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St Photius the Great, tr. Freese, 1920; selections
67. Codex 67: Sergius the Confessor, History
Read the History of Sergius the Confessor.1 It begins with the reign of the emperor Michael,2 and then goes back to the lawless and abominable acts of Copronymus.3 Political and ecclesiastical events down to the eighth year of Michael’s reign are narrated in order; his military achievements and his views on religious matters are set forth in detail.
The style is particularly clear and simple, both as regards the meaning of words, composition, and the general arrangement, which gives the impression of spontaneity. The language, full of natural charm, is not characterised by studied changes of form due to excessive care. In accordance with his design, he has preserved the style best adapted for ecclesiastical history.
Notes
- The work is lost. The name Confessor and the epithets applied to the acts of Copronymus show that Sergius was an opponent of the iconoclasts and a champion of orthodoxy. He is perhaps the Sergius exiled by Leo III.
- Michael II Balbus, the Stammerer (820-829).
- “Man of Dung,” Constantine V (741-775). …