Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology (1870) - Volume 2.djvu/130

Rh 116 EUSEBIUS. Apollo, Zeus, and all other persons deified by the Greeks. In the course of the work Eusebius gives extracts from Berosus, Sanchoniathon, Polyhistor, Cephalion, and Manetho, which materially in- crease its value. Of this Chronicon an abridge- ment was found by Mai in the Vatican library, at the end of a copy of Theodoret's Haereiicae Fa- bulae, also in *wo parts, to the second of which is added by the abbreviator, a list of bishops of the five patriarchal sees, Rome, Alexandria, Antioch, Jenisalem, and Constantinople, together with the boundaries of these patriarchates as they existed in the ninth century. This has been published by Mai, together with a commentary on St. Luke and twenty Qiiaestiones Evangelicae,, also by Euse- bius, in the Scriptorum Vatkanorum Nova Collectio, Rome, 1 825. The Quaestiones are short disquisi- tions on certain points of the Gospel histories, e. g. why the evangelists give Joseph's genealogy rather than Mary's ; in what sense our Lord is said to sit on David's throne, &c. The Chronicon was trans- lated into Latin by Jerome, and published by J. J. Scaliger, Leyden, 1606, of which another enlarged edition appeared at Amsterdam, 1658. It was again published at Venice, in Annenian, Greek, and Latin, by J. Baptist Aucher, 1818. Mai and Zohrab's edition has been noticed above. The historical importance of their discovery is explained by Niebuhr, in his essay entitled Historischer Ge- winn aus der Armenisclien Uehersetzung der Chronik des Eusebius^ published in his Kleine Schriften. 2. The Praeparatio Evangelica (edayyeXiKrjs diroSei^eui TrpoirapaaKcvr]) in fifteen books, in- scribed to Theodotus, bishop of Laodiceia, is a col- lection of various facts and quotations from old writers, by which it was supposed that the mind would be prepared to receive the evidences of Christianity. This book is almost as important to us in the study of ancient philosophy, as the Chron- icon is with reference to history, since in it are preserved specimens from tV, writings of almost every philosopher of any note whose works are not now extant. It was translated into Latin by George of Trebisond, and published at Treviso, 1480. This translation is said to je a very bad one, and the Greek work itself first appeared at Paris, 1544, edited by Robert Stephens, amd again in 1 628, also at Paris, with a Latin version, bv F. Viger, who republished his edition at Cologne, 1688. The Praeparatio Evangelica is closely con- nected with another work written toon after it, viz. ; 3. The Demonstratio Evangelica {evayyeKiKr) dirSSei^ts) in twenty books, of which ten are ex- tant, is a collection of evidences, chiefly from the Old Testament, addressed principally to the Jews. This is the completion of the preceding work, giving the arguments which the Praeparatio was intended to make the mind ready to receive. The two together form a treatise on the evidences of considerable ability and immense learning. The Demonstratio was translated into Latin by Donatus of Verona, and published either at Rome or Venice in 1498 and at Cologne in 1542. The Greek text appeared with that of the Praeparatio^ at Paris, in the editions both of R. Stephens and Viger. 4. The Ecclesiastical History (4KKr](na(rTiKri iffTopla), in ten books. The work was finished in the lifetime of Cri«pu8, i. e. before 326, whom (x. 5) he commemorates as OcocpihearaTov Kol KUTcL irdvra rod irarpos Hfioiov. The history terminates with the death of Licinms, EUSEBIUS. A. D. 324. When Constantine visited Caesareia, he oflfered to give Eusebius anything which would be beneficial to the Church there ; Eusebius re- quested him to order an examination to be made of all documents connected with the history of martyrs, so as to get a list of the times, places, manner, and causes of their deaths, from the ar- chives of the provinces. On this the history is founded ; and of its general trustworthiness, with the limitation necessary from the principle of omission noticed above, there can be no doubt whatever. The first book consists of a discussion on our Lord's pre-existence, the prophecies re- specting Him, the purpose of His revelation, and many facts relating to His life, together with the story of His correspondence with Abgarus or Agbarus, toparch of Edessa. [Abgarus.] The second book begins the history of the Church after our Lord's Ascension, with an account of the death of Pilate, the history of Simon Magus, St. Peter's preaching at Rome, and the various labours of other apostles and disciples. The rest of the work gives an account of the principal ecclesiastical writers, heresies, and persecutions, including the beautiful stories of the martyrs at Lyons and Vienne, and the death of Polycarp. Many accounts of different scenes and periods in church history had been written before, as by Hegesippus, Papias, Irenaeus, and Clemens of Alexandria ; but Eusebius was the first who reduced them all into one whole, availing himself largely of the labours of his predecessors, but giving a unity and completeness to them all. The History was turned into Latin by Rufinus, though with many omissions and interpolations, and published at Rome, 1474. The Greek text, together with that of the histories of Socrates, Theodoret, Sozomen, and Evagrius, appeared at Paris, 1549, edited by R. Stephens, and again at Geneva, 1612, with little alteration from the pre- ceding edition. In this edition the text of Euse- bius was that which had been published by Vale- sius at Paris, in 1659, with many emendations, after a careful recension of the MSS. in the Biblio- theque du Roi ; and again at Amsterdam, with the other historians, in 1695. The same histories, with the remaining fragments of Theodoras and the Arian Philostorgius, were published at Cam- bridge in three folio volumes, 1720. The Cam- bridge edition was furnished with notes by V. Reading, and republished at Turin, 1746 — 48. More recent editions are Heinichen, in three vo- lumes, Leipzig, 1827, which ccmtains the commen- tary of Valesius and very copious notes, and another at Oxford in 1838, by Dr. Burton, regius professor of divinity in that University. The History has been translated into various languages : into English by Parker, 1703, by Ca- ter, 1736, and by Dalrymple, 1778 ; into German, Eusebii Kirdiengeschichte aus deiti Griech. und mit Anmercimgen erlautert von F. A. Stroth, 1778; into Italian in the Bibliotcca degli Autori volga- rizzati^ Venice, 1547; and into French by Cousin, Paris, 1675. 5. De Martyi-ibus Palaestinae {irepl twu iv UaaiffTlvri fiaprvpTjacivTcov), being an account of the persecutions of Diocletian and Maximin from A. D. 303 to 310. It is in one book, and generally found as an appendix to the eighth of the Ecclesi- astical History. 6. Against Hieroclcs (irpds rd vtt^ ^iKoffTpdroo els ^A.iroKf6viov rov Tvavea 5ia ttjv 'lepoK€i