R U F 



R U F 



Italy. Having arrived at Rome, Ruffinus almoft immedi- 

 ately publifhed a Latin verfion of the firft book of the 

 " Apology for Origen," which was followed by another 

 piece, intended to prove that the works of Origen had been 

 corrupted and interpolated, and a defence of him drawn up 

 from his own letters. At this period our author published 

 his translation of Origen's " Book of Principles," with a 

 preface, in which he applauded the high opinion which, in 

 the earlier part of his life, Jerome had entertained of that 

 author and his writings. This conduct was warmly refented 

 by Jerome, who publifhed "An Apology" for himfelf, in 

 which he attacked Ruffinus in the moil acrimonious terms, 

 treating him as a heretic. About the year 400 he pub- 

 lifhed an eloquent and indignant reply to the accufations in 

 his " Two Books of Invectives." Ruffinus, whatever might 

 be the nature of his arguments, was in other refpects the 

 leaft powerful, and he thought it advrfeable to retire to 

 Aquileia. He was fummoned to Rome by Anaftafius, to 

 vindicate himfelf againft the accufations of Jerome, but he 

 did not think it fit to obey the fummons, contenting himfelf 

 with fending a declaration of the conformity of his faith 

 with that of the Catholic church, and dating that, with 

 refpect to his tranflatiou of Origen's work, he had neither 

 approved nor difapproved, but barely refuted the fentiments 

 of that writer. Not fatisfied with this declaration, Anafta- 

 fius condemned him as a heretic ; but the papal anathema 

 feems to have produced little effect on Ruffinus, fince it did 

 not prevent him from continuing his controverfy with Je- 

 rome, or interrupt his tranquillity or his ftudies. In the 

 year 410, the ravages of the Vifigoths in Italy, under 

 Alaric, compelled him to fly from Aquileia, when he took 

 refuge in the ifland of Sicily, where he appears to have died, 

 either in the fame or the fucceeding year. Various charac- 

 ters have been given of this father. Mofheim obferves, 

 that " he would have obtained a very honourable place 

 among the Latin writers of this century, had it not been 

 his misfortune to have had the powerful and foul-mouthed 

 Jerome for his adverfary :" and Dupin acknowledges, " that 

 though very ill ufed by St. Jerome, he was one of the ablell 

 men in his time : perhapB he had not fo much learning as 

 that father, but his temper was better and lefs violent." His 

 ilyle is neat, and fufficiently pure in point of latinity. In 

 his commentaries on divers parts of the fcriptures, he ex- 

 plains the text in an elegant and natural way, chiefly adher- 

 ing to the literal fenfe, without entangling himfelf in alle- 

 gories. In his character of a tranflator from the Greek to 

 the Latin, he takes confiderable liberties, but he honeltly 

 acknowledges them. His original works, befides the pieces 

 in controverfy with Jerome, already noticed, comprize com- 

 mentaries on different parts of the Old Teltament ; two 

 books of Ecclefiaflical Hiftory, added by him to his verfion 

 of Eufebius, and continuing the hiftory of the church to 

 the death of the emperor Theodofius. Other works have 

 been afcribed to him. The whole of what belongs to Ruf- 

 finus, excepting his apologies for Origen and declaration to 

 Anaftafius, were publifhed in a folio volume at Paris, in 

 1580. He tranflated the works of Jofephus, the Eccleli- 

 aftical Hiftory of Eufebius, and many other works from the 

 Greek to the Latin. Moreri. Dupin. Mofheim. 



RUFINUS, minifter of (late to the emperors Theodo- 

 fius and Arcadius, was a native of Eluz/.o, now named 

 Eaufe, a town of France, in the departmt at of Gers, 

 according to the modern divifions of that kingdom, which 

 in the time of Rufinus was a celebrated city, and puffing 

 from the Romans to the Goths, was taken from them 

 by Clovis. Rufinus was brought up to the proftflion of 

 the law, and being poilcfled of a bold aud ready elocution, 



with much addrefs, and an advantageous perfon, he at- 

 tracted fome confiderable fhare of notice at the court of 

 Conftantinople, and about 390 was raifed by Theodofius to 

 the poll of mafter of the offices. In 392 he was nominated 

 to the conlullhip, with Arcadius for a colleague ; and dur- 

 ing the fame year he was entrulted with the important poft 

 of prefect of the Eaft. He difguifed his ambition and 

 other vices under the mafk of piety, by which he fecured 

 the confidence of the emperor, aud obtained the friendfhip 

 of Ambrofe, and other dignified ecclefiaitics. Having built 

 a fumptuous palace and church at Chalcedon, he affembled 

 the molt illuflnous bilhops of the Eaft to aflifl at the dedi- 

 cation, taking occafion, at the fame time, to receive the rite 

 of baptifm, which in that age was often deferred to a late 

 period. By nature he was cruel and vindictive, and com- 

 mitted many atrocious acts : he ftimulated his mafter to 

 order the dreadful mafTacre of Theffalonica : he procured 

 the difgrace and exile of the brave general Promotus, who 

 had chaltifed his infolence by a blow : and he effected the 

 ruin of the prefect Tatianus, and the execution of his fon 

 Proculus, in order to make way for his own prefecture of 

 the Eaft. " The punifhment of the two prefects," fays 

 Gibbon, " might, perhaps, be excufed by the exception- 

 able parts of their own conduct : the enmity of Rufinus 

 might be palliated by the jealous and unfociable nature of 

 ambition. But he indulged a fpirit of revenge, equally re- 

 pugnant to prudence and to juftice, when he degraded their 

 native country of Lycia, from the rank of Roman pro- 

 vinces ; ftigmatized people with a mark of ignominy ; and 

 declared that the countrymen of Tatianus and Proculus 

 fhould ever remain incapable of holding any employment of 

 honour or advantage, under the imperial government." 



After the death of Theodofius, in 395, Rufinus fucceeded 

 to abfolute authority over the Eaftern empire, in the name 

 of Arcadius, and he made ufe of his power for the gratifi- 

 cation of his paflions, efpecially that of avarice. He ex- 

 hibited a very remarkable inftance of his arbitrary and vio- 

 lent conduct in the treatment of Lucian, who had purchafed 

 his favour, and the office of count of the Eaft. This un- 

 fortunate perfon, whofe adminittration is faid to have been 

 exemplary, affronted the emperor's uncle by the refufal of 

 an unjuft requeft. On the complaint of Arcadius to Ru- 

 finus, the latter, without acquainting any one with his de- 

 fign, fet off for Antioch, and performing the journey with 

 great celerity, entered that capital in the dead of the night, 

 and commanded the prefect to be brought before him. 

 Without pretending to hear any tiling in proof of his inno- 

 cence, he caufed Lucian to be fcourged to death. In the 

 mean time his own fall was rapidly approaching. To fecure 

 his authority, and with a view of railing himfelf to a part- 

 nerfhip in the empire, he had planned the marriage of his 

 daughter to the emperor. But the chamberlain, Eutropius, 

 contrived to place in his view Eudoxia, the beautiful 

 daughter of Frank Bauto. He became enamoured at the 

 fight, and Rufinus, after his return, was mortified by the 

 emperor's marriage with his daughter's rival. This dilap- 

 pointment, and the fear of lofing the power which lie pof- 

 feffed, infpired him, it is faid, with plotting the deilruction 

 of his fovereign, and with inviting the Huns and Goths to 

 invade the empire, in order to create a general confufion. 

 The famous Stilicho was at this time omnipotent in the 

 Wellern empire as minifter of the young Hononus, brother 

 to Arcadius ; and claiming from the appointment of Theo- 

 dofius the guardianfhip of both his Ions, he prepared to 

 march into the Eaft, in order to alien his authority there. 

 At the head of the armies of both parts of the empire he 

 had crofted the Alps, and was near i'heflaluuica, when Ru- 



finui, 



