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Eusebius of Nicomedia

(d. 341) [Catholic Encyclopedia]

Bishop of Berytus (Beirut); bishop of Nicomedia; bishop of Constantinople (338 - 41)

Defended Arius at the Council of Nicea in 325, but signed the creed

Constantine wrote to Eusebius, instructing him to procure parchment and to ensure that useful extracts from scripture were produced for his church. 1570, p. 143, 1576, p. 105, 1583, p. 104.

nishment, or to the mines of metall, or to any publike or priuate labour to them inflicted. MarginaliaA briefe recapitulation of such benefites as were wrought by Constantine vpon Christes Church.Such as were put to any infamie or open shame among the multitude, hee willed them to be discharged from all such blemish of ignominie. Souldiours whych before were depriued eyther of theyr place, or put out of theyr wages: were put to their liberty, eyther to serue againe in theyr place, or quietly to lyue at home. Whatsoeuer honour, place, or dignitie had bene taken away frō any man, should be restored to them againe. The goods and possessions of them that had suffered death for Christ, howsoeuer they were alienated, should returne to theyr heires, or next of kinne: or for lacke of them should be geuen to the Church. Hee commaunded moreouer that onely Christians shoulde beare office. The other he charged and restrayned, that neither they should sacrifice, nor exercise any more diuinations and ceremonies of the Gētiles, nor set vp any Images, nor to keepe any feastes of the heathen Idolaters. He corrected moreouer and abolished all such vnlawfull manners and vnhonest vsages in Cities, as might be hurtfull any waies to the Church, as the custome that the Egyptians had in the flowing of Nilus, at what time the people vsed to runne together lyke brute beasts, both men & women, and with all kinde of filthines and Sodomitrie to pollute their Cities, in celebrating the increase of that riuer. MarginaliaWhere wickednesse is punished there goodnes followeth.This abhomination Constantine extinguished, causing that wicked order called Androgynæ, to be killed. By reason whereof the Riuer afterward (through the benefite of God) yelded more increase in his flowing, to the greater fertilitie of the ground, then it did before.

Among the Romanes was an old lawe, that such as were barren hauing no fruite of children, should be amerced of halfe their goodes. Also, that such as being aboue the yeares of xxv. vnmaried, should not be nūbred in the same priuileges with them that were maried, neither should be heires to them, to whom notwithstanding they were next in kinde. These lawes because they seemed vnreasonable, to punish the defect of nature, or gift of virginitie, by mās lawe, hee abrogated and tooke away. An other order was among the Romanes, that they which made their willes being sicke, had certaine prescribed and conceiued wordes appoynted to thē to vse, which vnlesse they followed, their willes stoode in none effect. This law also Constantine repealed, permitting to euery man in making his testament to vse what wordes, or what witnesses he woulde. Likewise among the Romaines hee restrained and tooke away the cruel and bloudy spectacles & sights, where men were wont with swordes one to kill an other. Of the barbarous and filthy fashion of the Arethusians in Phœnicia, I haue mentioned before, pag. 104. where they vsed to expose and set foorth their virgines to open fornication, before they should be maried, which custome also Constantine remooued away. MarginaliaThe liberalitie of Constantine in geuing to Churches.Where no Churches were, there he commaunded new to be made: where any were decayed, he commāded them to be repaired: where any were to litle, he caused them to be enlarged, geuing to the same great giftes and reuenewes: not onely of such tributes and taxes comming to him from certaine sundry Cities, which hee transferred vnto the Churches, but also out of his owne treasures. When any Byshops required any Councell to be had, hee satisfied their petitions: And what in their Councels and Synodes they established, being godly & honest, hee was ready to confirme the same.

The armour of his soldiours, which were newly come from Gentilitie, he garnished with the armes of the crosse, whereby they might learne the sooner to forget their olde superstitious idolatry. Moreouer like a worthy Emperor he prescribed a certaine forme of prayer in steade of a Catechisme for euery man to haue, & to learne how to pray and to inuocate God. The which forme of prayer is recited in the fourth booke of Eusebius De vita Constantini, in wordes as foloweth.

MarginaliaEuseb. lib 4. de vita Constantini. The forme of prayer appoynted of Constantine for hys souldiours. the souldiours prayer.Te solum nouimus Deum, te regem cognoscimus, te adiutorem inuocamus, abs te victorias referimus, per te victorias inimicorum constituimus, tibi præsentium bonorum gratiam acceptam ferimus, & per te futura quoque speramus, tibi supplices sumus omnes: Imperatorem nostrum Constantinum, ac pientissimos eius filios, in longissima vita incolumes nobis ac victores custodire supplices oramus, per Christum dominum nostrum. Amen. In English.

We knowledge thee onely to be our God, we confesse thee onely to be our king, we inuocate and call vpon thee our onely helper, by thee we obtaine our victories, by thee we vāquish and subdue our enemies, to thee we attribute whatsoeuer present commodities we enioy, & by thee we hope for good thinges to come, vnto thee we direct all our sute & petitions: most humbly beseeching thee to conserueConstantine our Emperour, and his noble childrē in long life to cōtinue, and to geue them victory ouer all their enemies, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

MarginaliaThe sonday appoynted to be kept holy.In hys owne palace, hee set vp an house peculiar for prayer and doctrine, vsing also to pray and sing with his people. Also in hys warres hee went not without hys tabernacle appoynted for the same. The Sonday he cōmanded to be kept holy of all men, and free from all iudiciarie causes, from markets, martes, faires, & all other manuall labors, onely husbandry excepted: especially charging that no Images or Monuments of Idolatry should be set vp.

MarginaliaLiberties and priuiledges graunted to the clergy.Men of the Clergy and of the ministery in al places he endued with speciall priuileges and immunities, so that if any were brought before the ciuill Magistrate, and listed to appeale to the sentence of his Bishop, it should be lawfull for him so to doe: and that the sentence of the Byshop should stande in as great force as if the Magistrate or the Emperour himselfe had pronounced it.

¶ But here is to be obserued & noted by the way, that þ^e Clerkes & ministers thē newly creeping out of persecutiō, were in those dayes, neyther in nūber so great nor in order of life, of þ^e like dispositiō to these in our dayes now liuing.

MarginaliaThe prouision and liberalitie of Constantine in mayntayning scholes.No lesse care and prouision the sayd Constantinus also had to the maintenance of scholes pertayning to þ^e Church and to the nourishing of good artes and liberall sciences, especially of Diuinitie: not onely with stipends and subsidies furnishing them, but also with large priuilegies and exemptiōs defending þ^e same, as by the wordes of his own law is to be seene: and read as followeth: Medicos, Gramaticos, & alios professores literarum & doctores legum, cum vxoribus & liberis. &c.MarginaliaThe priuiledge granted by Constant. to vniuersities and scholes. In English: Phisitions, Gramarians, and all other prefessors of liberal artes, and Doctors of the law, with their wiues and childrē, and all other their possessions, which they haue in Citties: we commaund to be freed from all ciuill charges and functions, neyther to receaue forren straungers in prouinces, nor to be burdened with any publique administration, nor to be cited vp to ciuill iudgement, nor to be drawne out, or oppressed with any iniury. And if any man shall vexe them, he shall incurre such punishment, as the Iudge at his discretion shall awarde him. Their stipendes moreouer and solaries, we commaunde truely to be payd them, whereby they may more freely instruct other in artes and sciences. &c.

MarginaliaThe prouident care of Constant. to haue the scripture in Churches. Ex Euseb. lib. 4. de vita Constant.Ouer and besides this, so farre did hys godly zeale and princely care and prouision extend to the Church of Christ, that he commaunded and prouided bookes and volumes of the Scripture, diligently and playnly to be written and copied out, to remayne in bublique Churches to the vse of posteritie, Whereupon writing to Eusebius byshop of Nicomedia in a speciall letter (recorded in the 4. booke of Eusebius, De vita Constant.) he willeth him with all diligence to procure 50. volumes of parchment well bound and cōpacted: wherein he shoulde cause to be written out of the scripture in a fayre legeable hād, such things as he thought necessary and profitable for the instruction of the Church. And alloweth him for that busines two bublique Ministers. Also writeth concerning the same, to the generall of hys army, to support and further hym with such necessaries, as thereunto should appertayne. &c.

MarginaliaA wish of the author admonitory to Princes.¶ In vewing, perusing, and writing this story, and in considering the Christian zeale of this Emperour, I wish that eyther this our Printing and plēty of books had bene in his dayes: or that this so heroycal hart toward Christes Religion, as was in this so excellent Monarche, might something appeare in inferiour Princes raigning in these our Printing dayes. &c.

MarginaliaThe liberalitie of Constant. towardes the poore and needy.The liberal hand of this Emperor, borne to do al men good, was no lesse also open and ready towarde the needie pouertie of such, which either by losse of parents, or other occasions were not able to helpe them selues: to whom he commaunded and prouided dew subuention both of corne and raiment to be ministred out of his owne coffers, to the necessary reliefe of the poore men, women, children, orphanes, and widowes, Euseb. de vita Constant. Lib 4.

Finally, among al the other monuments of his singular clemencie and munificence, this is not to be pretermitted: that through all the Empire of Rome and prouinces belonging to the same, not only he diminished such taxes, reuenewes, and impostes, as publickly were comming to him, but also clearely remitted and released to the contributers, the fourth part of the same.

MarginaliaDeoution of Constantine.This present place would require somthing to be sayd of the donation of Constantine: whereuppon as vpon their chiefest anchor holde, the Byshops of Rome doe grounde theyr supreame dominion and right, ouer all the politicall gouernement of the West[illegible text] partes, & the spiritual gouernement of all the other Seas and partes of the world. Which