Christianam religionem absolutam et simplicem anili superstitione confundens, in qua scrutanda perplexius quam componenda gravius excitavit discidia plurima, quae progressa fusius aluit concertatione verborum, ut catervis antistitum iumentis publicis ultro citroque discurrentibus per synodos (quas appellant), dum ritum omnem ad suum trahere conatur arbitrium, rei vehiculariae succederet nervos." - Meaning and context.">
QuotesCosmos
The plain and simple religion of the Christians he [Constantius] obscured by a dotard's superstition, and by subtle and involved discussions about dogma. Rather than by seriously trying to make them agree, he aroused many controversies; and as these spread more and more, he fed them with contentious words. And since throngs of bishops hastened hither and thither on the public post horses to the various synods, as they call them, while he sought to make the whole ritual conform to his own will, he cut the sinews of the courier service.
• Res gestae, XXI, xvi, 18
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Christianam religionem absolutam et simplicem anili superstitione confundens, in qua scrutanda perplexius quam componenda gravius excitavit discidia plurima, quae progressa fusius aluit concertatione verborum, ut catervis antistitum iumentis publicis ultro citroque discurrentibus per synodos (quas appellant), dum ritum omnem ad suum trahere conatur arbitrium, rei vehiculariae succederet nervos.

— Ammianus Marcellinus

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "Christianam religionem absolutam et simplicem anili superstitione confundens, in qua scrutanda perplexius quam componenda gravius excitavit discidia plurima, quae progressa fusius aluit concertatione verborum, ut catervis antistitum iumentis publicis ultro citroque discurrentibus per synodos (quas appellant), dum ritum omnem ad suum trahere conatur arbitrium, rei vehiculariae succederet nervos." in the context of "The plain and simple religion of the Christians he [Constantius] obscured by a dotard's superstition, and by subtle and involved discussions about dogma. Rather than by seriously trying to make them agree, he aroused many controversies; and as these spread more and more, he fed them with contentious words. And since throngs of bishops hastened hither and thither on the public post horses to the various synods, as they call them, while he sought to make the whole ritual conform to his own will, he cut the sinews of the courier service.
• Res gestae, XXI, xvi, 18" to mean that wisdom is timeless.

Source: Wikiquote: "Ammianus Marcellinus" (Quotes: John C. Rolfe, Ammianus: Roman History, LCL, vols. 1, 2, 3 (1935, 1939, 1940) Norbert Guterman, A Book of Latin Quotations (1966), pp. 356–9) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 19, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app

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#Ammianus Marcellinus#discurrentibus#superstitione#concertatione#vehiculariae#christianam#religionem#confundens#perplexius#componenda#antistitum#succederet
Ammianus Marcellinus

About Ammianus Marcellinus

Ammianus Marcellinus, occasionally anglicised as Ammian (Greek: Αμμιανός Μαρκελλίνος; c. 330 – c. 391–400), was a Roman soldier and historian who wrote the penultimate major historical account surviving from antiquity (preceding Procopius). Written in Latin and known as the Res gestae, his work chronicled the history of Rome from the accession of the Emperor Nerva in 96 to the death of Valens at the Battle of Adrianople in 378. Only the sections covering the period 353 to 378 survive.