Eusebius of Caesarea
Eusebius of Caesarea (ca. 264-ca. 340) was a bishop, philologist, and scholar who is remembered most for being the first major historian of the church.
Eusebius was born in Palestine and educated in Caesarea. He studied under Pamphilus, the most learned of Origen’s disciples, and devoted himself to him and the tradition of Origen. Pamphilus was such a strong influence that the young theologian came to be known as Eusebius Pamphili (son of Pamphilus). During the Diocletian’s persecution, his mentor, Pamphilus was martyred (310). To escape the persecution, Eusebius traveled to Tyre and then to Egypt. In Egypt, however, he was arrested and imprisoned, but soon the edict of toleration of 311 allowed him to return to Palestine. He was elected bishop of Caesarea in 313, in which position he played an important role for some 30 years.
In the years immmediately following Eusebius published two extensive theological works, Preparation for the Gospel and Demonstration of the Gospel. The christological formulations he provided in these works led him to be sypathetic to aspects of the theology of Arius during the of the Arian controversy. This support comes through in the letters he wrote to Alexander of Alexandria and Euphration of Balanea. His position alos led him to be provisionally excommunicated in the early days of 325 by a Council of Antioch for refusing to condemn Arius’s teachings. Thus when he appeared at the Council of Nicaea (325) he first presented his own creed in defense of his position. However, when this was not accepcted, he ultimately subscribed to the Nicene creed and Arius’s condemnation. Yet after the council he continued to work on behalf of Arius and cooperated with Eusebius of Nicomedia in deposing bishops, Eustathius of Antioch, Athanasius of Alexandria, and Marcellus of Ancyra, defenders of the Nicene position. In 336 he gave an official address to Constantine on the occasion of the thirtieth anniversary of his reign, as well as writing a laudatory Life of Constantine. His final years were taken up in editing his previous writings and in his controversy with Marcellus of Ancyra whom he accused of Sabellianism.
Below is a listing of his works with information about texts, translations, bibliographies, etc.
| Date | Title | Incipit | CPG |
| c. 296 | Church History, Bks. 1-7 | – | 3495 |
| before 303 | Introduction to the General Elements | – | 3475 |
| before 303 | Against Hierocles | Ἀρ᾿ οὖν ὧ πιλνότης κἀκεῖνα | 3485 |
| 307-309 | In Defense of Origen | – | 3476 |
| After 309 | Commentary on Luke (no longer extant) | – | 3469 |
| c. 311 | Chronicle | – | 3494 |
| c. 311 | On the Martyrs of Palestine | Ἔτος τοῦτο ἦν | 3490 |
| 311-313 | Life of Pamphilus (no longer extant) | – | – |
| before 313 | The Polygamy of the Patriarchs (no longer extant) | – | – |
| before 313 | Collection of the Ancient Martyrs | Ἐπι Μάρκου Ἀντωνίνου καὶ Λουκίου Βήρου διωγμοῦ | 3491 |
| ? | Encomium on the Martyrs | – | 3493 |
| ? | Passion of the Ten Holy Martyrs of Egypt | Καλός, ὤ ἀγαπητοί, | 3492 |
| c. 313 | Church History, Bks. 8-10.7 | – | 3495 |
| 313-318 | Preparation for the Gospel | Τὸν χριστιανισμόν, ὅ τι | 3486 |
| 313-318 | Demonstration of the Gospel | Ἰδοὺ δή σοι, θεῖον | 3487 |
| c.320 | Questions to Stephen | – | 3470.1 |
| c.320 | Questions to Marinus | – | 3470.2 |
| c.320 | Additional Questions to Stephen | – | 3470.2a |
| c.320 | Additional Questions to Marinus | – | 3470.2b |
| c.320 | Additional Minor Questions to Marinus | – | 3470.2c |
| 321-324 | Oration to the Saints (actually written by Constantine) | – | 3497 |
| c. 323 | Letter to Alexander | Μεθ᾽ ὅσης μὲν ἀγωνίας | 3501 |
| c. 323 | Letter to Euphration | Οὐ γὰρ συνυπάρχειν φαμὲν | 3500 |
| c.323 | Letter to Unknown Recipient | Οὐ δήπου δὲ ἡ εἰκὼν | 3500 |
| late 324 | Church History, Bk. 10.8-9 | – | 3495 |
| c. 325 | Commentary on Isaiah | – | 3468 |
| 325 | On the Solemnity of Easter | Ἐγὼ μὲν ᾤμην ὲξαπρκεῖν | 3479 |
| 325 | Letter to the Church of Caesarea | Τὰ περὶ τῆς ἐκκλησιαστικῆς | 3502 |
| ? | Letter to Constantia (dubious) | – | 3503 |
| 326-330 | Onomasticon | – | 3466 |
| 335 | Against Marcellus | Ἡ ὑπόθεσις αὐτῷ τῆς | 3477 |
| 335 | Letter to Flacillus | – | 3478 |
| 335 | Ecclesiastical Theology | Ἐγὼ μὲν ᾤμην ὲξαπρκεῖν | 3478 |
| 335 | In Praise of Constantine | – | 3498 |
| 335-339 | Commentary on the Psalms | – | 3467 |
| 337 | Life of Constantine | – | 3496 |
| after 337 | Theophany | – | 3488 |
| – | Letter to Carpianus and Eusebian Canons | – | 3465 |
| – | Lives of the Prophets (spurious) | – | 3505 |
| – | On Weights and Measures (spurious) | – | 3506 |
| – | On the Star (spurious) | – | 3507 |
Bibliography
Barnes, Timothy D. “Eusebius of Caesarea.” The Expository Times 121, no. 1 (2009): 1-14.
Barnes, Timothy D. Constantine and Eusebius. Cambridge MMA: Harvard University Press, 1981.
Lyman, R. “Eusebius of Caesarea.” In Encyclopedia of Early Christianity. Edited by Everett Ferguson. New York: Garland Publishing, Inc. 1990, p. 325-327.
Moreschini, Claudio, and Enrico Norelli. Early Christian Greek and Latin Literature:A Literary History. Translated by Matthew J. O’Connel. Vol. 1. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 2005.
Curti, C. “Eusebius of Caesarea in Palestine.” In Encyclopedia of the Early Church. Edited by Angelo Di Berardino. New York: Oxford University Press, 1992, p. 299-301.
Fernández, Samuel. Nicaea 325: Reassessing the Contemporary Sources. Contexts of Ancient and Medieval Anthropology, vol. 14. Brill | Schöningh, 2025.
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Last updated 7/23/2026 by JTS
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