Philippe de Sidè

Philippe de Sidè , man of the church and Greek historian of first half of the 5th century.

Philippe, whose nickname indicates that it was originating in Sidé in Pamphylie, appears in Constantinople in the close entourage of Jean Chrysostome which ordered it deacon. A letter of Jean Chrysostome even seems to show that the patriarch held it in friendship. It aspired to three times of continuation the episcopal see of Constantinople, against Sisinnius Ier into 426, against Nestorius into 428 and Maximien into 431. Although it had partisans, it failed each attempt and died simple priest. Nestorius would have prohibited to him to preach.

According to Socrate, he undertook a refutation of the treaties of the emperor Julien against the Christians (a work of which we do not know anything) and especially vast a Christian Histoire (χριστιανικὴ ἱστορία) in 36 pounds who went from the creation of the world until his time.

Socrat tells us all the evil that he thinks about it. He reproaches him tiresome digressions “to show that he was versed in all kinds of philosophical disciplines”, his ornamented style and his historical confusions. Photius, which did not know any more that 24 books out of 36, is even harder: “It is verbeux and it misses distinction and of grace, it is even tedious… He is more pedant than instructive. He inserts into which better in its account of the details which do not have any relationship with him, so that its work is less one account that an amalgam of heteroclite data…, its profusion is a challenge with the good taste”. It even found the place there to regulate its accounts with its Sisinnius rival. Socrat finds that what it known as is not répétable.

Perhaps these judgments which appear to be shared, joined to the enormous proportions of the work, are enough to explain its almost complete disappearance.

There remain about it only some traces in a single manuscript and without much authority, the codex Baroccianus gr.142 of Oxford, which contains a collection of various extracts forming one épitomé of ecclesiastical history which undoubtedly goes back to the 7th century. Philippe is named there in connection with two extracts (or rather of two summaries of extracts), one concerning the catechetic school of Alexandria, the other Papias de Hiérapolis. First was printed since 1689 by Dodwell following its Dissertationes in Irenaeum… the value of the information which one can draw is poor - (see: Didaskaleion of Alexandria and Athénagore of Athens). The second is largely dependant on Eusèbe, but also the famous tradition pays to us - which made run much useless ink - murder of Jean saint and his Jacques brother by the Jews.

It should be added, to be complete, that two manuscripts at least (Bodleianus Miscell. gr. 120 and Parisinus suppl. gr. 685) give a short fragment on Adam and Eve drawn from this Christian Histoire .

Lastly, Philippe is interfered with the discussion with a text rather mysterious contents in a manuscript Vienna and heading De Christi Nativitate and of Magis, that the German scholars who discussed it quote more readily under the name of Religionsgespräch amndt Hof der Sassaniden . It is about an argument which would have taken place between Chrétiens and Persan at the court of a king sassanide; Philippe would have personally assisted to with it and an oracle on star of the Mages would be of his feather.

All that represents few things ultimately. One can judge in our turn, with Werner Portmann, that Philippe had many ambitions at the same time like man of the church and writer and that it did not succeed more in a career than in the other.

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