Die ›Kriegshistoriographie‹ des Orosius : ›Krieg‹ als Argumentationsmotiv in einem spätantiken christlichen Geschichtswerk

Abstract

Through his way of historical representation, Orosius wants to proof that Christianity is not responsible for the catastrophe of his own time: the sack of Rome in 410 AD. In her study, the author examines Orosius’ numerous descriptions of war in a systematic way. In doing so, she demonstrates how through his compilations Orosius is able to present pre-Christian history as a succession of cruelty, death and bloodshed and at the same time separates wars and disasters in Christian times clearly from this previous picture. In the end, the Christian Goths invading Rome transform the plundering into a holy procession. According to Orosius, war success and better conditions thus stand for the superiority of the Christian faith.