Eusebius of Caesarea: Praeparatio Evangelica (Preparation for the Gospel). Translated by E.H. Gifford (1903)
LONDINI ET NOVI EBORACI
APUD HENRICUM FROWDE
EUSEBIOU TOU PAMFILOU
EUAGGELIKHS PROPARASKEUHS
LOGOI IE
EUSEBII PAMPHILI
EVANGELICAE PRAEPARATIONIS
LIBRI XV
AD CODICES MANUSCRIPTOS DENUO COLLATOS RECENSUIT
ANGLICE NUNC
PRIMUM REDDIDIT
NOTIS ET INDICIBUS INSTRUXIT
E. H. GIFFORD, S.T.P.
OLIM ARCHIDIACONUS LONDINENSIS
TOMUS III. PARS PRIOR
OXONII
E TYPOGRAPHEO ACADEMICO
M. CM. III
OXONII
Excudebat Horatius Hart
Typographus academicus
INTRODUCTION
1. THE AUTHOR. The prominent position occupied by Eusebius
of Caesarea in the Arian controversy and the Council of Nicaea has given rise to
so many important treatises on his life and character, that it would be quite
superfluous to prefix a formal biography to the present edition of one among his
many literary works. It will be sufficient to mention a few of the best sources
of information accessible to the English reader.
(1) The article in Smith's Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography on
Eusebius of Caesarea by the late Bishop G. E. L. Cotton.
(2) Testimonies of the Ancients, in favour of and against Eusebius,
collected by Valesius (Henri de Valois), and appended to the Prolegomena on
The Life and Writings of Eusebius in Dr. McGiffert's English
edition of the Church History (Parker, Oxford, 1890).
(3) The very interesting and learned Introduction to the Greek text of
the Ecclesiastical History of Eusebius, edited for the Clarendon Press by
the late Dr. W. Bright, Canon of Christ Church, and Regius Professor of
Ecclesiastical History, Oxford, 1872.
(4) Bishop Lightfoot's article, Eusebius of Caesarea, in Smith and
Wace's Dictionary of Christian Biography (ii. 308-48), of which Dr.
McGiffert says with perfect truth: 'Lightfoot's article is a
magnificent monument of patristic scholarship, and contains the best and most
exhaustive treatment of the life and writings of Eusebius that has been
written.'
In each of these works the student will find abundant references to earlier
sources of information.
There is, however, one interesting and important |vi question concerning Eusebius, for a satisfactory
explanation of which I have sought in vain even in these copious and excellent
biographies. What was the true relation of Eusebius to Pamphilus? In other
words, What is the exact meaning of the title Eu)se/bioj o(
Pamfi/lou?
The inquiry is interesting because it is in connexion with Pamphilus that we
first hear of Eusebius; and it is not unnecessary, because the older traditional
explanations are very various, while in our own more critical days we find the
title sometimes rendered as 'Eusebius Pamphilus,' and even as 'Eusebius the
beloved of all,' a strange designation for one who was so well hated by his more
orthodox brethren.
It will be convenient to begin with the summary account of the traditional
notices given by Fabricius in his great work Bibliographia Graeca, Tom.
vi. p. 30: 'Eusebius Pamphili, not the martyr's son, nor his sister's son
(consobrinus), nor his slave, but a friend so peculiarly intimate that he took
his name from him.'
On the supposed relationship it is sufficient to quote Bishop Lightfoot's
judicious remark: 'Nicephorus Callistus (H. E. vi. 37) makes him a nephew
(o toutou adelfidouV) of the martyr. Yet it is somewhat
strange that he himself should never allude to this connexion, if it were so
close. On the contrary, he speaks of his becoming acquainted with Pamphilus in
such a manner as to suggest that there was no existing relationship which
brought them together.'
In a note on the passage already quoted Fabricius defends the rendering
'friend of Pamphilus' by supposed examples of a similar usage. 'Thus C. Avianus
Philoxenus acquired the name Avianus from his friend Flaccus Avianus, as Cicero
writes, Epist. ad Familiares, xiii. 35: "The name Avianus he received
because there was no man with whom he was more intimate than with Flaccus
Avianus, who, as I think you know, was my own most intimate friend."' |vii
Of this example it is enough to say that the Latin usage is no authority for
the Greek.
In the same note Fabricius adds: 'Etiam Iudas Iacobi et Petrus Damiani dictus
uterque a fratre.' On Luke vi. 16 Ioudan Iakwbou Meyer
remarks that it is usually rendered '"Judas the brother of James," and
therefore the son of Alphaeus; but without any foundation in exegesis. . . .
Hence here and in Acts i. 13, we must read "Judas son of James," of which
James nothing further is known': and on Acts i. 13 Meyer again remarks that 'The
relationship is arbitrarily defined as "brother of (the younger) James."
It is: son of (an otherwise unknown) James.' This interpretation is now
almost universally accepted. Thus Huther on Jude 1 writes: 'It is arbitrary to
supply to Iakwbou adelfoV instead of the usual
supplement uioV,' and Reuss, Introduction to
Jude: 'Cette derniere formule doit signifier necessairement "fils de
Jacques," et non frere de Jacques.' Compare Viger, De Idiotismis
Graecis, p. 12 'o( vel involvit substantivum u(ioj aut pai=j, filius,
vel pro illo sumitur.' On which Hermann remarks Annot. ad Vig. De Idiot,
p. 701 'SwkrathV o Swfroniskou significat
aut hunc fuisse Sophronisci unicum, aut illum esse cui pater fuerit
Sophroniscus, quo ab aliis Socratibus distinguatur. SwkrathV
Swfroniskou dicitur qui Sophroniscum, non alium, habet
patrem.'
Even, however, if we could admit the rendering 'brother of James,'
this extension of the genitive of kindred would not justify its further
extension to the relation of 'friend': and the same objection applies to 'Petrus
brother of Damianus,' as to whom see Fabric. Tom. viii. p. 88; Tom. xiii.
p. 814.
St. Jerome, writing about sixty years after the death of Eusebius, speaks of
him as the 'friend, eulogist, and companion' of Pamphilus: Apolog. adv.
Rufin. i. 9 'Ipse Eusebius amator et praeco et contubernalis Pamphili tres
libros scripsit elegantissimos vitam Pamphili continentes.' Again in the Preface
to his translation of the work of |viii
Eusebius On the names of places in Holy Scripture Jerome mentions that
'he took his surname from the blessed martyr Pamphilus'; while in the Preface to
his Commentary on Isaiah and elsewhere he calls him simply
'Eusebius Pamphili.'
If it seems strange that Jerome, who lived in the next generation to
Eusebius, has failed to give a correct paraphrase of his adopted name, we must
remember that Latin, not Greek, was Jerome's native language, and that in the
Preface to his translation of the Chronicon of Eusebius he speaks in the
strongest terms of the difficulty of rendering 'the peculiar and, so to speak,
the native idiom of the language.'
On this point the Greek writers of Church History are better witnesses than
Jerome. Socrates in the first words of his Ecclesiastical History (circ.
430 A. D.) calls him simply EusebioV o Pamfilou,
without any comment on the surname, which ought therefore to be taken in its
usual and well-known sense.
Sozomen, a contemporary of Socrates, in his Hist. Eccles. i. 1. 9
writes EusebioV o epiklhn Pamfilou, where epiklhn may imply a patronymic, and may be illustrated
by Xenophon, Oeconom. vii. 3 onomazonteV me Iscomacon
patroqen proskalountai.
In a much later age Photius, Epist. 73, begins a bitter invective
against the reputed heretic with the words EusebioV o tou
Pamfilou eite douloV eite sunhqhV. Upon this the editor Baletta makes the
usual remark that 'Eusebius was the disciple and friend of the martyr Pamphilus,
from whom he took his surname': but it is evident that Photius himself either
was or pretended to be ignorant of the actual meaning of the title; and his
insolent insinuation, eite douloV, is of course rightly
rejected, as we have seen, by Fabricius. Bishop Lightfoot in the article already
referred to writes with just indignation: 'It was either a blundering literalism
or an ignoble sarcasm, which led Photius (Ep. 73 Baletta) to suggest the
|ix explanation that he was the slave
of Pamphilus. Any man might have been proud to wear the slave's badge of
such a devotion.'
We come at last to the positive testimony of one who at least knew the proper
sense of the title o Pamfilou.
The oldest MS. of the Praeparatio Evangelica (Paris, n. 451) has a
Scholion on the passage i. 3 (Vig. 7 c 3) which refers to the works of earlier
Christian writers. 'Such,' says the Scholiast, 'as were holy Justin,
Athenagoras, Tatian, Clement the author of the Miscellanies, Origen, and
moreover Pamphilus himself the father of our present author Eusebius, PamfiloV o tou parontoV Eusebiou pathr.'
Dr. Harnack in his description of this MS. in Texte u. Untersuch. i.
1. 34 remarks on this Scholion: 'It is worthy of notice that Pamphilus is
described as the father of Eusebius (EusebioV o
Pamfilou). So obscure already was the Scholiast's historical knowledge.'
In a foot-note to this passage Dr. Harnack asks 'why Pamphilus is mentioned
here at all. Did the author perhaps think of Lucian, or allow himself to be
misled by the title of the Apology for Origen?' Again on p. 177 Dr.
Harnack says: 'This Scholion is of later origin. . . . Add to this that the
learned Arethas cannot have supposed Pamphilus to be the father of Eusebius.'
As to Dr. Harnack's first objection, there is nothing to surprise us in the
Scholiast's mention of Pamphilus as one of the 'recent authors' of whom Eusebius
might have been thinking. His literary work was of a different character, less
popular, and less generally known than the writings of the Apologists previously
mentioned, and for these reasons, as it seems, the Scholiast in adding his name
to theirs introduces it by the words kai autoV eti
PamfiloV.
Dr. Harnack's passing remark that 'the Scholion is of later origin' is not
accepted by his very learned co-editor Oscar v. Gebhardt, who made a most
careful examination of the Codex, and assigned this particular Scholion to the
|x hand of Arethas himself (Texte u.
Unters. i. 3. 183, n. 70).
Thus, instead of an ignorant Scholiast of a later age, we have the learned
Archbishop Arethas asserting that the title is to be understood in its proper
sense, 'Eusebius son of Pamphilus,' and this we shall find to be consistent with
all that we know of the relations between Pamphilus and Eusebius.
Pamphilus, we know, was many years older than Eusebius, was the director as
well as the partner of his studies, and is always mentioned by him in terms not
only of admiration and affection but of the most profound respect. Thus he calls
him 'the great glory of the diocese of Caesarea, most admirable of the men of
our time1,'
of all my companions by me most fondly regretted, a man most glorious of the
martyrs of our time for every virtue2,'
'the name to me thrice dear,' 'a man who through his whole life shone
pre-eminent in every virtue3';
and when we add to such language the still more remarkable expressions quoted by
Bishop Lightfoot 4
from Cureton's edition of the Syriac Martyrs of Palestine, that 'heavenly
martyr of God,' 'my lord Pamphilus,' 'for it is not meet that I should mention
the name of that holy and blessed Pamphilus without styling him "my lord5"'----with
such testimony of filial reverence we can hardly doubt that when Eusebius
adopted the patronymic o Pamfilou, he meant it in its
full and proper significance, that henceforth he would call no man 'father' save
this best and dearest friend of his early manhood. 'How else,' as Bishop
Lightfoot says,' could he express the strength of his devotion to this friend,
who was more than a friend, than by adopting his name. He would henceforward be
known as "Eusebius of Pamphilus."' Let us only complete the title, 'Eusebius son
of Pamphilus,' and so do justice to the old Scholiast, that is, to the learned
archbishop himself. |xi
A further explanation of the patronymic may probably be found in the
prevalent custom of adoption. We know that Pamphilus 'had gathered about him a
collection of books which seems to have been unrivalled in Christian circles'
(Lightfoot, ibid.), and of which Eusebius became the possessor and made a
catalogue (Eus. Hist. Eccl. vi. 32). It is therefore most probable that
Pamphilus had made Eusebius his heir, and 'the only way in which a childless
individual could acquire an heir was by adopting him' (Prof. W. M. Ramsay,
Expositor, Sept. 1898, p. 204). Cf. Hermann, Political Antiquities of
Greece, § 120 'The appointment of an heir, even by will, could take place
only by adoption.' This statement that the heir was necessarily an adopted son
is confirmed, among other passages, by Plato, Laws 924 A, and by Isaeus
66. 31 oute an eisepoioun eis touton ton klhron uion
Aristarcw, 'they would not have represented that a son had been adopted
by Aristarchus into this inheritance.' If Eusebius was thus made the heir of
Pamphilus, his legal and usual designation would henceforth be 'EusebioV o Pamfilou.' And in any case, whether he was
actually adopted, or took the patronymic as a symbol of respect and affection,
the only true rendering is, I believe, 'Eusebius son of Pamphilus.'
2. THE DATE. The work itself contains no
direct statement of the date at which it was written, and it is difficult to
determine this very closely from the allusions to contemporary events,
especially to the persecutions of the Christians and the subsequent prosperity
of their religion.
The persecution commenced by Diocletian (February 24, A. D. 303), and
continued by Galerius, ceased by his edict A. D. 311. Speaking of this
persecution Eusebius says (Eccl. Hist. viii. 16) that having begun to
decrease after the eighth year 'through the grace of God it ceased altogether in
the tenth year.' After the defeat of Maxentius (A. D. 312) Constantine and
Licinius gave freedom to the Christians, which was confirmed by the Edict |xii of Milan late in the same year (Eus.
Eccl. Hist. x. 5).
With these historical statements we have to compare the allusions to the
condition of the Christians in the two portions of the great apologetic work of
the same author.
We may notice first certain passages which seem to have been written just
before, or immediately after, the final cessation of the persecution.
Praep. Ev. 584 a, b 'Even up to the present time the noble witnesses
(martyrs) of our Saviour throughout the whole inhabited world, while practising
"not to seem but to be" just and devout, have suffered all things that Plato
enumerated.' Here the words eiV deuro peponqasin
imply that the persecution if not still raging had very recently ceased.
Another passage which seems to have been written before the persecution had
come to an end is found in the Demonstration of the Gospel, iii. 5. 78.
Commenting on our Saviour's prophecy (Matt. xxiv. 9; Luke xxi. 12) that his
disciples should be brought before rulers and kings for His name's sake, he adds
'and shall suffer all kinds of punishment for no fault or other good reason, but
all this solely for His name's sake: and we may marvel at the prediction when we
see this working up to the present time: for the confession of the name of Jesus
is wont to inflame the wrath of the rulers, so that though no fault has been
committed by one who confesses Christ, they punish him cruelly for His name's
sake.'
Here again the present tenses eiV deuro qewrountaV
energoumenon seem to imply that persecution was still raging.
A strong contrast to the language of these earlier passages is found in the
Demonstration, v. 3. 11 'Who therefore on seeing the Churches of our
Saviour flourishing (anqousas) in the midst of
the cities, and in villages and country places throughout the whole inhabited
world, and the peoples being ruled (kurieuomenouV)
by Him. . . .' |xiii
Again in the Praep. Ev. 9 d 7 Eusebius speaking of the Christian
religion says: 'after these many years of persecution it shines forth far more
brightly, and daily becomes more conspicuous, and grows and multiplies more and
more.'
From such a description it is evident that a great change had occurred in the
policy of the Roman Emperors towards the Christian religion, and we may fairly
conclude that the earlier passages were written shortly before or shortly after
the cessation of the persecution, and the later after some years of peace and
prosperity.
Considering that the Preparation and the Demonstration are the
two connected portions of one great work which must have been a long time in
execution, we cannot be surprised at finding indications of different dates
occurring in different parts of the two treatises. And though unable to fix a
precise date either for the commencement or for the completion of the whole
work, we can hardly be wrong in saying that it was begun about the year 312
A.D., but not finished till a few years afterwards.
On this latter point we have an interesting note of time in Praep. Ev.
135 c 4 'many of the most highly inspired even of their chief hierophants,
and theologians, and prophets, who were celebrated for this kind of theosophy,
not only in former times but also recently in our own day, under cruel tortures
(dia basanwn aikiaV) before the Roman courts
declared that the whole delusion was produced by human frauds.' The passage
evidently refers to the punishment of the false prophets and hierophants
described by Eusebius, Hist. Eccl. ix. 11 'Licinius on arriving at the
city of Antioch made a search for impostors, and tortured (basanoiV hkizeto) the prophets and priests of the newly
erected statue, asking them "for what reason they practised their deception."
And when under the stress of torture they were no longer able to conceal the
matter, they declared that the whole mystery was a fraud contrived by the art of
Theotecnus. He therefore meted out just |xiv judgement to all of them, and first put Theotecnus
himself to death, and then his confederates in the imposture, after innumerable
tortures (meta pleistaV osaV aikiaV).'
These executions took place immediately after the death of Maximinus in A. D.
313, and were followed by a further decree of toleration for the Christians. We
cannot be wrong therefore in saying that the words 'recently in our time' (enagcoV kaq hmaV) were written neither before nor much after
A. D. 314.
3. THE OCCASION. The time thus indicated in
the work itself was especially opportune for such a defence of Christianity as
Eusebius was undertaking. Persecution had ceased for the present, and there was
no immediate need of such appeals to the justice or mercy of Pagan Emperors as
had formed a chief subject of the first Christian Apologists. But the
remembrance of the sufferings endured especially by the martyrs of Palestine,
and witnessed if not actually shared by Eusebius himself, was still fresh; nor
could there be any assurance that persecution would not be renewed under
emperors less favourable to Christianity or less prudent than Constantine.
The wavering attitude of the emperor himself at this period is well described
by Gibbon, c. xx 'The devotion of Constantine was more peculiarly directed to
the genius of the Sun, the Apollo of Greek and Roman mythology; and he was
pleased to be represented with the symbols of the God of Light and Poetry.' . .
. 'As long as Constantine exercised a limited sovereignty over the provinces of
Gaul, his Christian subjects were protected by the authority, and perhaps by the
laws, of a prince who wisely left to the gods the care of vindicating their
honour. If we may credit the assertion of Constantine himself, he had been an
indignant spectator of the savage cruelties which were inflicted by the hands of
Roman soldiers on those citizens whose religion was their only crime.' |xv
If the prudent policy of the emperor was dictated by a sense of the growing
power of Christianity in the State, nothing could help so much to strengthen
this feeling and turn it into a permanent conviction as a full exhibition of the
contrast between the effete superstitions and gross immorality of Paganism and
the pure and vigorous spirit of the new religion.
The conflict was not ended, but it had assumed a new character: persecution
had failed, but other weapons not less formidable remained. The old charges of
atheism, apostasy, and hostility to the State though often refuted were
constantly renewed. Learning and philosophy lent their aid both in attacking the
supposed credulity of the Christians, and in endeavouring to infuse new life
into the ancient Polytheism.
Porphyry, the most learned and able philosopher of his age and the bitterest
opponent of Christianity, was but lately dead, and had left behind him a work in
fifteen books Against the Christians. As far as we can judge from the
fragments that remain this was the most comprehensive and powerful attack that
had yet been made upon the new faith. Eusebius was keenly alive both to the
ability of the author, and to the dangerous character of his criticism: and
there was need as well as opportunity for a new and comprehensive defence of the
truth so vehemently attacked.
4. THE METHOD. In explaining the plan of his
treatise Eusebius promises (7 a 1) that his purpose shall be worked out in a way
of his own, differing from the methods of the many Christian authors who had
preceded him. This promise is further explained (17 a 1) as meaning that his
arguments will not depend on his own statements, but will be given in the very
words of the most learned and best known advocates of the Pagan religions, that
so the evidence alleged may not be suspected of being invented by himself. The
cogency of |xvi this mode of argument
truthfully and fairly conducted is unquestionable, but it had not in this case
such entire novelty as Eusebius seems to claim for it. We shall find as we
proceed that many of his arguments are the same as those of the earlier
Apologists, Aristides, Justin Martyr, Tatian, Clement of Alexandria, and Origen;
that he constantly borrows long passages from their writings, including the same
quotations from Greek authors, reproduced word for word with due
acknowledgement. Those earlier authors had in fact adopted the very same method
which Eusebius announced as distinctive of his own work. The quotations thus
borrowed are however few in comparison with the great multitude gathered by
Eusebius himself from all parts of the Greek literature of a thousand years,
from works both known and unknown of poets, historians, and philosophers.
The peculiar value of the Praeparatio resulting from this wealth of
quotation is universally acknowledged. 'This book is almost as important to us
in the study of ancient Philosophy as the Chronicon is with reference to
History, since in it are present specimens of the writings of almost every
philosopher of any note whose works are not now extant' (G. E. L. Cotton,
Dict. Gk. and R. Biogr., 'Eusebius,' 116b).
'The Preparation exhibits the same wide range of acquaintance with the
classical writers of Greece which the History exhibits in the domain of
Christian literature. The list of writers quoted or referred to is astonishing
for its length (see Fabric. Bibl. Graec. vii. 346). Some of these are
known to us, even by name, only through Eusebius, and of several others he has
preserved large portions which are not otherwise extant. . . . It was chiefly
the impression produced by this mass of learning which led Scaliger to describe
it as "divini commentarii," and Cave to call it "opus profecto nobilissimum"
(H. L. i. p. 178)' (Lightfoot, Smith and "Wace's Dict. Chr. Biogr.
ii. 331). |xvii
5. THE STYLE. It follows from the nature of
the method thus described that the value of the treatise does not depend on the
literary style of Eusebius. His part in the work is that of an editor or
compiler rather than of an original author. His own contributions are small,
except in a few places such as Book VI, chapter 6, on the subject of Fate
and Free Will, and the earlier chapters of Book VII, in which he describes the
religious ideas and mode of life of the original Hebrews. For the most part he
is content to give short notices of the numerous authors whom he quotes, and
such brief comments as serve either to connect the passages selected or to
explain their meaning and force.
It is thus a matter of less importance that his own style is not attractive:
the sentences are often of inordinate length, and the constructions awkward and
confused. On the other hand the diction is simple, appropriate, and free from
all affectation of eloquence or rhetorical artifice. Bishop Lightfoot's
judgement is, as usual, very accurate when he speaks of the want of 'rhetorical
vigour and expression,' but adds that 'the forcible and true conceptions which
it exhibits from time to time, more especially bearing on the theme which may be
briefly designated "God in history," arrest our attention now, and must have
impressed his contemporaries still more strongly; while in learning and
comprehensiveness it is without a rival.'
The same great critic passes a less favourable judgement on the arrangement
of the contents: 'The divisions,' he says, 'are not kept distinct; the topics
start up unexpectedly and out of season.' On this point I may be allowed to
plead on behalf of Eusebius that if he deserves the censure, it is not from want
of very careful endeavours to avoid it. His best defence is to be found in his
very frequent explanations of the purpose and arrangement of his work. |xviii
6. THE CONTENTS. In his first sentence
Eusebius shows us that the proper title of his proposed work as a whole is
The Demonstration of the Gospel (ApodeixiV
Euaggelikh), of which the first part (Proparaskeuh thV
EuaggelikhV ApodeixewV, or more briefly Euaggelikh
Proparaskeuh) is intended to explain beforehand the objections
which are likely to be urged against the Christians and their religion by both
Greeks and Jews.
These objections refer to three main points:----
(i) The abandonment of the ancestral religion of the Greeks (5 a 2).
(ii) The acceptance of the foreign doctrines of the Barbarians, i. e. Jews (5
b).
(iii) The inconsistency of rejecting the Jewish sacrifices, rites, and
general manner of life, while appropriating their sacred Scriptures and promised
blessings (5 c).
The third point, however, is not included in the Preparation for the
reason stated in the closing sentence (856 a 6), but is left for consideration
in the Demonstration.
The fifteen books containing the discussion of the first two points are
divided into five groups of three each, and this distribution is clearly
indicated at the beginning of each group in Books I, IV, VII, X, XIII, while in
the first chapter of Book XV we have a clear summary of the whole preceding
argument, showing how the several divisions have been treated each in three
books.
The first three books discuss the threefold system of Pagan Theology,
Mythical, Allegorical, and Political (788 b 3-d 3). The next three, IV-VI, give
an account of the chief oracles, of the worship of daemons, and of the various
opinions of Greek philosophers on the doctrines of Fate and Free Will.
Books VII-IX give reasons for preferring the religion of the Hebrews founded
chiefly on the testimony of various authors to the excellency of their
Scriptures and the truth of their history. |xix
In Books X-XII Eusebius argues that the Greeks had borrowed from the older
theology and philosophy of the Hebrews, dwelling especially on the supposed
dependence of Plato upon Moses.
In the last three books the comparison of Plato with Moses is continued, and
the mutual contradictions of other Greek philosophers, especially the
Peripatetics and Stoics, are exposed and criticized.
A like orderly arrangement is observed in the smaller divisions of each
group.
Book I. After stating the general purpose and plan of his intended work
(chapters 1-5), Eusebius takes a brief survey of the earliest notions of the
origin of the world, of mankind, and of the gods from the writings of Diodorus
Siculus, Plutarch, Xenophon, Plato, and Porphyry (chapters 6-9, 17 b-30 d),
showing that a simpler worship of sun, moon, and stars had preceded the endless
theogonies and bloody sacrifices of the manifold forms of superstition among the
heathen nations. The remainder of the book (31 a-42 d) is occupied by Philo's
translation of Sanchuniathon's account of the Phoenician theology.
In Book II the religions of Egypt and of Greece are described in the words of
Diodorus and of Clement of Alexandria; after which Eusebius himself states his
reasons for rejecting both the gross legends of the older mythology and the
physical explanations by which later philosophers endeavoured to throw a decent
veil of allegorical interpretation over the shameless obscenities of their
ancestral religion, and ends the book by a description of the comparatively
purer religion of Rome from Dionysius of Halicarnassus.
In Book III the physical explanations of the Greeks and the allegorical
theology of the Egyptians are further described in the language of Plutarch,
Diodorus, and Porphyry, with brief criticisms by Eusebius himself (chapters
1-8). Then after quoting the Orphic Hymn, in which Zeus is described as
the All, both body and soul |xx of the
universe, with Porphyry's comments upon it, Eusebius proceeds 'to examine
quietly and at leisure what after all the verses declare Zeus to be' (102 a). On
this passage Gesner founded a charge of forgery against our author, whom he
supposed to have introduced the verses in order to show that the Orphic poem
taught the existence of the One true God, and even Cudworth strangely fell into
the same error (Intellectual System, iv. 17). Fortunately Eusebius, while
refuting Porphyry, has given us his own interpretation of the verses, showing at
considerable length (102a-108a) that they represent the world as a great animal
to which the name of Zeus is applied, his mind being nothing else than the
ether. Compare Valckenaer, Diatribe de Aristobulo, xxvi. After quoting
Porphyry again on the physical theologies of Greece and Egypt (108b-117d),
Eusebius himself exposes their contradictions and absurdities in the five
remaining chapters of the book (118 a-127 c).
In the second group of three books (IV-VI) he passes on from the mythical and
physical systems of Greek theology to the political forms of religion upheld and
enforced by the laws of the several states.
Books IV and V are mainly occupied with discussions on the oracles and their
pretended prophecies and healings, which are attributed both by Eusebius and by
the witnesses whom he quotes to the activity of evil daemons. The evidence on
these subjects is for the most part taken from Porphyry's work On the
Philosophy to be derived from Oracles, fragments of which are preserved by
Eusebius, and his extant and well-known work On Abstinence from Animal Food.
The last nine chapters are devoted to the subject of human sacrifices, the
chief witnesses being Porphyry, Dionysius of Halicarnassus, and Diodorus
Siculus.
In Book V the nature and operation of daemons, the incantations by which they
may be controlled, and their regard for the images in which they are supposed to
be |xxi present, are described in
extracts from Plutarch On the Cessation of Oracles, from Porphyry's works
already mentioned, and from his Epistle to Anebo. The latter half of the
book is occupied by a most interesting and witty satire upon the oracles from
the work of Oenomaus entitled The Detection of Impostors.
Book VI is devoted to the subject of Fate and Free Will in connexion with
astrology, the evidence being supplied by Porphyry, Oenomaus, Diogenianus,
Alexander of Aphrodisias, Bardesanes the Syrian, and Origen.
In the sixth chapter we have a good specimen of the clear argumentative style
of Eusebius himself: with much force and earnestness he defends 'the freedom of
the Will against the fatalism of pagan religion,' and especially of the Stoic
philosophy.' By the independence with which he maintains the cause of Liberty,
Morality, and Duty it is evident that no such teaching as that of Pelagius had
as yet disturbed men's minds, or called forth the decisions of the Church on the
doctrines of grace' (Dictionnaire des Sciences philosophiques, ii. 340).
The next group consisting of Books VII-IX deals with the religion of the
Hebrews.
Of Book VII the first half (298 d-322 d) is the work of Eusebius himself,
describing the lives and religion of the Patriarchs, and the doctrines of Moses
and the Prophets on Divine Providence, on God as the First Cause of the
Universe, and on the Word as the Second Cause. In the latter half of the book
the same subjects are illustrated from Jewish and Christian authors, Philo,
Dionysius of Alexandria, Origen, and Methodius.
Beck VIII consists of the history of the Septuagint as described by Aristeas,
of quotations concerning the Exodus and the Law from Philo, Josephus, and
Eleazar the High Priest, on the Biblical anthropomorphisms from Aristobulus, and
two accounts of the Essenes from Philo, followed by his views of Creation, and
of Providence.
Book IX contains the testimony of heathen writers |xxii who have made mention of the Jews, a third account of
the Essenes by Porphyry, quotations by Josephus from Hecataeus of Abdera,
Clearchus the Peripatetic, Choerilus the poet, Abydenus, author of the
Assyrian History, the Sibyl, and others on the Deluge and Tower of Babel.
The remaining twenty-six chapters of the book are chiefly occupied by several
important extracts from the work of Alexander Polyhistor, Concerning the
Jews, which include long passages from the Iambic poems of Theo-dotus and
Ezekiel on events in Jewish history, the spurious letters of Solomon to Vaphres
king of Egypt, and Suron (Hiram) of Tyre; with descriptions of Jerusalem and
other matters by various authors.
In the next group, Books X-XII, Eusebius gives examples from Clement,
Porphyry, and Diodorus of the plagiarism of Greek authors both from each other
and, as they argue, from the much older Scriptures of the Hebrews. The testimony
to their antiquity is drawn from the Chronography of Africanus, and from
Tatian, Clement, and Josephus.
In Book XI Eusebius proposes to show the agreement of Plato, as the
representative of Greek Philosophy, with the Hebrew Scriptures. Adopting the
threefold division of Ethics, Dialectic, and Physics, he notices the moral
teaching of the sacred writers, their literary methods, accurate reasoning, and
correct use of significant names, their knowledge of the natural world, and
their contemplation of the 'true being' of things unseen (chapters 1-9). He then
quotes the comments of Numenius, and his saying, What else is Plato than
Moses speaking Attic Greek?, and Plutarch's treatise on the Ei0 at Delphi (10, 11).
Other points of comparison are the ineffable nature of God, His unity, the
Second Cause as contemplated by Philo, Plotinus, Numenius, and Amelius, the
Third Divine Power of the Ps.-Platonic Epinomis (chapters 12-30).
The nature of the Good and of the Ideas, as stated by Plato in the
Republic and Timaeus, is illustrated by |xxiii quotations from Numenius, Philo, and Clement of
Alexandria (21-25). The existence of evil powers, the immortality of the soul
and the Divine image, as taught in the Alcibiades and Phaedo, and
illustrated from Porphyry's answer to Boethus On the Soul, the creation
of the world and of the heavenly bodies, the goodness of God's works, their
changes and dissolution, the resurrection of the dead, and the final judgement,
are all brought into the comparison, and illustrated from the Timaeus,
Republic, Politicus, and Phaedo, and from a fragment of Plutarch
On the Soul.
In Book XII the comparison of Plato with the Hebrew Scriptures is continued
on the simple instruction of children, the need of faith, the qualifications of
rulers as described in the Laws, the Gorgias, and the Republic
(chapters 1-9); the picture of the just man and his fate in the
Republic; Paradise and the garden of Zeus, and the origin of mankind male
and female, in the Symposium; the Deluge, the right foundation of law,
religious training, the use of poetry, music, and wine, and the control of the
passions, all illustrated from the Laws (chapters 10-28).
Other subjects brought into the comparison are the contrast of true
philosophy and spurious wisdom (Theaetetus), the education of women
(Republic), and passages of the Laws and Republic
corresponding to the Hebrew Proverbs and laws of Moses on 'the memory
of the just,' riches and poverty, and the honour due to parents, on slaves,
landmarks, and thieves (chapters 29-42). Other coincidences are found in the use
of certain examples and figures of speech, in the division of a nation into
twelve tribes, in the situation of the chief city, and in Plato's thoughts on
faults in education (Republic), on atheism, on God, and Divine providence
(Laws).
In Book XIII Eusebius quotes with approval Plato's opinions on the
absurdities of Greek mythology in the Timaeus, Republic, and
Eutliyphron (chapters 1-5), on stedfast adherence to truth even unto
death in the Crito |xxiv and the
Apology of Socrates (chapters 6-11), adding the testimonies of
Aristobulus and Clement to the agreement of Plato and other Greek philosophers
with the Hebrew Scriptures (chapters 12, 13).
The remainder of the book treats of matters in which Plato's teaching is
condemned concerning the belief of the common people (Timaeus and
Republic), a multitude of inferior gods and daemons, the nature of the
soul (Timaeus) criticized by the Platonist Severus, the worship of the
heavenly bodies (Laws and Timaeus), the treatment of women
(Laws and Republic), unnatural vice, and the laws of murder.
In Book XIV the consistent truth of Hebrew doctrines adopted by Christians is
contrasted with the contradictions and conflicts of Greek philosophers, showing
how Plato criticized his predecessors in the Theaetetus and Sophista,
and was himself criticized by his followers in the successive Academies, who
in their turn are subjected to the keen satire of Numenius (chapters 1-9). The
subject is continued in quotations from Porphyry, Xeno-phon, Plato, Plutarch,
and especially from Aristocles On Philosophy against the schools of
Parmenides who rejected the evidence of the senses, of Aristippus, Metrodorus,
and Protagoras who believed them alone, and of the Pyr-rhonists who believed
nothing at all. The doctrines of Epicurus are refuted from the writings of
Aristocles, Plato, and Dionysius of Alexandria (chapters 21-47).
In Book XV the moral character of Aristotle is defended against the slanders
of Epicurus and others by Aristocles; but where he differed from Plato and the
Hebrews in regard to virtue and happiness, the ideas of God and His providence,
the creation of the world, the fifth corporeal essence, the nature of the
heavenly bodies, and the immortality of the soul, his doctrines are severely
criticized by Atticus the Platonist (chapters 2-9).
His description of the soul as an enteleceia is further criticized by
Plotinus, Porphyry, and Atticus (10-13); |xxv the Stoic philosophy is discussed by Aristocles, Areius
Didymus, Porphyry, Longinus, and Plotinus (14-22), and the remainder of the book
is occupied with a long extract from Plutarch, De placitis Philosophorum,
on the various physical theories of the world, followed by the judgement of
Socrates on such questions from the Memorabilia of Xenophon.
After this survey of the contents of the Preparation as described
chiefly by Eusebius himself, I think we are in fairness bound to acquit him of
the charge of confusion in the divisions of the work and the arrangement of its
topics. His occasional repetitions are for the most part confined to quotations,
and especially to certain well-known and striking passages of Plato which are
used more than once in different branches of the subject, and with different
applications.
7. QUOTATIONS. The literary value of the
Preparation for the Gospel will be most fully appreciated by considering
a separate list of the chief fragments of ancient authors for the preservation
of which we are indebted to Eusebius in that work.
(a) Fragments of Poetry.
1. An interesting epigram by Callimachus on the simplicity of the primitive
statues (99 b): this is contained in a fragment of Plutarch, De Daedalis
Plataeensibus.
2. A fragment of Euripides, Melanippe Captiva, on the characters of
bad and good women (466 d).
3. Large extracts in iambic verse from the Exodus, a tragedy by the
Jewish dramatist Ezekiel (438 c 10-446 d 2), on which see Schürer, Jewish
People, ii. 3. 224.
4. Fragments of an epic poem On Jerusalem by a Jew named Philo, 421 c,
d, 430 c, 453 a. Cf. Schürer, ibid. 222.
5. Eight extracts from the epic poem of Theodotus On the Jews,
describing Sichem, and narrating the story of the sons of Emmor (426 b-429
a). Cf. Schürer, ibid. 224. |xxvi
6. Many of the oracles quoted by Oenomaus in The Detection of Impostors
(209 c-234 a).
7. All the oracles contained in the work of Porphyry On the Philosophy to
be derived from Oracles (123 d-124 b, 145 a-146 b, 168 b, 175 c). These
oracles with their contexts are carefully edited by Wolff in his work Porph.
De Philos. ex Oraculis haurienda, of which they form the chief substance.
8. Pindar, Fr. Incert. 2 (105), Paean. 10 (33), both in 687 b.
9. The remarkable epigram on the Tetragrammaton and the Name of seven
vowels (520 a).
10. Part of the Orphic Hymn to Zeus, of which vv. 19-42 (except two or
three) are found first in the fragment of Porphyry Peri Agalmatwn
preserved by Eusebius P. E. 100 c 5-101 c 1.
(b) Historical Fragments.
1. In history we have first the long extract from the translation by Philo
Byblius of Sanchuniathon's Phoenician History contained in a fragment of
Porphyry's work Against the Christians preserved by Eusebius (31 a-42 b).
If we could fully trust Porphyry's testimony to the truthfulness of Philo, and
to the genuineness and antiquity of the work of Sanchuniathon, the historical
value of the extract could hardly be over-estimated: and we cannot wonder that
the question of its authenticity has been a most fruitful source of criticism
and controversy from the time of Scaliger and Grotius to our own days. 'Few
problems, in fact, in the circle of Semitic studies and of ancient history in
general are of more importance than this.' So writes M. Renan. Memoire sur
l'Origine et le Caractere veritable de l'Histoire phenicienne qui porte le nom
de Sanchoniathon, p. 6.
2. Diodorus Siculus. In 59 c 2-61 a we have an interesting fragment of the
sixth book of the Bibliotheca, confirming his account of the sources of
Greek theology from the Iera anagrafh, or
Sacred Record of Euemerus, |xxvii and adding the wonderful narrative of Euemerus
concerning his voyage to the fabulous island of Panchaea in the Indian Ocean.
3. The large fragments of Philo Judaeus first known from Eusebius will be
found in 322 d 11 on the Word or Second God, in 336 b
Concerning Providence, in 355 c-361 b on the Exodus and the Law from a
work otherwise unknown, entitled Hypothetica, and in 379 a-400 a a very
long and important passage from the Apology for the Jews.
These fragments will be found placed together at the end of the sixth volume
of Richter's edition of the Greek text of Philo.
4. Among the most important of the historical fragments preserved for us by
Eusebius are the long extracts from the work of Alexander Polyhistor
Concerning the Jews, which occupy the larger part of Book IX, and have
been very carefully edited in a special monograph by Dr. J. Freudenthal. The
value of these extracts is much increased by quotations from lost works of
authors otherwise unknown, Eupolemus, Artapanus, Molon, a certain Philo, and
Demetrius, who all wrote on the history of the Jews. On the importance of the
fragments see Schürer, ibid. ii. 3. 197.
5. The extract from the Chronicon of Julius Africanus (487 d-491 b)
was edited from Eusebius by Dr. Routh in Rell. Sacr. ii. 269-78, who
enlarged the text from Georgius Syncellus and added copious notes (423-37).
6. From the lost work of Abydenus On Assyrian History we have most
interesting notices of the Flood of Sisithrus, i. e. Noah (414 d), of the Tower
of Babel (416 b), of Nebuchadnezzar's madness and of his fortification of
Babylon (456 d).
(g) Philosophical Fragments.
It is in the region of Greek Philosophy that the wealth of quotation is most
remarkable.
1. Among the Neo-Platonists we find Atticus, whose commentary on the
Timaeus is sharply criticized by |xxviii Proclus, but of whose own writings there remain only
the important fragments preserved by Eusebius; the first of which describes the
threefold division of Philosophy into Ethics, Physics, and Logic, and eulogizes
Plato as 'a man from nature's mysteries new-inspired,' and 'in very truth sent
down from the gods, in order that Philosophy might be seen in its full
proportions,' (509 b-510 a). Also in the long and important extracts contained
in Book XV, chapters 4-9, 12, 13, Atticus appears as a passionate defender of
Plato against Aristotle.
2. From the Epitome of Areius Didymus we have a short extract on the
Platonic Ideas (545 b), and several passages on the Stoic doctrines in Book XV,
chapters 15, 20.
3. Numenius the Neo-Pythagorean is known almost exclusively from the long and
numerous extracts preserved by Eusebius. From the contemplation of true 'Being'
with Plato (525 c-527 a) he passes on to the nature of 'the First and Second
God' (537 a), and to 'the only Good' transcending all essence, which can be
contemplated only apart from sense 'in a certain, immense, ineffable, and
absolutely Divine solitude' (543 d). In 650 d we find him defending Plato for
'preserving both life and truth' by withdrawing from Athens; and in 727 b-739 he
describes The revolt of the Academics against Plato, under the leaders of
the three, or more, Academies.
4. The fragments of Aristocles the Peripatetic contain an interesting
criticism of Socrates and Plato, and of the divergent Socratic Schools (510
b-511 c), a defence of the veracity of the senses against the Eleatics
Xenophanes and Parmenides (756 b-757 d), a long refutation of the Sceptics
Pyrrho and Timon (758 c-763 d), strong and able censures of the Sophists,
Cyrenaics, and Epicureans (764 c-768 d), and lastly a defence of the moral
character of Aristotle against the slanderous |xxix attacks of Epicurus, Timaeus of Tauromenium,
Alexinus the Eristic, Eubulides, Demochares, Cephisodorus, and Lycon (791 a-793
c).
5. Of the three known fragments of Euemerus, the most important is contained
in a fragment of the sixth book of Diodorus Siculus, itself preserved by
Eusebius (Diod. Sic. iv. 179, Dindorf).
6. On the falsehood of oracles we have first a valuable fragment of
Diogenianus directed against the fatalism of Chrysippus (136 d 3); then the
vigorous and amusing invective of Oenomaus occupying no less than eighteen
chapters of Book V (209 b-234 c); and the long series of extracts from the work
of Porphyry On the Philosophy to be derived from Oracles, mentioned above
(p. xxvi).
7. Of other works of Porphyry Eusebius has preserved many fragments of the
Epistle to Anebo (92 a, 197 c, 740 d), on which see Parthey's edition of
Iamblichus De Mysteriis; a large part of the treatise De Statuis
(97 d 2 note); several fragments of a work On the Soul, against
Boethus; three long extracts from the Philological Lecture; fragments
of the famous treatise Against the Christians (31 a, 179 d, 485 b).
8. A fragment attributed to Plotinus on the Entelecheia of Aristotle,
which is inserted by Creuzer after Ennead. iv. 2.
9. From Plutarch's treatise on the Daedala, or primitive wooden
statues at Plataeae, and the worship connected with them Eusebius has preserved
two very interesting fragments (83 c, 99 b); and though the long extracts from
the Stromateis (22 b-25 b) and the De placitis Philosophorum (836
a-852 c) are not the work of Plutarch, but a compilation by some unknown writer
from the Epitome of Aetius, this very ancient error in the title does not
detract from their value. We are equally indebted for their preservation to
Eusebius, to whose accuracy and fidelity Diels (Proleg. 5-10) pays an
emphatic and even enthusiastic testimony. |xxx
8. CONCLUSION. The work which has been my
chief occupation and my delight for several years is now drawing to a close. I
have to renew my thanks to friends already mentioned in the Preface to vol. i;
to Dr. Sanday, whose counsel and encouragement first led me to add to the
English translation a revised text; to Dr. Redpath, by whose many useful
suggestions and careful correction of the proof-sheets I have been aided
throughout; to Dr. John Mayor, the Professor of Latin in the University of
Cambridge, and Dr. Joseph Mayor; to the Rev. W. R. Inge, one of the rare
students of Plotinus; to Dr. H. H. Turner, F.R.S., Savilian Professor of
Astronomy; and last not least to the Delegates, Secretary, and other Officers of
the Clarendon Press, to whose unfailing kindness and invaluable help I am most
deeply indebted.
Of the inadequacy of my own work I am painfully conscious. To do full justice
to so large a compilation from all branches of ancient literature the editor
himself should be historian, poet, philosopher, archaeologist, astronomer,
ethnologist; and I certainly am none of these. For all errors and defects which
remain un-corrected I can only trust to receive the indulgence for which old age
not often pleads in vain.
CORRECTIONS
PART I
153 c 3 'how far they proceed who need'] read 'how far in need.'
168 c 3 'Then fragrant incense and dark blood of grapes'] read 'Dark blood of
grapes pour'd on the blazing pyre.'
302 d 1 'mariners' stars'] read 'star-fish.'
210 d 7 'He killed with his spear Carnus son of Phylander an Aetolian
knight'] read 'Hippotes son of Phylander kill'd with his spear Carnus the
Aetolian.'
224 d 3 'No spot on earth . . .' Omit this line.
294 c 3 'not only'] read 'I do not mean.'
404 b 11 'upon God'] read 'upon them as gods.'
448 d 5 'as soon as they cease to be wanted'] read 'as being no longer
wanted.'
PART II
634 c 9 ' had become indestructible'] read when once created were
indestructible.'
642 b 1 'and by those who are growing elderly and'] read 'and as they grow
older.'
734 b 4 ' such as they were '] read 'whether few or many.'
734 c 2 ' house '] read ' room.'
737 b 1 ' to the leadership'] read ' Hegesinus.' Cf. note.
756 d 7 ' the existing thing'] read ' being.'
778 a 8 ' simultaneous circular revolution'] read ' synodical revolution.'
782 c 9 'show evidence'] read ' find evidence.'
823 b 9 'it is '] read ' they are.'
826 c 1 'universals'] read ' wholes.'
830 d 7 'wrist'] read ' palm.'
836 b 4 'the sun out of] read ' the Sun, or out of.'
850 a 5 ' pillar supporting the surfaces'] read ' pillar: but of the
surfaces....' See note.
[Footnotes have been placed at the end]
1. 1 Eus. H. E. viii. c. 13.
2. 2 Mart. Pal. c. vii.
3. 3 ibid. xi.
4. 4 Dict. Biogr. ii. 311 a.
5. 5 ibid. 310 b.
|
