Life of Constantine, with Orations

Eusebius of Caesarea · c. 339 AD

Ante-Nicene Fathers (Roberts–Donaldson), Roberts, Donaldson, and Coxe (eds.), Ante-Nicene Fathers, Buffalo: Christian Literature Publishing, 1885–1887; digitized by CCEL.

Bishop of Caesarea in Palestine; the "Father of Church History" whose Ecclesiastical History (in 10 books) is the foundational narrative source for the first three centuries of the Church — drawing on Hegesippus, Papias, and the personal correspondence of the bishops. His Life of Constantine is the principal source for the emperor's conversion and the Council of Nicaea. His theological position before and during the Arian controversy was sympathetic to a subordinationist Christology, which has left his memory contested in Orthodox tradition; the historical works, however, are uncontroversially treasured.

Contents

1. General Prolegomena: Constantine the Great(33 chapters)
2. Special Prolegomena(3 chapters)
3. The Life of Constantine(273 chapters)
4. The Oration of Constantine(26 chapters)
5. The Oration of Eusebius(19 chapters)