This is the only work that survives by Socrates Scholasticus, a figure traditionally believed to be a lawyer, despite no evidence indicating as much. His Ecclesiastical History was likely written late in the reign of Theodosius II, covering the period from Emperor Constantine to Emperor Theodosius II (from 305 to 439). Like his fellow fifth-century historians Theodoret of Cyrrhus and Sozomen, Socrates, who likely wrote his work before they wrote theirs, picks up his narrative of church history where Eusebius of Caesarea left off in his Ecclesiastical History and tracks the activity of bishops, priests, monks, emperors, imperial officials, and military figures as they operate within the then-new cultural matrix of an imperialized Christianity. He draws on the original writings of many of his subjects and incorporates material from Eusebius of Caesarea’s Life of Constantine, Rufinus of Aquileia’s Ecclesiastical History, and the lost work of Gelasius of Caesarea, among other sources. While Socrates avoids the triumphalist tone that defined the writings of his predecessor Eusebius, he nevertheless uses his work to argue that the world benefits from a strong relationship between Christian worship and state power.