{"repo_id":"ohiolink","oai_identifier":"oai:etd.ohiolink.edu:osu1364297607"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/ohiolink/oai:etd.ohiolink.edu:osu1364297607","repository":{"repo_id":"ohiolink","name":"OhioLINK","base_url":"https://etd.ohiolink.edu/acprod/odb_etd/ws/oai/oai"},"display":{"title":"Fifth-Century Views of Conversion: A Comparison of Conversion Narratives in the Church Histories of Sozomen and Socrates Scholasticus","abstract":"Sozomen and Socrates Scholasticus wrote church histories in the middle of the fifth century A.D. Each history covered the same period, from Constantine to Theodosius II. Sozomen wrote his history after Socrates' and although it tells many of the same stories, some striking dissimilarities can be identified. One way thatSozomen's history differs from Socrates' is in the author's view of conversion from paganism to Christianity. Sozomen's view is more process-oriented and more transformational than Socrates'.In this thesis, Sozomen's and Socrates' views of conversion are explored through an analysis of conversion narratives found in the two histories. After discussing some of the recent scholarship on conversion in late antiquity, I survey various historical views of conversions from Plato (fifth century B.C.) to Rufinus (fourth century A.D.) An examination of the background and sources of Sozomen and Socrates also prepares us for a comparison of the two authors. Then I examine five conversion narratives that both Sozomen and Socrates relate in their histories.For each conversion narrative, I provide the Greek text and an English translation. When the story is clearly derived from Rufinus of Aquilea (another fifth century church historian), I provide the Latin and an English translation of his account as well. By comparing terminology, metaphors and overall narrative style, I analyze thedifferent conversion accounts in order to understand each author's view of conversion.Research on conversion in history has increased recently, but it still relies primarily on autobiographical accounts. This thesis provides a different perspective by analyzing two lay historians who tell stories about conversions in the crucial period just after the conversion of Constantine. These authors' views on conversion inform scholars who research their historiography, but they also provide the historian of the period with some insight into how conversion was perceived. Thus, the implications of this study have ramifications for both historiographical and historical research in the fifth-century Roman empire.","abstract_html":"Sozomen and Socrates Scholasticus wrote church histories in the middle of the fifth century A.D. Each history covered the same period, from Constantine to Theodosius II. Sozomen wrote his history after Socrates' and although it tells many of the same stories, some striking dissimilarities can be identified. One way thatSozomen's history differs from Socrates' is in the author's view of conversion from paganism to Christianity. Sozomen's view is more process-oriented and more transformational than Socrates'.In this thesis, Sozomen's and Socrates' views of conversion are explored through an analysis of conversion narratives found in the two histories. After discussing some of the recent scholarship on conversion in late antiquity, I survey various historical views of conversions from Plato (fifth century B.C.) to Rufinus (fourth century A.D.) An examination of the background and sources of Sozomen and Socrates also prepares us for a comparison of the two authors. Then I examine five conversion narratives that both Sozomen and Socrates relate in their histories.For each conversion narrative, I provide the Greek text and an English translation. When the story is clearly derived from Rufinus of Aquilea (another fifth century church historian), I provide the Latin and an English translation of his account as well. By comparing terminology, metaphors and overall narrative style, I analyze thedifferent conversion accounts in order to understand each author's view of conversion.Research on conversion in history has increased recently, but it still relies primarily on autobiographical accounts. This thesis provides a different perspective by analyzing two lay historians who tell stories about conversions in the crucial period just after the conversion of Constantine. These authors' views on conversion inform scholars who research their historiography, but they also provide the historian of the period with some insight into how conversion was perceived. Thus, the implications of this study have ramifications for both historiographical and historical research in the fifth-century Roman empire.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Harris, Kevin Brice"],"institution":"The Ohio State University","degree_name":"Master of Arts","degree_level":"masters","degree_discipline":"History","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["E. Gregory, Timothy"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":1998,"date_issued":"1998","date_published":"1998","updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:37:01Z","subjects":["Religious History"],"languages":["English"],"rights":["unrestricted","This thesis or dissertation is protected by copyright: all rights reserved. It may not be copied or redistributed beyond the terms of applicable copyright laws."],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1364297607","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["E. Gregory, Timothy"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Harris, Kevin Brice"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date","label":"Dc Date","values":["1998"]},{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["The Ohio State University / OhioLINK"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Electronic Thesis or Dissertation"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["History"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["masters"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Arts"]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["The Ohio State University"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Religious History"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["English"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["unrestricted","This thesis or dissertation is protected by copyright: all rights reserved. It may not be copied or redistributed beyond the terms of applicable copyright laws."]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1364297607"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["Sozomen and Socrates Scholasticus wrote church histories in the middle of the fifth century A.D. Each history covered the same period, from Constantine to Theodosius II. Sozomen wrote his history after Socrates' and although it tells many of the same stories, some striking dissimilarities can be identified. One way thatSozomen's history differs from Socrates' is in the author's view of conversion from paganism to Christianity. Sozomen's view is more process-oriented and more transformational than Socrates'.In this thesis, Sozomen's and Socrates' views of conversion are explored through an analysis of conversion narratives found in the two histories. After discussing some of the recent scholarship on conversion in late antiquity, I survey various historical views of conversions from Plato (fifth century B.C.) to Rufinus (fourth century A.D.) An examination of the background and sources of Sozomen and Socrates also prepares us for a comparison of the two authors. Then I examine five conversion narratives that both Sozomen and Socrates relate in their histories.For each conversion narrative, I provide the Greek text and an English translation. When the story is clearly derived from Rufinus of Aquilea (another fifth century church historian), I provide the Latin and an English translation of his account as well. By comparing terminology, metaphors and overall narrative style, I analyze thedifferent conversion accounts in order to understand each author's view of conversion.Research on conversion in history has increased recently, but it still relies primarily on autobiographical accounts. This thesis provides a different perspective by analyzing two lay historians who tell stories about conversions in the crucial period just after the conversion of Constantine. These authors' views on conversion inform scholars who research their historiography, but they also provide the historian of the period with some insight into how conversion was perceived. Thus, the implications of this study have ramifications for both historiographical and historical research in the fifth-century Roman empire."]},{"key":"dc:format","label":"Dc Format","values":["application/pdf","p.119","1018.4 KB"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Fifth-Century Views of Conversion: A Comparison of Conversion Narratives in the Church Histories of Sozomen and Socrates Scholasticus"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["E. Gregory, Timothy"],"dc:creator":["Harris, Kevin Brice"],"dc:date":["1998"],"dc:description":["Sozomen and Socrates Scholasticus wrote church histories in the middle of the fifth century A.D. Each history covered the same period, from Constantine to Theodosius II. Sozomen wrote his history after Socrates' and although it tells many of the same stories, some striking dissimilarities can be identified. One way thatSozomen's history differs from Socrates' is in the author's view of conversion from paganism to Christianity. Sozomen's view is more process-oriented and more transformational than Socrates'.In this thesis, Sozomen's and Socrates' views of conversion are explored through an analysis of conversion narratives found in the two histories. After discussing some of the recent scholarship on conversion in late antiquity, I survey various historical views of conversions from Plato (fifth century B.C.) to Rufinus (fourth century A.D.) An examination of the background and sources of Sozomen and Socrates also prepares us for a comparison of the two authors. Then I examine five conversion narratives that both Sozomen and Socrates relate in their histories.For each conversion narrative, I provide the Greek text and an English translation. When the story is clearly derived from Rufinus of Aquilea (another fifth century church historian), I provide the Latin and an English translation of his account as well. By comparing terminology, metaphors and overall narrative style, I analyze thedifferent conversion accounts in order to understand each author's view of conversion.Research on conversion in history has increased recently, but it still relies primarily on autobiographical accounts. This thesis provides a different perspective by analyzing two lay historians who tell stories about conversions in the crucial period just after the conversion of Constantine. These authors' views on conversion inform scholars who research their historiography, but they also provide the historian of the period with some insight into how conversion was perceived. Thus, the implications of this study have ramifications for both historiographical and historical research in the fifth-century Roman empire."],"dc:format":["application/pdf","p.119","1018.4 KB"],"dc:identifier":["http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1364297607"],"dc:language":["English"],"dc:publisher":["The Ohio State University / OhioLINK"],"dc:rights":["unrestricted","This thesis or dissertation is protected by copyright: all rights reserved. It may not be copied or redistributed beyond the terms of applicable copyright laws."],"dc:subject":["Religious History"],"dc:title":["Fifth-Century Views of Conversion: A Comparison of Conversion Narratives in the Church Histories of Sozomen and Socrates Scholasticus"],"dc:type":["Electronic Thesis or Dissertation"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["History"],"thesis:degree_level":["masters"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Arts"],"thesis:institution_name":["The Ohio State University"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:37:01Z"}