Theodosius: The Empire at Bay

Theodosius: The Empire at Bay by Stephen Williams and Gerard Friell is not only a biography of the Roman emperor who ruled 379-395. It is also a general history of the Roman Empire from the death of Valentinian in 375 and the battle of Adrianople in 378 to the Vandal conquest of North Africa in 429-430 and beyond.

The book was published by B. T. Batsford in the UK in 1994 and by Yale University Press in the US in 1995. It was reprinted by Routledge in 1998. On the back cover of the US version from 1995 the authors are presented in the following way:

“Stephen Williams, until recently head of public relations at English Heritage, is the author of a widely acclaimed biography of Diocletian. Gerard Friell works for English Heritage as archaeological inspector for northwest England and Hadrian’s Wall.”

The main text is divided into four parts and 12 chapters. Here is a brief overview:

** Part I – The Crucible – chapters 1-5

** Part II – The Changed Background – chapters 6-8

** Part III – Confrontation – chapters 9-10

** Part IV – The Unravelling – chapters 11-12

Some chapters follow a chronological line, while others cover selected themes. In many chapters the focus is on political and military affairs, but in chapters 4 and 9 the focus is on religious affairs, the transition from Paganism to Christianity.

At the end of the book there are five appendices, notes with references and additional comments, a bibliography, and an index.

The text is illustrated by 19 photos (placed in a block between pp. 128 and 129) and four maps (pp. 172-175). The illustrations are well-chosen, but it is a shame they are all in black-and-white. Perhaps the most important illustration is # 1, which shows the missorium of Theodosius from 388. This item is presented in the text on page 67.

The reign of Theodosius I was in several ways a turning point in the history of the Roman Empire. He was the last emperor who ruled the whole empire, east and west. When he died in 395, the empire was divided between his two sons: Honorius, the younger son, was given the west with the capital Rome and Milan and later Ravenna. Arcadius, the elder son, was given the east with the capital Constantinople (today Istanbul). During his reign, Christianity was adopted as the official state religion. The transition took place in several stages: a minor step in 381, the major step in 391, and the final step in 392.

Williams and Friell got some good reviews. On the back cover of the paperback version there are excerpts from several reviews of the hardcover version; all highly positive:

** Thomas S. Burns, American Historical Review: “One cannot help grappling with historical issues while reading this book. Nonspecialists will find much here to reward their efforts.”

** Choice: “A model of clarity and organization… A rare work, in that it is valuable to students and scholars at all levels.”

** R. Bruce Hitchner, History: “A coherent narrative of the crisis-ridden years of the late fourth century, as well as a useful general discussion of the society, institutions, and structures of the late empire.”

** Dallas Morning News: “Theodosius I was a towering figure in the history of the late Roman Empire and the early church… Williams and Friell offer a fascinating portrait.”

** H. A. Drake, Catholic Historical Review: “A book with many useful things to say about a pivotal period in Roman relations with Germanic peoples.”

I understand the positive reviews and I agree with them. I like in particular chapters 4 and 9 where the focus is on religious affairs.

In chapter 4 “Catholic Ascendancy” the authors describe the rise of Christianity. As they point out, this new religion was divided into several fractions or denominations even before it was adopted as the official religion of the Roman Empire. Most Pagan religions tolerated other religions, but each Christian fraction insisted on being absolutely right and rejected all others as false.

In chapter 9 “Contra Paganos” the authors describe how Christianity was adopted as the official religion of the Roman state, step by step. As they point out, Theodosius did not always follow a consistent line. In some cases he was quite tolerant, but in others he insisted on orthodoxy. They discuss the reasons for this.

Theodosius: The Empire at Bay is a great book about an important emperor, but I have to mention a few things which bother me. I am going to mention them, even though they are minor flaws:

(1) On page 20 the authors mention Julius, who was Master of the Army in the East, and they want to give us his title in Latin: “Magister Militum per Oriens.” This title is wrong. The correct title is Magister Militum per Orientem.

(2) On page 111 the authors mention the traditional Roman network of clients and patrons and they want to give us the technical term in Latin: “clientelia.” This word is wrong. The correct word is clientela.

(3) On page 129 the authors mention Eugenius, who was Chief Secretary to the Emperor, and they want to give us his title in Latin: “Magister Scriniorum.” This title is wrong. The correct title is Magister Scrinorum.

(4) On page 171 – the last page of the last chapter – they authors write: “Theodosius has been called the Great, but principally in gratitude for his establishment of Unam Sanctam Catholicam Apostolicam Ecclesiam.” The five Latin words are given is the accusative. Why? There is no reason for this. Therefore the authors should have used the nominative: Una Sancta Catholica Apostolica Ecclesia.

(5) In notes 25 and 27 on page 216 the authors refer to an ancient source: “Eunapius, Vita Antonius.” The name Antonius is wrong. The correct name is Antoninus. In addition, there is something wrong with the Latin construction “Vita Antonius.” In English we will say “The life of Antonius.” In Latin we must say Vita Antoni. But, as I have explained, the name Antonius is wrong. They should say “The life of Antoninus.” In Latin this becomes Vita Antonini.

Eunapius wrote a book known as The Lives of the Philosophers. Several philosophers are presented in this book, but there is no separate book about Antoninus; the passage to which the authors refer on page 122 (about removing the floor) appears in chapter 472 of the book about the philosophers.

(6) At the end of chapter 2 – on page 35 – there is a quotation from the ancient author Themistius, which is marked with note # 55. The notes for chapter 2 are placed at the end of the book, on pp. 200 and 201, but if you look closely, you will see that there are only 54 notes here: note # 55 is missing!

It seems the authors are not really familiar with Latin. The question is: Can you write a biography about a Roman emperor if you do not know Latin? Yes you can, and it may even be a great biography, but if you want to use Latin words from time to time, you should at least consult someone who knows this language before sending your manuscript to the printer. Williams and Friell did not do this.

Why do they use Latin words from time to time? I think they want to make the account look more authentic; they want to bring us closer to the original sources. The intention is good, but the result is unfortunate. Just when want to make it better, they get it wrong, and in this way they make it worse! I wish they had simply stayed away from the Latin words. If they had done this, they would have avoided most of the flaws mentioned here.

PS. The transition from Paganism to Christianity is the subject of AD 381 by Charles Freeman (hardcover 2008, paperback 2009). Unfortunately, Freeman believes the turning point is the year 381, while it is more appropriate to place it ca. ten years later, in 391 and/or 392.

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Stephen Williams and Gerard Friell,

Theodosius: The Empire at Bay,

B. T. Batsford, 1994, Yale University Press, 1995, 238 pages

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