Eusebius

Fertile writer, theologian and historian of the Church. (263-340)

Life

He came into being about 263 in Caesarea. Taught by Pamphilus, whose name he was pleased to be named by, he escaped to Tyre during the cruel acts of Diocletian and from there to the waste land of Thebais, where he was taken and put in prison. In 313 he was made overseer of Caesarea. In agreement with a common mind in the trouble caused by the false belief of Arius, he put down in writing a number of letters in support of his right belief and had an effect on the council of Caesarea which said that the statement of Arius was in line with the faith. When he said no to a form of words against the Arian belief, he was put out of the church by a meeting of Antioch (325). In the meeting council of Nicaea (325) he made an attempt to keep a peace-making political view which put forward the idea of the god-like quality of Christ in Bible words and the turning away from the belief of the same substance of Athanasius. Though he put his name to the meeting sign he did so more because of the emperor's desire than from belief. Not long after he was in agreement with Eusebius of Nicomedia and took part in the meetings councils of Antioch (330) and of Tyre (335) which, in that order, put down Eustathius and put out of the church Athanasius. A near friend of the emperor, he possibly had an effect on him to give out orders against the overseers of the right belief. He came to his end about 339 or 340.