奥罗修斯是站在由西方上古向中古过渡时期门槛上的学者，他的史学作品《反异教徒历史七书》在西方史学史上占有重要地位。本文立足对《历史七书》的细致翻译与研读，系统探究奥罗修斯的史学编纂思想，认真研讨奥罗修斯的史学编纂实践，并在此基础上深入阐析奥罗修斯的撰史方法、特色与价值。

全文共分五章。

第一章从奥罗修斯所处时代入手，结合奥罗修斯本人的生平尤其是他在教会中的经历，探究《历史七书》的创作背景；探讨《历史七书》的创作意图，简析奥罗修斯对基督徒和罗马人的双重身份的积极认可以及对罗马历史的重新构建。

第二章探讨奥罗修斯的历史时间观，说明他对历史时间普遍性的认识和利用；揭示奥罗修斯所发展的一套主次分明、富有意蕴的世俗纪年系统，巧妙地表明所有灾难均存在于世俗时间的框架之下；阐释奥罗修斯对线性史观和循环史观的综合利用，强调只有信仰基督教能使罗马摆脱循环重复的帝国命运，以线性的方式向世界末日前进；研究《历史七书》中的历史分期，呈现世俗历史进程在上帝意志的主导下始终以罗马为中心。

第三章考察奥罗修斯的历史空间观，展现他对历史空间普遍性的认识和利用；分析《历史七书》中具有序言性质的地理介绍，归纳奥罗修斯笔下的世界地图的特点和功能；探讨奥罗修斯对战争中的地理信息的编排和对自然地理现象的解读，总结他从历史空间层面来书写世俗历史进而表达护教观点的方法和效果。

第四章着力于奥罗修斯对历史人物的塑造，研究他通过编辑世俗史料来重塑世俗统治者的形象特征；阐释奥罗修斯将王政时期的罗马国王呈现为嗜血好战、残忍无情的单一负面形象，将共和时期的罗马执政官书写成国王罪恶统治的延续者；考察奥罗修斯在塑造帝国时期的元首或君主时，以世俗统治者对基督教的态度为标准来展现统治者的品行和结局，归纳他要求理想的世俗统治者需对上帝虔诚、对教会友善和对臣民仁爱；探讨奥罗修斯将罗马帝国之前的外国统治者刻画成不仁不义、灾祸缠身的扁平形象，把罗马帝国时期的外族统治者解释为上帝惩罚非基督徒的工具和保证基督教罗马帝国持续存在和发展的助力。

第五章探析奥罗修斯对历史事件的叙述，阐述他对各类型灾难的重新解读；考察奥罗修斯从多角度呈现基督教时代之前的一切战争的负面性质，肯定基督教时代的战争为上帝警示人类尽快皈依基督教的有效手段；梳理奥罗修斯将除战争之外的其他灾难归纳为三类功能，包括上帝对人类道德沦丧和品行缺失的审判、上帝对人类不敬基督教和迫害基督徒的惩罚以及上帝在基督教时代帮助罗马人的工具；揭示奥罗修斯通过对灾难数量的编排、程度的比较和性质的分析来论证“昔不如今”的观点。

总之，奥罗修斯的史著《反异教徒历史七书》构建起罗马历史与基督教神意之间的联系，其宗旨显然是希望在世俗叙事和古典修辞的框架下推进其护教主张，服务于基督教文明。它是罗马治下的基督徒对罗马历史的一种新的话语解读，对后世的基督教史学影响巨大。辩证看待奥罗修斯的《反异教徒历史七书》有利于我们更好地揭示早期基督教史学的本质与特征。

Orosius was a scholar who stood at the threshold of the transition from Western Antiquity to the Middle Ages. The Seven Books of History Against the Pagans written by Orosius occupies an important place in the history of Western historiography. Based on a careful translation and study of The Seven Books of History, this thesis systematically explores Orosius’ historiographical thought, examines his historiographical practice and deeply analyzes Orosius’ historiographical methods, characteristics and values.

This thesis is divided into five chapters.

The first chapter starts with the time of Orosius and Orosius’ own life experience, especially his experience in the Church, to explore the background of the writing of The Seven Books of History. It also discusses the purpose of the writing of The Seven Books of History and briefly analyzes Orosius’ positive recognition of the dual identity of Christians and Romans, as well as his reconstruction of Roman history.

The second chapter discusses Orosius’ view of history time, highlights his understanding and utilization of time and reveals the sophisticated secular chronology system in his book which clearly indicates that all disasters exist only in the secular time. This chapter then explains Orosius’ comprehensive use of linear view of history and cyclical view of history, emphasizing that only by believing in Christianity could Rome escape the cyclic destiny of the empire and move forward linearly towards the end of the world. This chapter also studies the historical periodization in The Seven Books of History, which presents the secular historical process always centered around Rome under the guidance of God’s will.

The third chapter examines Orosius’ historical spatial view and demonstrates his understanding and utilization of the universality of historical space. This chapter analyzes the geographical introduction in The Seven Books of Historythat serves as a preface and summarizes the characteristics and functions of Orosius’ world map. This chapter also explores Orosius’ arrangement of geographical information in wars and his interpretations of natural geographical phenomena and concludes on Orosius’ methods and its effectiveness of writing secular history from a historical spatial perspective to express his religious views.

The fourth chapter concentrates on Orosius’ portrayal of historical figures, examining how he reshaped the images of secular rulers by editing secular historical materials. It explains how Orosius presented the Roman kings of the period of rex as bloodthirsty, warlike and cruel in a single negative portrayal and then portrayed the Roman consuls of the republic period as continuers of the kings’ wicked rule. This chapter then investigates how Orosius presented the conducts and endings of rulers by using their attitudes towards Christianity as a benchmark when shaping the emperors of the imperial period, concluding that Orosius expected ideal secular rulers to be devout to God, friendly to the church, and benevolent to their subjects. Furthermore, this chapter explores how Orosius characterized pre-Roman foreign rulers as unrighteous and calamitous flat characters and interpreted foreign rulers during the Roman Empire period as tools of God’s punishment against non-Christians and as aids in ensuring the continuous existence and development of the Christian Roman Empire.

The fifth chapter discusses Orosius’ narrations of historical events, elaborating on his reinterpretations of various types of disasters. It examines Orosius’ presentation of the negative nature of all wars before the Christian era from multiple perspectives, affirming that wars during the Christian era were an effective means for God to warn humans to convert to Christianity as soon as possible. This chapter also categorizes other disasters except wars into three functions: God’s judgment on human moral decay and misconduct, God’s punishment of disrespect for Christianity and persecutions of Christians and God’s help for the Romans during the Christian era. Orosius’ argument that “The past is inferior to the present” is demonstrated through his comparison of the numbers and the severity of disasters and his analysis of the nature of disasters.

In summary, Orosius’ The Seven Books of History Against the Pagans established a connection between Roman history and the meaning of Christianity. Its aim was clearly to advance its religious agenda within the frameworks of secular narratives and classical rhetoric, serving the civilization of Christianity. It was a kind of new interpretation of Roman history by Christians under the Roman rule, which had a great impact on later Christian historiography. A dialectical approach to Orosius’ The Seven Books of History Against the Pagans is beneficial for us to reveal the nature and characteristics of early Christian historiography better.