History of the FranksGregory, Bishop of Tours, Saint
History
History of the Franks
Gregory, Bishop of Tours, Saint
France -- Church history -- To 987; France -- History -- To 987; Franks -- History -- To 768
[B] P. =5=, l. 1 f. Here as well as in his “first preface” (p. 1)
Gregory gives his point of view as definitely as any historian has
ever done. The reader has merely to bear it in mind in order to
interpret the narrative. Gregory’s impulse to write the _History of
the Franks_ came not from an interest in the Frankish state, but
from an interest in the orthodox church, of which he regarded the
Franks as the champions. It is for this reason that he is far more
definite in expressing his adherence to the creed than his allegiance
to the Frankish kings. It is this attitude, too, that explains his
impatience with civil war (p. 105). Cf. _Introd._, p. xxi and pp. 53,
54.
[C] P. =6=, l. 36 f. Gregory’s references to his sources are
relatively clear in Book I and can be traced through the succeeding
chapters. The main source is naturally Jerome’s translation of
Eusebius’ chronicle supplemented by Orosius’ _History Against the
Pagans_. He also uses Rufinus’ translation and continuation of
Eusebius’ _Ecclesiastical History_. On these sources see other
volumes of the _Records of Civilization_.
[D] P. =9=, l. 1. The stade was 606 ft. 9 in. in length. It took
about 8⅔ stades to make an English mile.
[E] P. =9=, l. 2. =Agripennis= (_arapennis_, _arpent_), properly a
measure of surface. Here it is used of length, just as American
farmers use the term, _acre_, as a measure both of surface and of
length, meaning in the latter case the side of a square acre--about
70 yards. That this is the usage here may be proved by a simple
arithmetical operation.
[F] P. =10=, l. 12 f. For other exhibitions of extreme credulity, see
pp. 68, 171. It should be remembered that in these cases the point is
that Gregory is applying his theory of life to a concrete situation
in such a way that the contrast between the modern attitude and that
of the dark ages is brought out strongly. His view of the material
world was not one that laid any stress upon natural cause and effect,
but rather upon supernatural cause and natural effect. It is in
Gregory’s favor that he hears of more remarkable miracles than he
sees.
[G] P. =11.= Chapters 11-26 and 18-29 have been summarized. They
contain nothing of importance and their inclusion in full would be
solely at the expense of the reader’s patience.
[H] P. =12=, l. 11. 251 A.D.
[I] P. =12=, l. 16 f. Dionysius had the advantage, not apparent
until long after his lifetime, of being sent to Paris. His cult rose
with the city and he became the patron saint of France, his worship
centering in the abbey of St. Denis, founded within half a century of
Gregory’s death. In the ninth century St. Denis was boldly identified
with Dionysius the Areopagite and with the mystical theological
writings mistakenly attributed to the latter. This identification
affected the development of French theological thinking for eight
centuries. See Molinier, _Sources de l’Histoire de France_, Nos. 65,
816.
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