| Keywords |
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| ID |
5868 |
| Text |
Historiarum adversum paganos libri VII (417 - 418) Orosius |
| Quotation |
6 Exercitum uero Romanum cunctasque legiones per longinqua late hiberna dispositas ita consumptas ferunt, ut Marcomannicum bellum, quod continuo exortum est, non nisi nouo dilectu militum, quem triennio iugiter apud Carnuntium Marcus Antoninus habuit, gestum fuisse referatur. 7 Hoc quidem bellum prouidentia Dei administratum esse cum plurimis argumentis tum praecipue epistula grauissimi ac modestissimi imperatoris apertissime declaratum est. 8 Nam cum insurrexissent gentes inmanitate barbarae, multitudine innumerabiles, hoc est Marcomanni Quadi Vandali Sarmatae Suebi atque omnis paene Germania, et in Quadorum usque fines progressus exercitus circumuentusque ab hostibus propter aquarum penuriam praesentius sitis quam hostis periculum sustineret: 9 ad inuocationem nominis Christi, quam subito magna fidei constantia quidam milites effusi in preces palam fecerunt, tanta uis pluuiae effusa est, ut Romanos quidem largissime ac sine iniuria refecerit, barbaros autem crebris fulminum ictibus perterritos, praesertim cum plurimi eorum occiderentur, in fugam coegerit. 10 Quorum terga Romani usque ad internecionem caedentes gloriosissimam uictoriam et omnibus paene antiquorum titulis praeferendam rudi paruoque militum numero sed potentissimo Christi auxilio reportarunt. 11 Exstare etiam nunc apud plerosque dicuntur litterae imperatoris Antonini, ubi inuocatione nominis Christi per milites Christianos et sitim illam depulsam et conlatam fatetur fuisse uictoriam. |
| Translation |
6. It is said that the Roman army and all its legions stationed far and
wide in their winter quarters lost so many men that the Marcomannic war
which broke out at this time could not be have been waged without the fresh
levy of troops which Marcus Antoninus held at Carnuntium for three years
running.
7. A great amount of evidence makes it absolutely clear that this war was
guided by divine providence. The most important piece is a letter written
by this sober and serious emperor. 8. For when an innumerable host of
savage barbarian tribes, that is the Marcomanni, Quadi, Vandals, Sarmatians,
Sueves, and almost all of Germany, rose in rebellion, the army advanced up
to the frontier with the Quadi and were surrounded by the enemy. They then
found themselves in more immediate danger from their lack of water than
the enemy. 9. When some soldiers, showing their great constancy of faith,
suddenly poured forth their prayers, openly calling on the name of Christ,
the rain fell with such violence that it more than made good the Romans’
supplies at no danger to themselves, but the constant lightning bolts terri‐
fied the barbarians, especially as many of them were killed, and forced them
to flee. 10. As they turned their backs in flight, the Romans fell on them
and slaughtered them to a man, winning with a few untrained troops, but
also with the mighty aid of Christ, a glorious victory that outshone almost
all those of old. 11. The majority of authors say that Antoninus’s report, in
which he admits that it was the invocation of Christ’s name by his Christian
soldiers that remedied his lack of water and won the victory, is still extant
to this day. |
| Quotation source |
Lib. 7, Cap. 15, 6-11 (Vol. III, pp. 48-9, trans. Fear, p. 347) |
| Temporal Coverage |
166 - 173 |
| Associated use case(s) |
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| Comment |
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