Consideration of Other Sources, from Ammianus to Zonaras

Until now this study has considered at length the potential relationships between the Lost Arian History and other sources of ecclesiastical history; this chapter brings into the discussion other sources, such as the non-Christian Res gestae of Ammianus Marcellinus. Ammianus was a fourth-century pagan who probably came from Antioch or its immediate environs and who was intimately involved with the events of the middle of the fourth century. A member of the imperial officer corps of the protectores domestici, Ammianus participated in military campaigns during the reigns of Constantius II and Julian. Much of what is known of this period in his life involves his career as a subordinate to Ursicinus, the master of cavalry, of whom Ammianus wrote positively. Ammianus later joined Julian’s Persian expedition after a hiatus from combat and was present during the army’s defeat and subsequent withdrawal. Julian’s death signaled the demise of his religious reforms, and Ammianus, a non-Christian supporter of Julian, apparently retired from active military life as Christian emperors undid Julian’s attempted polytheistic revival. He eventually settled in Rome where he composed his history, the Res gestae, in Latin. It was received favorably by his readers and is often considered the last representative of the great Latin narratives of the Roman Empire. It seems that he finished writing his account in the 390s; how long he lived after that time is unknown.