EUSEBIUS OF CAESAREA (Eusebius Pamphili) (c. 260 c. 34o) (bishop of Caesarea in Palestine), ecclesiastical historian, was born probably in Palestine and died as bishop of Caesarea. In early youth he became acquainted with Pamphilus, presbyter of the Church of Caesarea, and founder of a theological school there (see Hist. Eccl. vii. 32). He assisted him in the preparation of an apology for Origen's teaching (Hist. Eccl. vi. 33), the first book of which survives in the Latin of Rufinus (printed in Routh's Reliquiae sacrae, iv. 339 sq., and in Lommatzsch's edition of Origen's Works, xxiv. p. 293 sq.). After the death of his friend Eusebius withdrew to Tyre, and later, while the Diocletian perse cution was still raging, to Egypt, where he seems to have been imprisoned, but soon released. He became bishop of Caesarea between 313 and 315, and in 331 declined the patriarchate of Antioch. Eusebius was one of the most learned men of his age, and stood high in favour with the emperor Constantine. At the council of Nicaea (325) he led the large middle party of Moderates, and submitted the first draft of the creed afterwards adopted with important changes. Later, he yielded to the Alexandrian party, and voted for a creed which repudiated the Arian position, with which he had previously sympathized. He seems to have discovered during the council that the Alexandrians were right in claiming that Arius was carrying his subordinationism so far as to deny all real divinity to Christ. His explanation of his conduct in a letter to the Caesarean church is exceedingly interesting (see Socrates, Hist. Eccl. 1, 8). With the extreme views of the Athanasian party, how ever, he was never in complete sympathy for they seemed to savour of Sabellianism, which always remained his chief dread.
Eusebius's greatness rests upon his vast erudition and his sound judgment. He is best known by his History of the Christian Church completed in 324 or early in 325. It is the most important ecclesiastical history of ancient times, and is written in the belief that the old order of things was passing away and with the apologetic purpose of exhibiting the history of Christianity as a proof of its divine origin and efficacy.
The value of the work does not lie in its literary merit, but in the wealth of the materials which it furnishes for a knowledge of the early church. Many prominent figures of the first three centuries are known to us only from its pages. Many fragments, priceless on account of the light which they shed upon movements of far-reaching consequence, have been preserved in it alone. Eusebius sometimes misinterprets his documents and misunder stands men and movements; but usually he presents us with the material upon which to form our own judgment. His Chronicle (c. 303; later continued down to 325), contains an epitome of universal history, and chronological tables exhibiting in parallel columns the royal succession in different nations, and accom panied by notes marking the dates of historical events. A revised edition of the second half with a continuation down to his own day was published in Latin by St. Jerome. His Martyrs of Pales tine is an account of martyrdoms occurring in Palestine during the years 303 to 31o, of most of which Eusebius himself was an eye witness. The Life of Constantine is a panegyric rather than a sober history, but contains much valuable material. Eusebius's apologetic works include the Contra Hieroclem, Praeparatio evan gelica, Demonstratio evangelica and Theophania. The first is a reply to a lost work against the Christians written by Hierocles, a Roman governor and contemporary of Eusebius. The second and third are important apologetic works of the early church. The former, in fifteen books, valuable for its numerous quotations from classical literature, contends that the Christians are justified in accepting the sacred writings of the Hebrews, and in rejecting the religion and philosophy of the Greeks. The latter, in twenty books, of which only the first ten and fragments of the fifteenth are extant, endeavours to prove from the Hebrew Scriptures that the Christians are right in gcing beyond the Jews and adopting new principles and practices. The Theophania, whose subject is the manifestation of God in the incarnation of the Word, aims to give with an apologetic purpose a brief exposition of the Divine authority and influence of Christianity. Of Eusebius' dogmatic and polemic writings, we have the Contra Marcellum and the De theologia ecclesiastica. The former exposes the errors of Marcellus (bishop of Ancyra), whom Eusebius accuses of Sabel lianism, the latter refutes them. We also have parts of a General Introduction (`H Kca06Xov arocxac.,Bi s €Lcr ywyi)), which consisted of ten books (the sixth to the ninth books and a few other frag ments still extant), under the title of Prophetical Extracts. It contains prophetical passages from the Old Testament relating to the person and work of Christ, accompanied by explanatory notes. Of Biblical and exegetical works we have a considerable part of Eusebius' Commentaries on the Psalms and on Isaiah, which are monuments of learning, and critical acumen, though marred by the use of the allegorical method characteristic of the school of Origen ; also the Onomasticon, a work on the place names of Scripture; and an epitome and some fragments of a work in two parts on Gospel Questions and Solutions, the first part dealing with the genealogies of Christ given in Matthew and Luke, the second with the apparent discrepancies between the various gospel ac counts of the resurrection. For other important works see Har nack, Alt-christliche Literaturgeschichte.