"Pro verbis virtus". La disputa tra un filosofo e un confessore nella "Historia Ecclesiastica" di Rufino

At the beginning of the Historia Ecclesiastica Rufinus refers to the dispute between an eloquent philosopher and a simple confessor that took place at the Council of Nicaea. The examination of this episode helps us to deepen the analysis in several directions: in the context of the historical work of Rufinus, in the wider context of his original writings and translations, and in the comparison with the report that other historians provide of the same episode. So we can draw attention to the peculiarities of Rufinus’ text and highlight how later authors have modified the story to bring it into line with their ideological project; we can also deal with the debated question of Rufinus’ sources, in particular with his relationship with Gelasius of Caesarea, which according to several scholars is the direct source of the rufinian Historia.