Eusebius of Caesarea (c. 263 – c. 339
[1]) (often called
Eusebius Pamphili, "Eusebius [the friend] of
Pamphilus") became the
bishop of
Caesarea Palaestina, the capital of
Iudaea province,
c 314.
[1] He is often referred to as the Father of
Church History because of his work in recording the history of the early
Christian church, especially
Chronicle and
Ecclesiastical History[1].
His date and place of birth are unknown and little is known of his youth, however it is estimated that he was born in 265[2]. He became acquainted with the presbyter Dorotheus in Antioch and probably received exegetical instruction from him. In 296 he was in Palestine and saw Constantine who visited the country with Diocletian. He was in Caesarea when Agapius was bishop and became friendly with Pamphilus of Caesarea, with whom he seems to have studied the text of the Bible, with the aid of Origen's Hexapla and commentaries collected by Pamphilus, in an attempt to prepare a correct version.
In 307, Pamphilus was imprisoned, but Eusebius continued their project. The resulting defence of Origen, in which they had collaborated, was finished by Eusebius after the death of Pamphilus and sent to the martyrs in the mines of Phaeno located in modern Jordan. Eusebius then seems to have gone to Tyre and later to Egypt, where he first suffered persecution.
Eusebius is next heard of as bishop of Caesarea Maritima. He succeeded Agapius, whose time of office is not certain, but Eusebius must have become bishop soon after 313. Nothing is known about the early years of his tenure. When the Council of Nicaea met in 325, Eusebius was prominent in its transactions. He was not naturally a spiritual leader or theologian, but as a very learned man and a famous author who enjoyed the special favour of the emperor, he came to the fore among the members of the council (traditionally given as 318 attendees). He presented the creed of his own church to the council for its approval. This creed was "a sweet-sounding confession, dating from before the controversy, and was, therefore, wholly indefinite as to the particular problems involved."[3] It was rejected in favor of a more specifically anti-Arian creed from Palestine which became the basis of the council's major theological statement, the Nicene Creed.[4]
