Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 5.djvu/699

 EUSEBIUS

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EUSEBIUS

The " Theophania " or " Divine Manifestation ". Ex- cept for a few fragments of the original, this work is only extant in a Syriac version discovered by Tattam, edited by Lee in 1842, and translated by the same in 1843. It treats of the cosmic function of the Word, the nature of man, the need of revelation, etc. The fourth and fifth books are particularly remarkable as a kind of anticipation of modern books on Christian evidences. A curious literary problem arises out of the relations between the "Theophania" and the work "De Laudibus Constantini". There are entire passages which are almost verbatim the same in both works. Lightfoot decides in favour of the priority of the first-named work. Gressel, who has edited the "Theophania" for the Berlin edition of the Greek Fathers, takes the opposite view. He compares the parallel passages and argues that they are improved in the "De Laudibus Constantini". (15) "On the Numerous Progeny of the Ancients". This work is referred to by Eusebius twice, in the " Pr*p. Ev.", Vn, 8, and in the "Dem. Ev.", VII, 8; and also (Lightfoot and Harnack think) by St. Basil (" De Spir. Sanct.", xxLx), where he says, "I draw attention to his [Eusebius's] words in discussing the difficulties started in connexion with ancient polygamy." Argu- ing from St. Basil's words, Lightfoot thinks that in this treatise Eusebius dealt with the difficulty pre- sented by the Patriarchs possessing more than one wife. But he overlooked the reference in the " Dem. Ev.", from which it would appear that the difficulty dealt with was, perhaps, a more general one, viz., the contrast presented by the desire of the Patriarchs for a numerous offspring and the honour in which conti- nence was hekl by Christians.

C. Exegetical. — (16) Eusebius narrates, in his Life of Constantine (IV, .■:i6, .'^7), how he was commissioned by the emperor to prepare fifty sumptuous copies of the Bible for use in the Chuiches of Constantinople. Some scholars have supposed that the Codex Sinaiti- cus was one of these copies. Lightfoot rejects this view chiefly on the ground that " the Text of the codex in many respects differs too widely from the readings found in Eusebius ". — (17) Sections and Canons. Eusebius drew up ten canons, the first containing a list of passages common to all four Evangelists; the second, those common to the first three and so on. He also divided the Gospels into sections numbered con- tinuously. A number, against a section, referred the reader to the particular canon where he could find the parallel sections or passages. — (IS) The labours of Pamphilus and Eusebius in editing the Septuagint have already been spoken of. They " believed (as did St. Jerome nearly a century afterwards) that Origen had succeeded in restoring the old Greek version to its primitive purity". The result was a "mischievous mixture of the Alexandrian version with the versions of Aquila and Theodotion" (Swete, "Introd. to O. T. in Greek", pp. 77, 78). For the labours of the two friends on the text of the N. T. the reader may be re- ferred to Bousset, " Textcritische Studien zum N. T.", c. ii. Whether as in the case of the Old Testament, they worked on any definite critical principles is not known. — (19) (a) Interpretation of the ethnological terms in the Hebrew Scriptures; (b) Chorography of Ancient Judaea with the Inheritances of the Ten Tribes; (c) A plan of Jerusalem and the Temple; (d) On the Names of Places in the Holy Scriptures. These four works were written at the request of Eusebius's friend Pau- linus. Only the fourth is extant. It is known as the "Topics," or the " Onomasticon".- — (20) On the no- menclature of the Book of the Prophets. This work gives a short biography of each Prophet and an ac- count of his prophecies. — (21) Commentary on the Psalms. There are many gaps in the MSS. of this work, and they end in the llSth Psalm. The missing portions are m part supplied by extracts from the Catenae. An allusion to the discovery of the Holy

Sepulchre fixes the date at about 330. Lightfoot speaks very highly of this commentary. — (22) Com- mentary on Isaiah, written after the persecution. — (23 to 2S) Commentaries on other books of Holy Scrip- ture, of some of which what may be extracts are pre- served. (29) Commentary on St. Luke, of which what seem to be extracts are preserved. — (30) Com- mentary on I Cor., the existence of which seems to be implied by St. Jerome (Ep. xlix). — (31) Commentary on Hebrews. A passage that seems to belong to such a commentary was discovered and published by Mai. — (32) On the Discrepancies of the Gospels, in two parts. An epitome, very proiiably from the hand of Euse- bius, of this work was discovered and published by Mai in 1S25. Extracts from the original are preserved. Of the two parts, the first, dedicated to a certain Stephen, discusses questions respecting the genealo- gies of Christ; the second, dedicated to one Marinus, questions concerning the Resurrection. The Discrep- ancies were largely borrowed from by St. Jerome and St. Ambrose, and have thus indirectly exercised a considerable influence on Biblical studies. — (33) Gen- eral Elementary Introduction, consisting of ten books, of which VI-IX are extant under the title of " Prophet- ical Extracts". These were written during the perse- cution. There are also a few fragments of the remain- ing books. " This work seems to have been a general introduction to theology, and its contents were very miscellaneous as the extant remains show " ( L., p. 339).

D. Dogmatic. — (34) The Apology for Origen. This work has already been mentioned in connexion with Pamphilus. It consisted of six books, the last of which was added by Eusebius. Only the first book is extant, in a translation by Rufinus. — (35) " Against Marcellus, Bishop of Ancyra", and (36) " On the The- ology of the Church", a refutation of Marcellus. In two articles in the " Zeitschrift fiir die Neutest. Wis- senschaft" (vol. IV, pp. 330 sqq. and vol. VI, pp. 250 sqq.), written in English, Prof. Conybeare has main- tained that our Eusebius could not have been the author of the two treatises against Marcellus. His arguments are rejected by Prof. Klostermann, in his introduction to these two works publislied in 1905 for the Berlin edition of the Greek Fathers. The " Contra Marcellura" was wi'itten after 336 to justify the action of the synod held at Constantinople when Marcellus was deposed; the "Theology" a year or two later. — (37) "On the Paschal Festival" (a mystical interpre- tation). This work was addressed to Constantine ( Vit. Const., IV, 35, 36). A long fragment of it was discov- ered by Mai. — (38) A treatise against tlie Manichaeans is perhaps implied by Epiphanius (Haer., Ixvi, 21).

E. Orations and Sermons. — (39) At the Dedication of the Church in Tyre (see above). — (40) At the Vi- cennalia of Constantine. This seems to have been tlie opening address delivered at the Council of Nica;a. It is not extant. — (41) On the Sepulchre of the Saviour, A. D. 325 (Vit. Const., IV, 33) not extant.— (42) At the Tricennalia of Constantine. This work is generally known as the " De Laudibus Constantini". The sec- ond part (11-18) seems to have been a separate ora- tion joined on to the Tricennaha. — (43) " In Praise of the Martyrs". This oration is preserved in the same MS. as the "Theophania" and "Martyrs of Palestine". It was published and translated in the "Journal of Sacred Literature" by Mr. H. B. Cowper (New Series, V, pp. 403 sqq., and ibid. VI, pp. 129 sqq.).— (44) On the Failure of Rain, not extant.

F. Letters. — The history of the preservation of the three letters, (45) to Alexander of Alexandria, (46) tc Euphrasion, or Euphration, (47) to the Empress Con- stantia, is sufficiently curious. Constantia asked Eusebius to send her a certain likeness of Christ of which she haii heard; his refusal was couched in terms wliirh ccntiu'ies afterwards were appealed tc by the Iconoclasts. A iK)rtin of this letter was read at the Second Council of iS'ica;a, and against it were set