Of Eusebius Bishop of Samosata.

Chapter IV.—Of Eusebius ⁸¹⁴ Bishop of Samosata.

Apollinarius after thus failing to get the government of the churches, continued, for the future, openly to preach his new fangled doctrine, and constituted himself leader of the heresy. He resided for the most part at Laodicea; but at Antioch he had already ordained Vitalius, a man of excellent character, brought up in the apostolic doctrines, but afterwards tainted with the heresy. Diodorus, whom I have already mentioned, ⁸¹⁵ who in the great storm had saved the ship of the church from sinking, had been appointed by the divine Meletius, bishop of Tarsus, and had received the charge of the Cilicians. The see of Apamea ⁸¹⁶ Meletius entrusted to John, a man of illustrious birth, more distinguished for his own high qualities than for those of his forefathers, for he was conspicuous alike for the beauty of his teaching and of his life. In the time of the tempest he piloted the assembly of his fellows in the faith supported by the worthy Stephanus. The latter was however translated by the divine Meletius to carry on another contest, for on the arrival of intelligence that Germanicia had been contaminated by the Eudoxian pest he was sent thither as a physician to ward off the disease, thoroughly trained as he had been in a complete heathen education as well as nurtured in the Divine doctrines. He did not disappoint the expectations formed of him, for by the power p. 134 of his spiritual instruction he turned the wolves into sheep. ⁸¹⁷

On the return of the great Eusebius from exile he ordained Acacius whose fame is great at Berœa, ⁸¹⁸ and at Hierapolis Theodotus, ⁸¹⁹ whose ascetic life is to this day in all men’s mouths. Eusebius ⁸²⁰ was moreover appointed to the see of Chalcis, and Isidorus ⁸²¹ to our own city of Cyrus; both admirable men, conspicuous for their divine zeal.

Meletius is also reported to have ordained to the pastorate of Edessa, where the godly Barses had already departed this life, Eulogius, ⁸²² the well known champion of apostolic doctrines, who had been sent to Antinone with Protogenes. Eulogius gave Protogenes, ⁸²³ his companion in hard service, the charge of Carræ, a healing physician for a sick city.

Lastly the divine Eusebius ordained Maris, Bishop of Doliche, ⁸²⁴ a little city at that time infected with the Arian plague. With the intention of enthroning this Maris, a right worthy man, illustrious for various virtues, in the episcopal chair, the great Eusebius came to Doliche. As he was entering into the town a woman thoroughly infected with the Arian plague let fall a tile from the roof, which crushed in his head and so wounded him that not long after he departed to the better life. As he lay a-dying he charged the bystanders not to exact the slightest penalty from the woman who had done the deed, and bound them under oaths to obey him. Thus he imitated his own Lord, who of them that crucified Him said “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.” ⁸²⁵

Thus, too, he followed the example of Stephanus, his fellow slave, who, after the stones had stormed upon him, cried aloud, “Lord lay not this sin to their charge.” ⁸²⁶ So died the great Eusebius after many and various struggles. He had escaped the barbarians in Thrace, but he did not escape the violence of impious heretics, and by their means won the martyr’s crown. ⁸²⁷

These events happened after the return of the bishops, and now Gratian learnt that Thrace was being laid waste by the barbarians who had burnt Valens, so he left Italy and proceeded to Pannonia.

Footnotes

133:814

cf. page 93.

133:815

Vide pages 85 and 126.

133:816

Ad Orentem, now Famiah. This John was prefect at Constantinople in 381. A better known John of Apamea is an ascetic of the 5th c., fragments of whose works are among the Syriac mss. in the British Museum.

134:817

This seems to be all that is known of Stephanus of Germanicia (now Marash or Banicia in Syria) mentioned also as the see of Eudoxius. cf. Book II. p. 86.

134:818

Acacius of Berœa (Aleppo) was later an opponent of Chrysostom and of Cyril, but in his old age of more than 100 in 436.

134:819

Theodotus is mentioned also in the Relig. Hist. c. iii. as paying an Easter visit to the hermit Marcian. Hierapolis, or Bambyce, is now Bumbouch in the Pachalic of Aleppo.

134:820

Similarly mentioned in Relig. Hist. c. iii. Chalcis is in Cœle Syria.

134:821

Also one of Marcian’s Easter party. As well as these bishops there were present some men of high rank and position, who were earnest Christians. When all were seated, Marcian was asked to address them. “But he fetched a deep sigh and said ‘the God of all day by day utters his voice by means of the visible world, and in the divine scriptures discourses with us, urging on us our duties, telling us what is befitting, terrifying us by threats, winning us by promises, and all the while we get no good. Marcian turns away this good like the rest of his kind, and does not care to enjoy its blessing. What could be the use of his lifting up his voice?’” Relig. Hist. iii. 3.

134:822

Vide Book iv. 15. p, 118.

134:823

Vide Book iv. 15. p, 118.

134:824

Doliche is in Commagene.

134:825

Luke xxiii. 34

134:826

Acts vii. 59

134:827

The Martyrdom of Eusebius is commemorated in the Eastern Churches on June 22; in the Roman Kalendar on June 21.

We compare the fate of Abimelech at Thebez (Judg. 9:53, 2 Sam. 11:21Judges ix. 53, and 2 Sam. xi. 21) and Pyrrhus, King of Epirus, at Argos, b.c. 272. “Inter confertissimos violentissime dimicans, saxo de muris ictus occiditur.” Justin. xxv. 5. The story is given at greater length by Plutarch. Vit: Pyrrh: