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Euse bius

Eusebius of Caesarea

Eusebius in a modern imagining

Born Eusebius

260/265

Died 339/340

Occupation Bishop, historian, theologian

Notable work Ecclesiasti cal history , On the

Life of Pam philus, Chronicle,On

the Martyrs

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

F or other uses, see Eusebius (disambiguation).

Eusebius of

Caesarea (/juːˈsiːbiәs/; Greek:Εὐσέβιος, Eusébios; AD 260/265 – 339/340), also known as Eusebius

Pamphili, was a Roman historian, exegete, and Christian polemicist of Greek descent. He became

the bishop of Caesarea Maritima about 314. Together with Pamphilus, he was a scholar of the Biblical

canon and is regarded as an extremely well learned Christian of his time.[1]He wrote Demonstrations of

the Gospel ,Preparations for the Gospel , and On Discrepancies between the Gospels, studies of theBiblical text. As "Father of Church History" he produced theEcclesiastical History , On the Life of

Pamphilus, theChronicle and On the Martyrs.

Contents [hide]

1 Sources

2 Early life

3 Bishop of Caesarea

4 Death

5 Works

5.1 Onomasticon

5.2 Biblical text criticism

5.3 Chronicle

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusebius#Chroniclehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Eusebius_of_Caesarea.jpghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Eusebius_of_Caesarea.jpghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Eusebius_of_Caesarea.jpghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Eusebius_of_Caesarea.jpghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Eusebius_of_Caesarea.jpghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Eusebius_of_Caesarea.jpghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Eusebius_of_Caesarea.jpghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Eusebius_of_Caesarea.jpghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Eusebius_of_Caesarea.jpghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Eusebius_of_Caesarea.jpghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Eusebius_of_Caesarea.jpghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusebius#Biblical_text_criticismhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusebius#Deathhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusebius#Bishop_of_Caesareahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Eusebius_of_Caesarea.jpghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Eusebius_of_Caesarea.jpghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Eusebius_of_Caesarea.jpghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Eusebius_of_Caesarea.jpghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Eusebius_of_Caesarea.jpghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Eusebius_of_Caesarea.jpghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Eusebius_of_Caesarea.jpghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Eusebius_of_Caesarea.jpghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Eusebius_of_Caesarea.jpghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Eusebius_of_Caesarea.jpghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Eusebius_of_Caesarea.jpghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Eusebius_of_Caesarea.jpghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusebius_(disambiguation)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusebius_(disambiguation)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusebius_(disambiguation)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusebius#Chroniclehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusebius#Biblical_text_criticismhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusebius#Onomasticonhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusebius#Workshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusebius#Deathhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusebius#Bishop_of_Caesareahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusebius#Early_lifehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusebius#Sourceshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusebius#https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_History_(Eusebius)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_historyhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusebius#cite_note-1https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biblical_canonhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pamphilus_of_Caesareahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caesarea_Maritimahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bishophttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greekshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polemicisthttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christainityhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exegetehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_languagehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_Englishhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusebius_(disambiguation)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theologianhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historianhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bishophttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Eusebius_of_Caesarea.jpg


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5.4 Church History

5.5 Life of Constantine

5.6 Minor historical works

5.7 Apologetic and dogmatic works

5.8 Exegetical and miscellaneous works

6 Doctrine

7 Assessment8 See also

9 References

10 External links

Sources [ edit ]

Little is known about the life of Eusebius. His successor at the see of Caesarea, Acacius, wrote aLife of

Eusebius, a work that has since been lost. Eusebius' own surviving works probably only represent a

small portion of his total output. Beyond notices in his extant writings, the major sources are the 5th-

century ecclesiastical historians Socrates,Sozomen, and Theodoret, and the 4th-century Christian

author Jerome. There are assorted notices of his activities in the writings of his

contemporaries Athanasius, Arius, Eusebius of Nicomedia, and Alexander of Alexandria. Eusebius'

pupil, Eusebius of Emesa, provides some incidental information.[2]

Early life [ edit ]

In his Ecclesiastical History , Eusebius writes of Dionysius of Alexandria as his contemporary. If this is

true, Eusebius' birth must have been before Dionysius' death in autumn 264; most modern scholars

date the birth to some point in the five years between 260 and 265. [3] He was presumably born in the

town in which he lived for most of his adult life, Caesarea Maritima.[4] He was baptized and instructed in

the city,[5] and lived in Palestine in 296, when Diocletian's army passed through the region (in the Life of

Constantine, Eusebius recalls seeing Constantine traveling with the army).[6]Eusebius was

made presbyter by Agapius of Caesarea.[5] Some, like theologian and ecclesiastical historian John

Henry Newman, understand Eusebius' statement that he had heardDorotheus of Tyre "expound the

Scriptures wisely in the Church" to indicate that Eusebius was Dorotheus' pupil while the priest was

resident in Antioch; others, like the scholar D. S. Wallace-Hadrill, deem the phrase too ambiguous to

support the contention.[7]

By the 3rd century, Caesarea had a population of about 100,000. It had been a pagan city

sincePompey had given control of the city to the gentilesduring his command of the eastern provinces in

the 60s BC. The gentiles retained control of the city for the three centuries to follow, despite Jewish

petitions for joint governorship. Gentile government was strengthened by the city's refoundation

under Herod the Great (r. 37–4 BC), when it had taken on the name of Augustus Caesar .[8] In addition to

the gentile settlers, Caesarea had large Jewish and Samaritan minorities. Eusebius was probably born

into the Christian contingent of the city. Caesarea's Christian community presumably had a historyreaching back to apostolic times,[9] but it is a common claim that no bishops are attested for the town

before about 190,[10] even though the Apostolic Constitutions 7.46 states that Zacchaeuswas the first

bishop.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zacchaeushttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apostolic_Constitutionshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusebius#cite_note-10https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusebius#cite_note-9https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apostolic_Agehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusebius#cite_note-8https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augustushttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herod_the_Greathttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gentilehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pompeyhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusebius#cite_note-7https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorotheus_of_Tyrehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Henry_Newmanhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusebius#cite_note-ReferenceA-5https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agapius_of_Caesareahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presbyterhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusebius#cite_note-6https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constantine_Ihttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diocletianhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusebius#cite_note-ReferenceA-5https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusebius#cite_note-4https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caesarea_Maritimahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusebius#cite_note-3https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Dionysius_of_Alexandriahttps://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eusebius&action=edit&section=2https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusebius#cite_note-2https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusebius_of_Emesahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Alexander_I_of_Alexandriahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusebius_of_Nicomediahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ariushttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athanasiushttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeromehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodorethttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sozomenhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socrates_of_Constantinoplehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acacius_of_Caesareahttps://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eusebius&action=edit&section=1https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusebius#External_linkshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusebius#Referenceshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusebius#See_alsohttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusebius#Assessmenthttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusebius#Doctrinehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusebius#Exegetical_and_miscellaneous_workshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusebius#Apologetic_and_dogmatic_workshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusebius#Minor_historical_workshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusebius#Life_of_Constantinehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusebius#Church_History


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Through the activities of the theologian Origen(185/6–254) and the school of his

follower Pamphilus (later 3rd century – 309), Caesarea became a center of Christian learning. Origen

was largely responsible for the collection of usage information, or which churches were using which

gospels, regarding the texts which became the New Testament. The information used to create the late-

fourth-century Easter Letter , which declared accepted Christian writings, was probably based on

the Ecclesiastical History [HE] of Eusebius of Caesarea, wherein he uses the information passed on to

him by Origen to create both his list at HE 3:25 and Origen's list at HE 6:25. Eusebius got hisinformation about what texts were accepted by the third-century churches throughout the known world,

a great deal of which Origen knew of firsthand from his extensive travels, from the library and writings of

Origen.[11]

On his deathbed, Origen had made a bequest of his private library to the Christian community in the

city.[12] Together with the books of his patron Ambrosius, Origen's library (including the original

manuscripts of his works[13][notes 1]) formed the core of the collection that Pamphilus

established.[15]Pamphilus also managed a school that was similar to (or perhaps a re-establishment

of [16]) that of Origen.[17] Pamphilus was compared to Demetrius of Phalerum and Pisistratus, for he had

gathered Bibles "from all parts of the world".[18] Like his model Origen, Pamphilus maintained close

contact with his students. Eusebius, in his history of the persecutions, alludes to the fact that many of

the Caesarean martyrs lived together, presumably under Pamphilus.[19]

Soon after Pamphilus settled in Caesarea (ca. 280s), he began teaching Eusebius, who was then

somewhere between twenty and twenty-five.[20]Because of his close relationship with his schoolmaster,

Eusebius was sometimes calledEusebius Pamphili : "Eusebius, son of Pamphilus".[notes 2] The name may

also indicate that Eusebius was made Pamphilus' heir.[23] Pamphilus gave Eusebius a strong admiration

for the thought of Origen.[24] Neither Pamphilus nor Eusebius knew Origen personally;[25] Pamphilus

probably picked up Origenist ideas during his studies under Pierius(nicknamed "Origen Junior"[26]) in

Alexandria.[27] In Caesarea, Origenist thought was continued in the generation after his death

by Theotecnus, bishop of the city for much of the late 3rd century and an alumnus of Origen's

school.[28]

Eusebius' Preparation for the Gospel bears witness to the literary tastes of Origen: Eusebius quotes no

comedy, tragedy, or lyric poetry, but makes reference to all the works of Plato and to an extensive range

of later philosophic works, largely from Middle Platonists from Philo to the late 2nd century.[29] Whatever

its secular contents, the primary aim of Origen and Pamphilus' school was to promote sacred learning.

The library's biblical and theological contents were more impressive: Origen's Hexapla and Tetrapla; a

copy of the original Aramaic version of the Gospel of Matthew; and many of Origen's own

writings.[20] Marginal comments in extant manuscripts note that Pamphilus and his friends and pupils,

including Eusebius, corrected and revised much of the biblical text in their library.[20] Their efforts made

the hexaplaric Septuagint text increasingly popular in Syria and Palestine.[30] Soon after joining

Pamphilus' school, Eusebius started helping his master expand the library's collections and broaden

access to its resources. At about this time Eusebius compiled a Collection of Ancient Martyrdoms,

presumably for use as a general reference tool.[20]

In the 290s, Eusebius began work on his magnum opus, the Ecclesiastical History , a narrative history of

the Church and Christian community from the Apostolic Age to Eusebius' own time. At about the same

time, he worked on his Chronicle, a universal calendar of events from the Creation to, again, Eusebius'

own time. He completed the first editions of the Ecclesiastical History and Chronicle before 300.[31]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusebius#cite_note-33https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genesis_creation_mythhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apostolic_Agehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusebius#cite_note-ReferenceB-21https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusebius#cite_note-32https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusebius#cite_note-ReferenceB-21https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusebius#cite_note-ReferenceB-21https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gospel_of_Matthewhttps://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tetrapla&action=edit&redlink=1https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hexaplahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusebius#cite_note-31https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philohttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_Platonismhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platohttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusebius#cite_note-30https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theotecnushttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusebius#cite_note-29https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusebius#cite_note-28https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pieriushttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusebius#cite_note-27https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusebius#cite_note-26https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusebius#cite_note-25https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusebius#cite_note-24https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusebius#cite_note-ReferenceB-21https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusebius#cite_note-20https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusebius#cite_note-19https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peisistratoshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demetrius_of_Phalerumhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusebius#cite_note-18https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusebius#cite_note-17https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusebius#cite_note-16https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusebius#cite_note-15https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusebius#cite_note-13https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusebius#cite_note-12https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusebius#cite_note-11https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_History_(Eusebius)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter_Letterhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Testamenthttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pamphilus_of_Caesareahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Origen


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Bishop of Caesarea [ edit ]

Eusebius succeeded Agapius as Bishop of Caesarea soon after 313 and was called on by Arius who had

been excommunicated by his bishop Alexander of Alexandria. An episcopal council in Caesarea

pronounced Arius blameless.[32]Eusebius, a learned man and famous author, enjoyed the favour of

the Emperor Constantine. Because of this he was called upon to present thecreed of his own church to

the 318 attendees of theCouncil of Nicaea in 325."[33] However, the anti-Arian creed from Palestine

prevailed becoming the basis for the Nicene Creed.[34]

The theological views of Arius, that taught the subordination of the Son to the Father, continued to be a

problem. Eustathius of Antioch strongly opposed the growing influence of Origen's theology as the root

of Arianism. Eusebius, an admirer of Origen, was reproached by Eustathius for deviating from the

Nicene faith. Eusebius prevailed and Eustathius was deposed at a synod in Antioch.

However, Athanasius of Alexandria became a more powerful opponent and in 334, he was summoned

before a synod in Caesarea (which he refused to attend). In the following year, he was again

summoned before a synod in Tyre at which Eusebius of Caesarea presided. Athanasius, foreseeing the

result, went to Constantinople to bring his cause before the Emperor. Constantine called the bishops to

his court, among them Eusebius. Athanasius was condemned and exiled at the end of 335. Eusebius

remained in the Emperor's favour throughout this time and more than once was exonerated with the

explicit approval of the Emperor Constantine. After the Emperor's death (c.337), Eusebius wrote the Life

of Constantine , an important historical work because of eye witness accounts and the use of primary

sources. Eusebius died c.339.[35]

Death [ edit ]

Much like his birth, the exact date of Eusebius’ death is unknown. However, there is primary text

evidence from a council held in Antioch that by the year 341, his successor Acacius had already filled

the seat as Bishop. Socrates and Sozomen write about Eusebius’ death, and place it just before

Constantine’s son (Constantine II or Constantine the Younger) died, which was in early 340. They also

say that it was after the second banishment of Athanasius, which began in mid 339. This means that his

death occurred some time between the second half of 339 and early 340. [36]

Works [ edit ]

Of the extensive literary activity of Eusebius, a relatively large portion has been preserved. Although

posterity suspected him of Arianism, Eusebius had made himself indispensable by his method of

authorship; his comprehensive and careful excerpts from original sources saved his successors the

painstaking labor of original research. Hence, much has been preserved, quoted by Eusebius, which

otherwise would have been destroyed.

The literary productions of Eusebius reflect on the whole the course of his life. At first, he occupied

himself with works on Biblical criticism under the influence of Pamphilus and probably of Dorotheus of

Tyre of the School of Antioch. Afterward, the persecutions under Diocletian and Galerius directed his

attention to the martyrs of his own time and the past, and this led him to the history of the whole Church

and finally to the history of the world, which, to him, was only a preparation for ecclesiastical history.

Then followed the time of the Arian controversies, and dogmatic questions came into the foreground.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dogmahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galeriushttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diocletianhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/School_of_Antiochhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorotheus_of_Tyrehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pamphilus_of_Caesareahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arianismhttps://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eusebius&action=edit&section=5https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusebius#cite_note-38https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eusebius&action=edit&section=4https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusebius#cite_note-37https://books.google.com/books?id=KchhO8KEy3cC&printsec=frontcover&dq=%22Life+of+Constantine%22&lr=&num=100#v=onepage&q=&f=falsehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constantinoplehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Synod_of_Tyrehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athanasius_of_Alexandriahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antiochhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synodhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arianismhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Origenhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eustathius_of_Antiochhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusebius#cite_note-36https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicene_Creedhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusebius#cite_note-35https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Council_of_Nicaeahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creedhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emperor_Constantinehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusebius#cite_note-34https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Alexander_I_of_Alexandriahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ariushttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agapius_of_Caesareahttps://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eusebius&action=edit&section=3


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Armenian translation of Chronicon.

13th century manuscript

Christianity at last found recognition by the State; and this

brought new problems—apologies of a different sort had to be

prepared. Lastly, Eusebius wrote eulogies in praise of

Constantine. To all this activity must be added numerous

writings of a miscellaneous nature, addresses, letters, and the

like, and exegetical works that extended over the whole of his

life and that include both commentaries and treatises on Biblicalarchaeology.

Onomasticon [ edit ]

Eusebius' Onomasticon (more properly On the Place-Names in

the Holy Scripture,[37] the name Eusebius gives to it) is a work

that moderns would recognize as a gazetteer , a directory of

place names, but which ancients had no category for. It sits

uneasily between the ancient genres of geography and

lexicography, taking elements from both but a member of

neither.[38] Eusebius' description of his own method—"I shall

collect the entries from the whole of the divinely inspired Scriptures, and I shall set them out grouped by

their initial letters so that one may easily perceive what lies scattered throughout the text"[39]—implies

that he had no similar type of book to work from; his work was entirely original, based only on the text of

the Bible.[40] As he describes, Eusebius organizes his entries into separate categories according to their

first letters. Under each letter, the entries are organized first by the book they are found in, and then by

their place in that book. The entries for Joshua under Tau, for example, read as follows:[41]

Tina (15:22): of the tribe of Judah.

Telem (15:24): of the tribe of Judah.

Tessam (15:29): of the tribe of Judah.

Tyre (19:35): of the tribe of Naphthali.

Where there is a contemporary town at the site or nearby, Eusebius notes it in the corresponding entry.

"Terebinth", for example, describes Shechemas "near Neapolis", modern Nablus, and "Tophet" is

located "in the suburbs of Jerusalem".[41]

TheOnomasticon has traditionally been dated before 324, onthe basis of its sparse references to Christianity, and complete absence of remarks on Constantine's

buildings in the Holy Land. The work also describes traditional religious practices at the oak

of Mamre as though they were still happening, while they are known to have been suppressed soon

after 325, when a church was built on the site.[42] Eusebius references to the encampment of the Legio

X Fretensis at Aila (in southern Israel, near modern Aqaba and Eilat); the X Fretensis was probably

transferred from Jerusalem to Aila under Diocletian.[43]

Biblical text criticism [ edit ]

Pamphilus and Eusebius occupied themselves with thetextual criticism of theSeptuaginttext of the Old

Testament and especially of the New Testament. An edition of the Septuagint seems to have been

already prepared by Origen, which, according to Jerome, was revised and circulated by Eusebius and

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeromehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Origenhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Testamenthttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Testamenthttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Septuaginthttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Textual_criticismhttps://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eusebius&action=edit&section=7https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusebius#cite_note-45https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eilathttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aqabahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legio_X_Fretensishttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusebius#cite_note-44https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mamrehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusebius#cite_note-ReferenceC-43https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tophethttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nablushttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shechemhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pistacia_palaestinahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusebius#cite_note-ReferenceC-43https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tauhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Joshuahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusebius#cite_note-42https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusebius#cite_note-41https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusebius#cite_note-40https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gazetteerhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusebius#cite_note-39https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onomasticshttps://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eusebius&action=edit&section=6https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biblical_archaeologyhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Armenian_translation_of_Eusebius_Chronicon.jpghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Armenian_translation_of_Eusebius_Chronicon.jpg


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Eusebius's canon tables were oftenincluded in Early Medieval Gospel

books

Pamphilus. For an easier survey of the material of the four

Evangelists, Eusebius divided his edition of the New Testament

into paragraphs and provided it with a synoptical table so that it

might be easier to find the pericopes that belong together.

These canon tables or "Eusebian canons" remained in use

throughout the Middle Ages, and illuminated

manuscript versions are important for the study of earlymedieval art, as they are the most elaborately decorated pages

of many Gospel books. Eusebius detailed in Epistula ad

Carpianum how to use his canons.

Chronicle [ edit ]

Main article: Chronicon (Eusebius)

The Chronicle (Παντοδαπὴ Ἱστορία (Pantodape historia)) is divided into two parts. The first part,

theChronography (Χρονογραφία (Chronographia)), gives an epitome of universal history from the

sources, arranged according to nations. The second part, the Canons (Χρονικοὶ Κανόνες(Chronikoi

kanones)), furnishes a synchronism of the historical material in parallel columns, the equivalent of a

parallel timeline.[44]

The work as a whole has been lost in the original Greek, but it may be reconstructed from later

chronographists of the Byzantine school who made excerpts from the work, especially George

Syncellus. The tables of the second part have been completely preserved in a Latin translation by

Jerome, and both parts are still extant in an Armenian translation. The loss of the Greek originals has

given an Armenian translation a special importance; thus, the first part of Eusebius'Chronicle, of which

only a few fragments exist in the Greek, has been preserved entirely in Armenian, though with lacunae.

The Chronicle as preserved extends to the year 325.[45]

Church History [ edit ]

Main article: Church History (Eusebius)

In his Church History or Ecclesiastical History , Eusebius wrote the first surviving history of the Christian

Church as a chronologically-ordered account, based on earlier sources, complete from the period of the

Apostles to his own epoch.[46] The time scheme correlated the history with the reigns of the Roman

Emperors, and the scope was broad. Included were the bishops and other teachers of the Church,

Christian relations with the Jews and those deemed heretical, and the Christian martyrs through 324

C.E.[47] Although its accuracy and biases have been questioned, it remains an important source on the

early church due to Eusebius's access to materials now lost. [48]

Life of Constantine [ edit ]

Eusebius' Life of Constantine (Vita Constantini ) is aeulogy or panegyric, and therefore its style and

selection of facts are affected by its purpose, rendering it inadequate as a continuation of theChurch

History. As the historian Socrates Scholasticus said, at the opening of his history which was designed asa continuation of Eusebius, "Also in writing the life of Constantine, this same author has but slightly

treated of matters regarding Arius, being more intent on the rhetorical finish of his composition and the

praises of the emperor, than on an accurate statement of facts." The work was unfinished at Eusebius'

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death. Some scholars have questioned the Eusebian authorship of this work.

Minor historical works [ edit ]

Before he compiled his church history, Eusebius edited a collection of martyrdoms of the earlier period

and a biography of Pamphilus. The martyrology has not survived as a whole, but it has been preserved

almost completely in parts. It contained:

an epistle of the congregation of Smyrnaconcerning the martyrdom of Polycarp;

the martyrdom of Pionius;

the martyrdoms of Carpus, Papylus, and Agathonike;

the martyrdoms in the congregations of Vienneand Lyon;

the martyrdom of Apollonius.

Of the life of Pamphilus, only a fragment survives. A work on the martyrs of Palestine in the time of

Diocletian was composed after 311; numerous fragments are scattered in legendaries which have yet to

be collected. The life of Constantine was compiled after the death of the emperor and the election of his

sons as Augusti (337). It is more a rhetorical eulogy on the emperor than a history but is of great value

on account of numerous documents incorporated in it.

Apologetic and dogmatic works [ edit ]

To the class of apologetic and dogmatic works belong:

the Apology for Origen, the first five books of which, according to the definite statement of Photius,

were written by Pamphilus in prison, with the assistance of Eusebius. Eusebius added the sixth book

after the death of Pamphilus. We possess only a Latin translation of the first book, made by Rufinus;

a treatise against Hierocles (a Roman governor), in which Eusebius combated the former's

glorification of Apollonius of Tyana in a work entitled A Truth-loving Discourse (Greek:Philalethes

logos); in spite of manuscript attribution to Eusebius, however, it has been argued (by Thomas

Hagg[49] and more recently, Aaron Johnson[50]) that this treatise " Against Hierocles" was written by

someone other than Eusebius of Caesarea.

Praeparatio evangelica (Preparation for the Gospel ), commonly known by its Latin title, which

attempts to prove the excellence of Christianity over every pagan religion and philosophy.

The Praeparatio consists of fifteen books which have been completely preserved. Eusebius

considered it an introduction to Christianity for pagans. But its value for many later readers is more

because Eusebius studded this work with so many lively fragments from historians and philosophers

which are nowhere else preserved. Here alone is preserved a summary of the writings of

thePhoenician priest Sanchuniathon of which the accuracy has been shown by the mythological

accounts found on the Ugaritic tables, here alone is the account from Diodorus Siculus's sixth book

of Euhemerus' wondrous voyage to the island of Panchaea where Euhemeruspurports to have

found his true history of the gods, and here almost alone is preserved writings of the neo-

Platonist philosopher Atticusalong with so much else.

Demonstratio evangelica (Proof of the Gospel ) is closely connected to the Praeparatio andcomprised originally twenty books of which ten have been completely preserved as well as a

fragment of the fifteenth. Here Eusebius treats of the person of Jesus Christ. The work was probably

finished before 311;

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another work which originated in the time of the persecution, entitled Prophetic Extracts(Eclogae

propheticae). It discusses in four books the Messianic texts of Scripture. The work is merely the

surviving portion (books 6–9) of the General elementary introduction to the Christian faith, now lost.

The fragments given as the Commentary on Luke in the PG have been claimed to derive from the

missing tenth book of the General Elementary Introduction see D. S. Wallace-Hadrill); however,

Aaron Johnson has argued that they cannot be associated with this work.[51]

the treatise On Divine Manifestation or On the Theophania (Peri theophaneias), of unknown date. Ittreats of the incarnation of the DivineLogos, and its contents are in many cases identical with

the Demonstratio evangelica. Only fragments are preserved in Greek, but a complete Syriac

translation of the Theophaniasurvives in an early 5th-century manuscript. Samuel Lee, the editor

(1842) and translator (1843) of the Syriac Theophania thought that the work must have been written

"after the general peace restored to the Church by Constantine, and before either the 'Praeparatio,'

or the 'Demonstratio Evengelica,' was written . . . it appears probable . . . therefore, that this was

one of the first productions of Eusebius, if not the first after the persecutions ceased."[52] Hugo

Gressmann, noting in 1904 that theDemonstratio seems to be mentioned at IV. 37 and V. 1, and that

II. 14 seems to mention the extant practice of temple prostitution at Hieropolis in Phoenica,

concluded that theTheophania was probably written shortly after 324. Others have suggested a date

as late as 337.[53]

A polemical treatise against Marcellus of Ancyra, the Against Marcellus, dating from about 337;

a supplement to the last-named work, also against Marcellus, entitled Ecclesiastical Theology , in

which he defended the Nicene doctrine of the Logos against the party of Athanasius.

A number of writings, belonging in this category, have been entirely lost.

Exegetical and miscellaneous works [ edit ]

All of the exegetical works of Eusebius have suffered damage in transmission. The majority of them are

known to us only from long portions quoted in Byzantine catena-commentaries. However these portions

are very extensive. Extant are:

An enormous Commentary on the Psalms.

A commentary on Isaiah, discovered more or less complete in a manuscript in Florence early in the

20th century and published 50 years later.

Small fragments of commentaries on Romansand 1 Corinthians.

Eusebius also wrote a work Quaestiones ad Stephanum et Marinum, "On the Differences of the

Gospels" (including solutions). This was written for the purpose of harmonizing the contradictions in the

reports of the different Evangelists. This work was recently (2011) translated into the English language

by David J. Miller and Adam C. McCollum (edited by Roger Pearse) and was published under the name

"Eusebius of Caesarea: Gospel Problems and Solutions."[54] The original work was also translated into

Syriac, and lengthy quotations exist in a catenain that language, and also

in Coptic and Arabiccatenas.[55]

Eusebius also wrote treatises on Biblical archaeology:

A work on the Greek equivalents of Hebrew Gentilic nouns;

A description of old Judea with an account of the loss of the ten tribes;

A plan of Jerusalem and the Temple of Solomon.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_in_Jerusalemhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusebius#cite_note-57https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arabichttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coptic_languagehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusebius#cite_note-56https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1_Corinthianshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epistle_to_the_Romanshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaiahhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psalmshttps://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eusebius&action=edit&section=13https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ecclesiastical_Theology&action=edit&redlink=1https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcellus_of_Ancyrahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusebius#cite_note-55https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusebius#cite_note-54https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logoshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusebius#cite_note-53https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messiahhttps://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Prophetic_Extracts&action=edit&redlink=1


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These three treatises have been lost.

The addresses and sermons of Eusebius are mostly lost, but some have been preserved, e.g., a

sermon on the consecration of the church in Tyre and an address on the thirtieth anniversary of the

reign of Constantine (336).

Most of Eusebius' letters are lost. His letters to Carpianus and Flacillus exist complete. Fragments of a

letter to the empress Constantia also exists.

Doctrine [ edit ]

Eusebius is fairly unique in his preterist, or fulfilled eschetalogical view. Saying "The Holy Scriptures

foretell that there will be unmistakable signs of the Coming of Christ. Now there were among the

Hebrews three outstanding offices of dignity, which made the nation famous, firstly the kingship,

secondly that of prophet, and lastly the high priesthood. The prophecies said that the abolition and

complete destruction of all these three together would be the sign of the presence of the Christ. And

that the proofs that the times had come, would lie in the ceasing of the Mosaic worship, the desolation

of Jerusalem and its Temple, and the subjection of the whole Jewish race to its enemies...The holy

oracles foretold that all these changes, which had not been made in the days of the prophets of old,

would take place at the coming of the Christ, which I will presently shew to have been fulfilled as never

before in accordance with the predictions." (Demonstratio Evangelica VIII)

From a dogmatic point of view, Eusebius stands entirely upon the shoulders of Origen. Like Origen, he

started from the fundamental thought of the absolute sovereignty (monarchia) of God. God is the cause

of all beings. But he is not merely a cause; in him everything good is included, from him all life

originates, and he is the source of all virtue. God sent Christ into the world that it may partake of the

blessings included in the essence of God. Christ is God and is a ray of the eternal light; but the figure of

the ray is so limited by Eusebius that he expressly distinguishes the Son as distinct from Father as a ray

is also distinct from its source the sun.[citation needed ]

Eusebius was intent upon emphasizing the difference of the persons of the Trinity and maintaining the

subordination of the Son (Logos, or Word) to God. The Logos, the Son (Jesus) is an hypostasis of God

the Father whose generation, for Eusebius, took place before time. The Logos acts as the organ or

instrument of God, the creator of life, the principle of every revelation of God, who in his absoluteness

and transcendence is enthroned above and isolated from all the world. Eusebius, with most of the

Christian tradition, assumed God was immutable. Therefore, to Eusebius's mind, the Logos must

possess divinity by participation (and not originally like the Father), so that he can change, unlike God

the Father. Thus he assumed a human body without altering the immutable divine Father. (Eusebius

never calls Jesus o theós, buttheós) because in all contrary attempts he suspected either polytheism

(three distinct gods) or Sabellianism (three modes of one divine person).

Likewise, Eusebius described the relation of the Holy Spirit within the Trinity to that of the Son to the

Father. No point of this doctrine is original with Eusebius, all is traceable to his teacher

Origen.[citation needed ] The lack of originality in his thinking shows itself in the fact that he never presented

his thoughts in a system. After nearly being excommunicated due to charges of heresy by Alexander of

Alexandria, Eusebius submitted and agreed to the Nicene Creed at the First Council of Nicea in

325.[citation needed ]

Eusebius held that men were sinners by their own free choice and not by the necessity of their natures.

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Other critics of Eusebius' work cite the panegyrical tone of the Vita, plus the omission of internal

Christian conflicts in the Canones, as reasons to interpret his writing with caution. [64]

Alternate views have suggested that Gibbon's dismissal of Eusebius is inappropriate:

With reference to Gibbon's comments, Joseph Barber Lightfoot (late 19th century theologian and

former Bishop of Durham) pointed out[65]that Eusebius' statements indicate his honesty in stating

what he was not going to discuss, and also his limitations as a historian in not including such

material. He also discusses the question of accuracy. "The manner in which Eusebius deals with his

very numerous quotations elsewhere, where we can test his honesty, is a sufficient vindication

against this unjust charge." Lightfoot also notes that Eusebius cannot always be relied on: "A far

more serious drawback to his value as a historian is the loose and uncritical spirit in which he

sometimes deals with his materials. This shows itself in diverse ways. He is not always to be trusted

in his discrimination of genuine and spurious documents."

Averil Cameron (professor at King's College and Oxford) and Stuart Hall (historian and theologian),

in their recent translation of the Life of Constantine, point out that writers such as Burckhardt found it

necessary to attack Eusebius in order to undermine the ideological legitimacy of the Habsburgempire, which based itself on the idea of Christian empire derived from Constantine, and that the

most controversial letter in the Life has since been found among the papyri of Egypt.[66]

In Church History (Vol. 59, 1990), Michael J. Hollerich (assistant professor at the Jesuit Santa Clara

University, California) replies to Burckhardt's criticism of Eusebius, that "Eusebius has been an

inviting target for students of the Constantinian era. At one time or another they have characterized

him as a political propagandist, a good courtier, the shrewd and worldly adviser of the Emperor

Constantine, the great publicist of the first Christian emperor, the first in a long succession of

ecclesiastical politicians, the herald of Byzantinism, a political theologian, a political metaphysician,

and a caesaropapist. It is obvious that these are not, in the main, neutral descriptions. Much

traditional scholarship, sometimes with barely suppressed disdain, has regarded Eusebius as one

who risked his orthodoxy and perhaps his character because of his zeal for the Constantinian

establishment." Hollerich concludes that "... the standard assessment has exaggerated the

importance of political themes and political motives in Eusebius's life and writings and has failed to

do justice to him as a churchman and a scholar".

While many have shared Burckhardt's assessment, particularly with reference to the Life of

Constantine, others, while not pretending to extol his merits, have acknowledged the irreplaceable value

of his works which may principally reside in the copious quotations that they contain from other sources,

often lost.
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eusebius - his life and works

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