Ossius of Cordova: A Contribution to the History of the Constantinian Period

"The main difficulty one has to overcome in writing on the life of Ossius--which is also the principal reason why so few monographs exist on the subject--lies with the condition of the sources. As said before, they are few and incomplete; they cover the role of Ossius only in events of exceptional interest, such as the Councils of Nicaea and Serdica, and limit themselves to the bare facts in regard to other events, such as the Council of Elvira, and Ossius' confession during the persecution of Diocletian. Consequently, the life of Ossius as seen through the sources presents a peculiar pattern, in which short periods of publicity alternate with long intervals spent in complete obscurity. Thus the entire first half of Ossius' life (ca. 256-ca. 300); parts of the period from 305 till 324; the periods between the Council of Nicaea and that of Serdica (326-342), and between the latter and final events of 355/8, form as many voids which the sources do not, and probably never will, permit to be filled. In the present study, attention has been mainly centered on the well-known episodes in the life of Ossius. A special effort, however, has been made to collect even the smallest particles of information, either certain or merely probable, which might enable us to draw a more complete and accurate picture of the personality and the actions of Ossius."--Preface, pages viii-ix.