The Church Fathers · c. 390–395
The Histories
Res Gestae
Ammianus Marcellinus · c. 330 – c. 395
What it is
The last great history written in Latin, by a pagan soldier who served under Julian, covering the years 353 to 378 and ending at Adrianople. He records the Christians tearing at each other over the see of Rome — a prize worth having, given what the city's matrons will give a bishop — and observes that no wild beasts are so hostile to men as Christians are to one another.
Why it lasted
A fair-minded pagan's account of the century the church took power, written by a man who admired Julian and still praised Christian bishops when they deserved it. It is the indispensable check on the Christian historians of the same events.
Scripture it works from
Where to read it
Public domain and free to read in full, though not held here. The archives below have it.
These open a search on each archive rather than a direct link, which is the honest way to point at an edition nobody here has checked line by line.
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