Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 8.djvu/759

Rh E U S E U T 723 his native town, he studied theology at Cajsarea and Antioth, and philosophy and science at Alexandria. Among his teachers were Eusebius of Csesarea and Patrophilus of Scythopolis. The reputation he acquired for learning and eloquence led to his being. chosen in 341 by the synod of Antioch to succeed Athanasius as archbishop of Alexandria, an appointment which he, however, declined. He accepted instead the small bishopric of Emesa in Phoenicia, but, on account of his reputation as an astrologist, the people opposed his settlement, and although they were ultimately induced, through the intervention of the bishop of Antioch, to receive him peacefully, he soon after wards, either because of the discontent of his flock or on account of his love for a studious life, resigned his office and retired to Antioch. His fame as an astrologer com mended him to the notice of the emperor Constantino, with whom he became a great favourite, and whom he accompanied on many of his expeditions. The theological sympathies of Eusebius were with the semi Arian party, but he seems not to have had a very strong interest in the controversy. He has the reputation of having been a man of extraordin ary learning, great eloquence, and considerable intellectual p.nver, but of his numerous writings only a few fragments are now in existence. EUSEBIUS of Nicomedia is the only other of the many early fathers or bishops of the church bearing the name who claims our notice. He was the defender of Arius in a still more avowed manner than his namesake of Csesarea, and from him the Eusebian or middle party specially derived their name. He was known amongst them by the epithet of Great. He was a contemporary of the bishop of Ctesarea and united with him in the enjoyment of the friendship and favour of the imperial family. He is said to have been connected by his mother with the em peror Julian. He was first bishop of Berytus (Beyrout) in Phosnicia, but his name is especially identified with the see of Nicomedia, which, from the time of Diocletian till Constantine established his court at Byzantium, was regarded as the capital of the Eastern empire. He warmly espoused the cause of Arius in his quarrel with his bishop Alexander, and wrote a letter in his defence to Pau- linus, bishop of Tyre, which is preserved in the Church History of Theodoret. His views appear to have been identical with those of his namesake in placing Christ above all created beings, the only begotten of the Father, but in refusing to recognize Him to be &quot; of the same substance&quot; with the Father, who is alone in essence and absolute being. At the council of Nicrca Eusebius of Nicomedia earnestly opposed, along with his namesake of Ciesarea, the insertion of the Homoousion clause, but after being defeated in his object he also signed the creed in his own sense of O/JLOIOS AO.T ova-Lav. He refused, however, to sign the anathema directed against the Arians, not, as he afterwards explained, because of his variance from the Athanasian theology, but &quot; because he doubted whether Arius really held what the anathema, imputed to him&quot; (Sozom., ii. 15). After the council he continued zealously to espouse the Arian cause, and was so far carried away in his zeal against the Athan- asians that he was temporarily b mished from his see, and visited with the displeasure of the emperor as a disturber of the peace of the church. But his alienation from the court was of short duration. He retained the confidence of the emperor s sister Constantia, through whose special influence he is supposed to have been promoted to the see of Nicomedia, and by her favour he was restored to his position, and speedily acquired an ascendency over the mind of the emperor no less than that of his sister. He was selected to administer baptism to him in his last illness. There seems no doubt that Eusebius of Nicomedia was more of a politician than a theologian. He was certainly a partisan in the great controversy of his time, and is even credited (although on insufficient evidence) with having used dis graceful means to procure the deposition of Eustathius, the &quot; orthodox&quot; bishop of Antioch (Theodoret, i. 21). His restless ambition and love of power are not to be denied. To the last he defended Arius, and at the time of the latter s sudden death, 337, it w r as chiefly through his menace, as representing the emperor, that the church of Constantinople had been thrown into such anxiety as to whether the leader should be re-admitted to the bosom of the church. Eusebius himself died in 342. EUSTATHIUS, ST, bishop of Beroea, was a native of Side in Pamphylia. By the council of Nice, in which he distinguished himself by his zeal against the Arians, he was promoted in 325 to the patriarchate of Antioch. So violent was the feeling among the Arians against him, that a synod of Arian prelates, convened at Antioch in 330, brought about his deposition on a charge of Sabellianism, as well as of various instances of unfaithfulness to his vows of celibacy. He was banished to Thrace, where he died probably in 359 or 360. Of several works attributed to Eustathius there is only one which can with certainty be pronounced his an address, namely, to the emperor Constantine, delivered during the sitting of the council of Nice. EUSTATHIUS, archbishop of Thessalonica, was a native of Constantinople, and flourished during the latter half of the 12th century. He was at first a monk, and afterwards teacher of rhetoric in his native city. In 1174 or 1175 he was chosen bishop of Myra in Lycia, and shortly after wards archbishop of Thessalonica. Such of his works as have descended to our times display a comprehensiveness and variety of erudition that fairly entitle him to the praise of being the most learned man of his day. The most important of these is his Commentary on the Iliad and Odyssey of Ho?ner, a work valuable as comprising large extracts from the scholia of other critics, whose works have now perished, such as Apion, Heliodorus, Aristarchus, Aristophanes of Byzantium, &c. This com mentary was first published at Home, 1542-50, in 4 vols., and was reprinted at Leipsic, in 1825-29, under the editorial care of G. Stallbaum. Eustathius also wrote a commentary on Dionysius the geographer, first printed by llobert Stephens in 1547, and frequently reprinted since. A commentary on Pindar, which he is known to have written, has been lost. He is also the author of various religious works, chiefly against tbe prevailing abuses of his time, which almost anticipate, though in a milder form, the denunciations of Luther. The year of Eustathius s death is uncertain, some placing it in 1194, and others a few years later. The funeral orations pronounced in his honour by Euthynius and Michael Choniates are still in MS. ir the Bodleian library. EUTERPE, the muse of lyric poetry. Sec MUSES. EUTROPIUS, a Roman historian who lived in th latter half of the 4th century. Both his surname and the place of his birth are unknown, but from certain statements in his history it appears th*t he held the office of a &quot; secre tary&quot; under Constantine the Great ; and the fact that his history is dedicated to Yalens shows that he was alive in the reign of the latter emperor. This work, published under the title of Brcinarium Historic^ Romano?, is a coni- pend in ten books of the entire Roman history from the foundation of the city to the accession of Yalens. This treatise has been compiled with considerable care from the best accessible authorities, and is written generally with im partiality, and in a clear and simple style. Besides chroni cling events, Eutropius usually gives brief characteristics of the leading historical personages. Although his Latin