ABSTRACT
Chromatius's strong position in Aquileia was based on his own standing as a long-time member of the community. Having been resident in Aquileia for such a long time, he was familiar with the politics, economics, and local issues that drove the city. Rufinus was one of the two writers with whom Chromatius maintained a life-long relationship. Both Jerome and Rufinus were close friends for twenty-five years before their falling out, remained tied to Chromatius. Chromatius had the day-to-day responsibilities of leading an urban church. He fed the poor, funded and built buildings, and preached to the masses. The commissioning of the Ecclesiastical History was not a minor act of a patron, but a major request for a work which would aid pastoral care in Aquileia. At the beginning of the fifth century, Chromatius was beginning to play a larger role in the politics of the imperial church.
