MS 178 contains a copy of a 6th-century Church history by Epiphanius Scholasticus. The work takes the form of twelve books, and became the primary clerical manual for Church history in the medieval west for centuries. The 12-part book is often presented in early print publications/manuscript copies as the work of Cassiodorus. However, it was originally a work of Latin translations of the histories of Socrates, Sozomen, and Theodoret produced by Cassiodorus's friend and colleague at the monastery of Viviarum. Cassiodorus was (in part) influencial for his promotion of the practice of copying ancient texts, and preserving them through reproduction by monks in his monastery. Epiphanius's translation of ancient Greek works falls within this work. Once he has finished these tranlations, Cassiodorus revised, abridged and organised the text into a single piece on the history of the Church. The final text, the Historiae Ecclesiasticae Tripartitae Epitome as it became known in the medieval world, also contains a translation of the work of Eusibius by Rufinus.

The copy of the Historiae Ecclesiasticae contained in MS 178 contains all twelve books, although the twelfth ends incompletely. The text begins on f. 1r with a short preface:In hoc opere continentur historie ecclesiastice ex socrate sozomeno, et theodorico in unum collecte et nuper de Greco in latinum translate libri duodecim. Prefatio Cassiodori senatoris servi dei...

Liber I begins on f. 1v: Incipit liber primus. Oratio allocutoria sozomeni in theodosium imperatorem. Aiunt antiquis principibus... It ends on f. 25v.

Liber II is contained on ff. 26r-39v.

Liber III is contained on ff. 39v-47v.

Liber IV is contained on ff. 47v-63v.

Liber V: ff. 63v-88v.

Liber VI: ff. 88v-109r

Liber VII: ff. 109r-132r

Liber VIII: ff. 132r-142v

Liber IX: ff. 142v-167v

Liber X: ff. 168r-181r

Liber XI: ff. 181r-188r

Liber XII: ff. 188r-193v. The text ends incompletely and in the middle of a line: 'monens ut omnes pecunias'.

A very good 12th century hand, the initials all unfortunately unfinished.

The only ornaments are the rubrics and some faint sketches of animals, etc., in the margins made with the stylus.