On Illustrious Men

81. Eusebius the bishop

ogy, while being facile on rebuttal skills: “Lactantius, quasi quidam fluvius eloquentiae Tullianae, utinam tam nostra adfirmare potuisset, quam facile aliena destruxit” (ep. 58.10, CSEL 54, 539). Ironically, Lactantius seems to have got in a pre-emptive strike against just such a criticism (and that, at the expense of Tertullian and Cyprian!): “Although Tertullian handled the same material fully in that book called The Apology; however, because it is one thing to make answer to accusers, which consists in defense or negation alone, and another to give instruction (which we are doing) which must contain the substance of all doctrine, I did not shrink from this task, so that I might complete the material which Cyprian did not reach in that work in which, as he himself says, he tries to refute Demetrianus’ ‘barking and roaring against’ the truth” (Div. Inst. 5.4, FOTC 49, 337, trans. Sr. M. F. McDonald, 337). 9. Not extant. See Q 2, 405; HLL 8, 5, 401. 10. CPL 91; Lactantius, De Mortibus Persecutorum, ed. and trans. J. L. Creed, OECT (Oxford, 1984). 11. CPL 89; CSEL 27, 155. 12. CPL 89; Herzog-Schmidt, HLL 8, 5, 402. 13. CPL 89; CSEL 27, 156–57; HLL 8, 5, 402. 14. De opificio Dei: CPL 87. 15. Crispus: PLRE 1, 233; Barnes, C. and E., 220–21, 250; P. Guthrie, “The Execution of Crispus,” Phoenix 20 (1966): 325–31. Under a.d. 328 the Chronicle reports, “Constantine killed his wife Fausta” (ed. Helm, 232a, trans. Donalson, 40). references Q 2, 392–410 — Dr, 147–50 — CPL, 85–92 — Cath 6, 1581–83, P.-Th. Camelot — CW 76, 125–27, R. D. Sider — DSp 9, 47–59, E. Lamirande — EEC 22 , 660–61, M. P. McHugh — EECh 1, 469–70, V. Loi — HLL 5, 570, A. Wlosok — LThK 6, 726–28, J. Martin — LThK 63 , 583–84, E. Heck — NCE 8, 308–9, J. Stevenson — TRE 20, 370–74, A. Wlosok — Gestalten 1, 176–88, A. Wlosok — BBKL 4, 952–65 Texts: CSEL 19 and 27 LXXXI. EUSEBIUS THE BISHOP usebius, bishop of Caesarea in Palestine,1 extremely industrious in the study of the Sacred Scriptures,2 and, with Pamphilus the martyr a diligent researcher of the ON ILLUSTRIOUS MEN 113 sacred library,3 published numerous works, including the following : 2. Eujaggelikh`~ ajpodeivxew~, Demonstratio evangelica,4 twenty books; Eujaggelikh`~ proparaskeuh`~, Praeparatio evangelica,5 fifteen books; Qeofaneiva", Theophany,6 five books; Ecclesiastical History,7 ten books; Universal History of Chronological Tables,8 and an jEpitomhv, Epitome9 of these; On the diafwniva/, Discrepancies in the Gospels,10 ten books; On Isaiah,11 ten books; and Against Porphyry,12 who, as some think, was writing in Sicily at the same time,13 twenty-five books; On Places (Topikw`n),14 one book; j Apologiva", An Apology for Origen,15 six books; three books, On the Life of Pamphilus;16 other writings, On the Martyrs;17 most learned Commentaries on the 150 Psalms;18 and many other works.19 3. He lived mainly in the reign of Constantine the emperor and Constantius,20 and because of his friendship for Pamphilus the martyr was called Eusebius Pamphili.21 notes 1. For a recent over-view see H. W. Attridge and G. Hata, edd., Eusebius, Christianity and Judaism (Leiden and Detroit, 1992). 2. On his exegetical works see Q 3, 334–40. 3. On Pamphilus and the library, see Eus., h.e. 6.32.3, 7.32.25, 8.13.6; also Gamble, Books, 155–59. 4. CPG 3487; Q 3, 331–32. 5. CPG 3486; Q 3, 329–31. 6. CPG 3488; Q 3, 332–33. 7. CPG 3495; Q 3, 314–17. 8. CPG 3465. 9. jEpitomhv : a common term in Jerome’s list of Varro’s works; see ep. 33.2, CSEL 54, 254. 10. “De Evangeliorum diafwniva/ [or Peri; diafwniva~ jEuaggelivwn], ten books” = Quaestiones et solutiones, CPG 3470; Q 3, 337; LThK 3, art., “Ero114 ST. JEROME ...