Eusebius'
Ecclesiastical History includes quotations from earlier writers who are no longer extant. Before it, Eusebius had written an annalistic
Chronicle of world history. After
Emperor Constantine I
died, Eusebius wrote a panegyric 4-book Life of Constantine. He also
wrote an Onomasticon, which is useful for its geography of contemporary
Palestine.
Religious Importance of Eusebius
Eusebius became bishop in Caesarea, Palestine, in about 313. He was involved in the
Arian controversy
supporting the Alexandrian priest Arius. He was provisionally
excommunicated at a synod at Antioch, in about January 325. Later that
year, at the Council of Nicaea, Eusebius was exonerated with the help of
Constantine I. In 335, Eusebius attended a council of Tyre to oppose
Athanasius and then was present when Arius was readmitted to the Church.
The
Nicene Creed
The big thing which happened was the Nicene Creed, but in this way:
Most
held out at first for a Scriptural language and expression to make clear
against the Arians what the catholic doctrine had been, but as the discussions
progressed it became evident that there was no Scriptural vocabulary
which would correctly express the orthodox teaching. They lighted on
a philosophical term, homoosios (same substance as) to express
what they meant and what had always been the catholic teaching, but
there was still needed a formula to summarize and convey their meaning.
Of all bishops, Eusebius of Caesarea, who had been clobbered by the
synod at Antioch the year before, produced a creed he used in his church.
As far as it went, it was acceptable to the rest of the bishops, but
they made additions in order to make it very clear that Arius' position
was not what they espoused. This creed would be further amended by the
First Council of Constantinople, and hence is technically known as the
"Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed", but maybe it should be known as the
Caesarean-Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed.
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| The Baptism of Constantine (1520-24) Fresco Stanza di Constantino, Palazzi Pontifici, Vatican (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Here
it is beneficial to explain something councils do, almost as a byproduct.
Primarily a council's purpose, at least a dogmatic council, is to proclaim
with unmistakable clarity a doctrine already a part of the teaching
of the Church. But at Nicaea there were not a few bishops, well-intentioned
and open to the Spirit, who actually would have been hard pressed themselves
to give a clear explanation of the relationship of the Son to the Father.
But because they had humility and good will they learned from the discussions
of the Council, at the same time that they were a part of the council
process. Hence a council can also teach bishops. All of the bishops
present signed the Creed, except two, Secundus of Ptolemais and Theonas
of Marmarica. Constantine banished them along with Arius (whom he later
recalled).
Date
of Easter
Among
other things they also settled (they thought) was the date of Easter.
While most celebrated Easter on a Sunday to commemorate the resurrection,
there were a few who celebrated on weekdays (even Good Friday) according
to a Jewish reckoning (the Quartodeciman controversy addressed
by Pope Victor, 189-198), and those who did observe Sunday did not all
observe on the same Sunday. Constantine wanted, as did most bishops,
a universal observance.
To this very day it is disputed what the council
fathers meant by their decision, and Easter is still observed variously,
but the points of their decree supposed by most are:
1) Easter should
be celebrated on the same day by all (a point all agree was contained
in the decree);
2) Jewish custom was not the criterion to be followed
(a point which is not cited by the Greeks, but strongly mentioned both
in the writings which preceded the council and in Eusebius' report of
it); and
3) that the practice of Rome and Alexandria (then West and
Egypt) should remain in force, namely the Sunday after the first full
moon of the vernal equinox
(the Creeks do not cite the first half of
this point, only the second).
But even Alexandria and Rome did not agree
for a long time, due to calculations (miscalculations) as to the date
of the vernal equinox. Rome celebrated the equinox on March 18, and
Alexandria on March 23.
Since this is something scientific, that is,
half way between the shortest and the longest day of the year, it could
be and was eventually solved by the devising of various cycles, so that
a fixed day in the lunar calendar (14th of Nisan) would occur according
to a predetermined pattern in the Julian calendar.
Today Greeks and
other Orthodox maintain that the Roman date of Easter is wrong, saying
that the Nicene Council stipulated that the Resurrection must always
be celebrated after the Jewish Passover.
Now it must be remembered that only incomplete records of canons and
decrees exist from the Council at Nicaea. What we actually have is the
Creed, the disciplinary action against the Arians, 20 disciplinary canons,
a letter to the Alexandrian church, and a list of the bishops present
(a list which varies from language to language).
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| English: Caesarea Maritima, Israel. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
The
rest of the canons (if authentic at all) have been garnered from other
sources, including Arabic writings. In thus
citing Nicea about Easter coming after the Jewish Passover, the Greeks
must have sources which are not commonly known, and stronger sources
than the west is aware. For example, Eusebius of Caesarea writing just
after the Council quotes from the letter of Emperor Constantine to all
who were not present at the Council..
". . .relative to the sacred festival of Easter. . . it was declared
to be particularly unworthy for this holiest of all festivals to follow
the custom of the Jews. We ought not therefore, to have anything in
common with the Jews. We desire to separate ourselves from the detestable
company of the Jews for it is surely shameful for us to hear the Jews
boast that without their direction we could not keep this feast. In
their blindness, they frequently celebrate two Passovers in the same
year. . . How then could we follow these Jews. . . for to celebrate
the Passover twice in one year is totally inadmissible ."
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