Analysis of a History - Book Report/Review Example

The Chronicle of Pseudo-Joshua the Stylite was written by him as a letter to Sergius, on the latter’s request, “by way of record” (Joshua Para I). In it he writes about the plague of locusts, famine and epidemic which afflicted Edessa and its surrounding region from 494 A.D. to 502 A.D., and the wars between the Persian King Kawad and the Byzantine emperor Anastasius in northern Mesopotamia between 502 A.D. and 506 A. D. The writer, Joshua, states in the Chronicle himself that his purpose in writing about the events is for those people who are present to repent for their sins and wrongdoings, and for those who will come later to take it as an admonition not to commit sins. God, according to Joshua, sent down these afflictions “to rebuke us and our posterity, and to teach us by the memory and reading of them that they were sent upon us for our sins.” (Joshua Para IV). Also, towards the end of his Chronicle he reminds the reader that he wants his writing about the events of pestilence of war to serve “as a reminder to those who endured them, and for the instruction of those who shall come after us, that, if they please, they may be enabled to become wise through these few things which I have written” (Joshua Para LXXXVI). Being a Christian, he believes that all the troubles that befell the Christian Roman Empire were caused by the sins of the people, and should serve as an illustration to St. Paul’s words that “When we are chastened, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world." (Joshua IV). His tone is similar with regards to the war that took place between the Persians and the Romans; he refers to the Persians as the “rod of God” (Para V) as they were merciless when they took over the Roman territory and ill treated the people who they captured. What is interesting is that the author does not feel that it is through any fault of the emperor Anastasius that this war was caused, who he praises as the “all-ruling and believing emperor” (Joshua Para VI). Joshua states that the war came about due to certain events in the past, which he describes in his Chronicle (Joshua Para VII-XVIII). Even when writing about the immediate precursors to war (Joshua Para XIX-XXIV), the blame, he feels squarely rests with the Persians and not the Romans. Though, of course, the fact that the people were engaged in, what he terms, sins has something to do with a reason for the outbreak of war. With regards to the war and its events, of course, he was not a party to all that happened, however, he compiled the narrative with the help of other sources: “Some of them I found in old books; others I learned from meeting with men who had acted as ambassadors to both monarchs; and others from those who were present at these occurrences.”(Joshua Para XXV). He has taken a multitude of events that happened in his lifetime and given them a very Christian twist of sorts. For him the locusts (Joshua Para XXXVII) that besieged the population and the various earthquakes throughout Mesopotamia (Joshua Para XXXIV), as well as the famine that followed (Joshua Para XL), and, what is more, the solar eclipse that occurred (Joshua Para XXXVI) were all a warning from God for the population to cease its sinful activities, the May festival being an example of such activities (Joshua Para XXVII & XXX). He states that there were signs for the people to heed warning sent by God throughout this time (Joshua Para XXXIII & XXVII) about His displeasure but the people refused to give up their sins and, hence were afflicted with all these misfortunes that lasted a total of twelve years. He also gives evidence for his beliefs, for instance he claims that when the emperor Anastasius sent an edict forbidding the dancers from dancing at the, what he calls heathen, festival, within thirty days the prices of the commodities, which were extremely high due to the famine, went down considerably (Joshua Para XLVI), thus enabling poor people to be able to buy food. His explanation for all the events is very simplistic, although he cannot be blamed as he came from a religious background and was used to seeing every event that happened around him with a religious eye. It would be safe to assume that he can be termed as a Christian historian. The events that led up to the war as well as the war itself are described by Joshua with a very Christian tint to it. While describing the events of the war, Joshua constantly uses Christian dogma, for instance when he talks about how the Persian took over the walls of Amid from the Romans due to the latter’s carelessness, he says that it was “a chastisement from God” (Joshua Para LIII). The Persians are heathens in his eyes, of course, and he has described their activities throughout the war (and in the events of yore that led to the war) as devoid of any honor, whereas even when describing the treachery of the Romans amongst themselves and with the Persians (see for example the incident between Zeno and Illus in Para XIII-XVII, and the incident between the Persian Astabid and the Roman Magister Para LXXX), he speaks of it in a tone of admiration as to the Romans mental skills. One of the Persian Arab leader, Na’man’s, death is explained by the author as a consequence of his blasphemy (Joshua Para LVIII), which he uttered by stating that he wanted to set out to capture Edessa, a city which the author says is protected from being captured by heathen forces by a promise made by Christ himself. This promise was also fulfilled, as Joshua explains (Para LX), when the Persian tried to take Edessa but “they were humbled and repressed and turned back” (Joshua Para LXII). Although the author does mention the plundering of Roman subjects by the hands of the allies of the Romans (Joshua Para LXXXVI, for example), which included the Goths, however, the tone he reserves for the Romans is that of respect and admiration. The author also wrote about the “miracle” that he heard about and about which he received a letter, whereby the victory of the Romans was foretold. According to this letter he read, and copied in his Chronicle, in the village of ‘Agar in the district of Zeugma a goose laid an egg which had two crosses traced on it with the letters “The Romans shall conquer” written on it (Joshua Para LXVIII). This he refers to as a sign that was given to the Romans from God, hence, once again reiterating his belief that the Romans, being Christians, were on the right path and were, therefore, destined for victory. It is, therefore, very clear to the reader that Joshua interprets the events that have happened during his time in a Christian light, however, it will be unfair to assert that because he has a Christian outlook he has also misstated events. One of the reasons why this Chronicle is considered to be an important work of history is the fact that the author did not conceal any facts that were known to him, and although he was not quick to condemn the Romans in their misdeeds, he did, however, list them truthfully in his account. The Christian theme or feel with which he starts his Chronicle is replete throughout and he has used the same to create the account of his time and to describe the society he is a part of. The events of his time are very effectively explained by him in religious terms. It is important to note that though his text is replete with events that he says are caused due to the sins of people, the author does make it a point to clarify that he is not a Doomsday crier, as he states “these things did not happen to us because it was the latter time, but that they took place for our chastisement, because our sins were great” (Joshua Para XLIX). This sets his Chronicle apart from other Christian writings that similarly castigate the people for their sins. Overall the way the author has constructed his Chronicle is very illuminating with regards to the events that he describes, he has taken care to write with as much accuracy as he possibly can as well as including his own thesis with regards to the events. Reference: Pseudo-Joshua, the Stylite. The Chronicle of Joshua the Stylite. Trans. W. Wright. London: Cambridge University Press, 1882. Print. Read More