Saint Eusebe de
Samosata, Icône,
XVIIe siècle, Académie théologique de Moscou
Евсевий Самосатский,
священномученик. Источник: Минея - Июнь (фрагмент). Икона. Русь. Начало XVII в.
Церковно-Археологический Кабинет Московской Духовной Академии.
Saint Eusèbe de Samosate
Évêque et martyr à Dolikha en Syrie (✝ 381)
L'empereur Valens l'exila pour son
attachement à la foi orthodoxe. Lorsque l'empereur mourut, il put rentrer dans
son diocèse mais il fut assassiné par une femme arienne, peu de temps après.
Au temps de l'empereur arien
Constance, il visita, déguisé en soldat, les Églises de Dieu, pour les affermir
dans la foi catholique. Ensuite, sous l'empereur Valens, il fut relégué en
Thrace et, quand la paix fut rendue à l'Église, au temps de Théodose, il fut
rappelé de son exil. Il recommençait ses visites aux Églises, quand une femme
arienne lui jeta, du haut d'une maison, une tuile qui lui brisa la tête, et il
succomba ainsi en martyr.
Martyrologe romain
Saint Eusèbe de Samosate
(…)
Saint Eusèbe était natif de Samosate(Σαμόσατα), appelée
aussi Antioche de Commagène, ville du Nord de la Syrie sur
l’Euphrate (la Samsat des Turcs, engloutie
sous les eaux du barrage Atatürk créé en 1989) et ancienne capitale du petit
royaume de Commagène, absorbé en 72 dans la province romaine de Syrie.
Saint Eusèbe
était devenu évêque de sa ville natale de Samosate. On ne sait rien de sa vie
avant l’an 361 où il participa au concile d’Antioche réuni pour élire le
patriarche de cette ville. Les évêques étaient divisés entre les deux tendances
nicéennes & ariennes, et on se résolut à élire saint Mélèce, personnage que
les Ariens estimaient faible et indécis et qu’ils pensaient être dans leurs
rangs. Le décret canonique de cette élection fut remis à saint Eusèbe de
Samosate. Une fois élu, saint Mélèce proclama un courageux discours en faveur
de la foi catholique devant l’empereur arien Constance II, qui ulcéré, l’exila
aussitôt et chercha à annuler canoniquement son élection. L’empereur envoya un
messager à Samosate demander à Eusèbe de remettre le décret canonique de
l’élection de Mélèce. Eusébe refusa, répondant qu’ayant reçu ce dépôt de la
main des évêques, il ne pouvait le rendre qu’à eux-mêmes & qu’il fallait
les réunir pour ce sujet. L’empereur Constance, irrité, envoya une seconde délégation
lui ordonnant de rendre le décret canonique, sous peine de se voir couper la
main droite. Le saint évêque, ayant lu la lettre sans s’effrayer, présenta ses
deux mains, disant qu’on pouvait les couper, mais qu’il ne rendrait jamais cet
acte, qui était une conviction manifeste de l’impiété des Ariens. Cette réponse
courageuse fut admirée de l’empereur lui-même.
Julien
l’Apostat (361-363), ayant succédé à Constance II, s’emploie à restaurer le
culte des idoles. Saint Eusèbe, déguisé en soldat et portant une tiare,
parcourt alors la Syrie, la Phénicie & la Palestine ravagées par la
persécution, exhortant les chrétiens à la fidélité et ordonnant clandestinement
des clercs, des diacres, des prêtres et des évêques.
En 363, Eusèbe participe à un concile de 27 évêques
syriens réuni à Antioche autour de saint Mélèce et y signe le Symbole de Nicée,
à la suite d’une lettre synodale que le concile adresse au nouvel empereur
Jovien, un chrétien qui a succédé à Julien l’Apostat. Cette lettre met l’accent
sur le terme « consubstantiel », mais
l’explique en disant qu’il est un équivalent de « semblable en
substance », dans une volonté manifeste de réconciliation avec les franges
les moins hérétiques du parti arien.
Ayant montré
son courage lors de la persécution arienne de Constance et celle païenne de
Julien l’Apostat, Eusèbe est tenu en haute estime par les chrétiens de son
temps. C’est ainsi que saint Basile le Grand, encore jeune prêtre, lui écrit en
368 (Lettre 27) et le considère comme un père spirituel, estimant que la
Sagesse personnifiée du livre des Proverbes au chapitre 9 figure l’image de
l’Esprit Saint qui habite ce confesseur de la foi.
Justement, en
370, le siège de Césarée de Cappadoce devient vacant, et saint Grégoire de
Naziance l’Ancien, le père du Théologien, appelle saint Eusèbe pour présider à
l’élection du nouvel évêque de Césarée, quoique cette ville ne soit pas de sa
province ecclésiatique. L’assemblée des évêques choisit d’élire saint Basile et
l’amitié des deux saints continua de grandir. Basile écrivit de très nombreuses
lettres à Eusèbe, allant lui rendre visite à Samosate pour y goûter « le
miel si doux et si agréable de cette Eglise » (cf. Lettres 145 & 157).
Ces nombreuses lettres de saint Basile témoignent du zèle apostolique de saint
Eusèbe. Malheureusement, aucune des lettres d’Eusèbe n’a été conservée. Saint
Basile l’appelle « le généreux défenseur de la foi et le protecteur
infatigable des Eglises ». Grégoire le Théologien – qui entretint
également une correspondance importante avec saint Eusèbe – salue en lui
« la colonne et le fondement de l’Église, le luminaire du monde, la règle
de la foi et l’ambassadeur de la vérité. »
Saint Eusèbe
était resté sur son siège au milieu de la persécution du nouvel empereur Valens
(364-378), qui cherchait à imposer l’arianisme. Cependant ce prince fit exiler
Mélèce en Arménie et, en 374, choisit de déposer Eusèbe de son siège de
Samosate et de l’exiler en Thrace. Aux messagers de l’empereur qui lui
apportaient cet ordre, Eusèbe dit de cacher le motif de leur venue, « car
si le peuple, dit-il, en avait connaissance, comme il a été élevé dans le zèle
de la religion, il vous noierait dans le fleuve, & on me rendrait
responsable de votre mort ». Eusèbe célébra les vêpres dans sa cathédrale
comme à l’ordinaire puis partit de nuit avec les envoyés de l’empereur et
descendit le fleuve jusqu’à Zeugma. Dès le lendemain, tous les habitants de
Samosate se jetèrent dans des barques à la poursuite de saint Eusèbe pour le
retenir et refusèrent de le laisser partir plus loin. Le saint évêque leur lut
alors le passage de l’Apôtre qui commande d’obéir aux princes. On le laissa
partir, non sans avoir tenté de le combler de cadeaux, qu’il refusa. Exilé en
Thrace, saint Eusèbe continua une correspondance active avec ses amis saint
Basile le Grand et saint Grégoire de Naziance le Théologien. Il échappa en
particulier aux massacres perpétrés par les Goths qui envahirent plusieurs fois
cette province. Successivement, deux évêques ariens furent nommé par l’empereur
pour occuper le siège de Samosate mais le peuple manifesta sa parfaite fidélité
à l’orthodoxie. Le premier évêque arien s’appelait Eunome, personnage plutôt
doux, mais aucun habitant de la ville ne voulut se tenir dans une assemblée
liturgique en sa présence, ni même lui adresser la parole ou le fréquenter, de
sorte que, découragé, il démissionna. Le second s’appelait Lucius et tenta
d’employer des manières plus contraignantes, exilant les prêtres & clercs
fidèles à la foi catholique orthodoxe exprimée au concile de Nicée, mais ne
parvint pas davantage à rallier les habitants, qui évitaient soigneusement tout
contact avec lui, le considérant comme impur.
Fin 377 –
début 378, le pape Damase réunit un concile à Rome en présence de saint Pierre
d’Alexandrie qui avait été chassé de son siège patriarcal par les Ariens. Au
cours des débats, saint Pierre d’Alexandrie compta au rang des hérétiques
ariens saint Mélèce d’Antioche et saint Eusèbe de Samosate, ce qui provoqua la
stupeur puis la colère du prêtre Dorothée, légat de saint Basile de Césarée
auprès du Pape. Saint Pierre d’Alexandrie retenait que saint Mélèce avait été
élu par une partie des évêques ariens, et citait la profession de foi du
concile d’Antioche de 363. Saint Basile lui-même dut intervenir auprès de saint
Pierre d’Alexandrie, assurant de l’orthodoxie de Mélèce et d’Eusèbe et
rappelant que les souffrances & l’exil que ces deux saints souffraient des
Ariens étaient la meilleure preuve de leur catholicité (Lettre 263).
En 378 enfin,
le nouvel empereur Gratien rétablit la liberté de l’Église et rappela tous les
nombreux évêques qui avaient été exilés par Valens pour leur foi. Eusèbe revint
à Samosate et assista au concile d’Antioche de 379 où il est marqué le premier
après saint Mélèce d’Antioche dans la liste des pères conciliaires.
Dès son retour
d’exil, le soucis constant d’Eusèbe fut de placer de nouveaux pasteurs sur les
sièges resté vacants par suite de la persécution de Valens, soit en les sacrant
lui-même, soit en assistant à leur élection.
Le 22 juin 379, comme il entrait dans la ville de
Dolique (Dolikha, petite cité de Commagène à 41 miles de Samosate, alors
infectée fortement par l’arianisme) pour y introniser Maris, le nouvel évêque
qu’il avait déjà ordonné, il reçut une tuile sur la tête lancée par une adepte
de l’arianisme du haut d’un toit. Avant de mourir, priant pour ses ennemis, il
exhorta le peuple à ne pas poursuivre la coupable, leur rappelant les paroles
de Notre Seigneur sur la croix : « Père, pardonne-leur, car
ils ne savent pas ce qu’ils font », ainsi que celles de saint
Etienne le Protomartyr : « Seigneur, ne leur impute
pas ce péché ».
Les officiers
de la justice impériale tentèrent de poursuivre la coupable, mais c’est le
peuple catholique qui obtint en effet qu’elle ne soit point punie, conformément
à la demande du saint pasteur.
« Telle
fut, dit Théodoret (Histoire ecclésiastique, livre V, chapitre 4), la fin de la
vie sainte et de tant de combats et de si glorieux travaux du grand Eusèbe,
qu’il avait endurés. Après avoir échappé à la fureur des barbares dans la
Thrace, il ne put éviter la cruauté des hérétiques : mais leur inhumanité ne
servit qu’à lui acquérir la couronne du martyre ».
Saint Eusèbe
de Samosate est fêté au 21 juin dans le rit romain.
Aux heures
A tierce & à sexte : Tropaire du dimanche, ton 4. Gloire au Père. Tropaire du Hiéromartyr. Et maintenant. Theotokion de l’heure. Kondakion : du dimanche.
Tropaires des Béatitudes : 8 tropaires du dimanche, ton 4 :
1. A cause de l’arbre défendu * Adam fut exilé du Paradis, mais par l’arbre de la croix le Larron y entra ; * car l’un, goûtant de son fruit, méprisa le commandement du Créateur, * l’autre, partageant ta crucifixion, confessa ta divinité : ** Souviens-toi de moi dans ton royaume.
2. Seigneur exalté sur la Croix, * tu as brisé la puissance de la mort, * effaçant la cédule écrite contre nous ; * accorde-nous la repentance du Larron * et donne à tes fidèles serviteurs, ô Christ notre Dieu, * de te crier comme lui : ** Souviens-toi de nous aussi dans ton royaume.
3. D’un coup de lance, sur la croix * tu as déchiré la cédule écrite contre nous ; * et, compté parmi les morts, tu as enchaîné le prince de l’Enfer, * délivrant tous les hommes des liens de la mort * par ta Résurrection, dont la lumière a brillé sur nous ; * Seigneur ami des hommes, nous te crions : ** Souviens-toi de nous aussi dans ton royaume.
4. Crucifié & ressuscité du tombeau, * Dieu tout-puissant, le troisième jour, * avec toi, seul Immortel, tu ressuscitas le premier homme, Adam ; * donne-moi, Seigneur, de prendre aussi la voie du repentir * afin que, de tout mon cœur * & dans l’ardeur de ma foi, je te crie : ** Souviens-toi de moi, Sauveur, en ton royaume.
5. Pour nous l’Impassible devient homme de douleur * et sur la croix se laisse clouer, * afin de nous ressusciter avec lui ; * aussi nous glorifions avec la Croix * les Souffrances & la sainte Résurrection * par lesquelles nous fûmes rénovés, * obtenant le salut en criant : ** Souviens-toi de nous aussi dans ton royaume.
6. Ressuscité d’entre les morts * et dépouillant l’empire de la Mort, * il apparut aux Myrrophores, leur annonçant la joie ; * et nous fidèles, prions-le * d’épargner à nos âmes la corruption, * lui répétant sans cesse la parole du bon Larron : ** Souviens-toi de nous aussi dans ton royaume.
7. Fidèles, glorifions d’un même cœur * le Père, le Fils & l’Esprit saint, * invoquons en trois personnes l’unique Divinité * indivisible, inaccessible, sans confusion, ** qui nous sauve des flammes du châtiment.
8. Ta mère, Seigneur, t’enfanta virginalement * et vierge elle est demeurée même après l’enfantement : * c’est elle que nous te présentons pour intercéder auprès de toi : * accorde à sa prière le pardon des péchés * pour ceux qui ne cessent de te crier : ** Souviens-toi de nous aussi dans ton royaume.
A la petite entrée :
1. Tropaire du dimanche, ton 4 : Ayant appris de l’Ange la prédication lumineuse de la Résurrection, * et le terme de l’ancestrale condamnation, * les femmes disciples du Seigneur * dirent, pleine de fierté, aux apôtres : * « Renversée est la mort ! * Le Christ Dieu est ressuscité, ** donnant au monde sa grande miséricorde ! »
2. Tropaire du Hiéromartyr, ton 4 : Comme tu as pris part aux travaux des Apôtres et que tu as siégé sur leur trône, * tu as ainsi expérimenté que leur activité était une voie vers la vision divine, * O divinement inspiré ! * C’est pourquoi, témoignant de la parole de vérité, * tu as souffert pour la Foi jusqu’à l’effusion de ton sang, * O hiéromartyr Eusèbe ! * Supplie le Christ-Dieu ** que nos âmes soient sauvées.
3. Gloire au Père, & au Fils, & au Saint-Esprit.
4. Kondakion du Hiéromartyr, ton 4 : Ayant vécu saintement dans l’épiscopat * et pris le chemin des martyrs, * pontife Eusèbe, tu as éteint * les foyers de l’hérésie ; * par le crédit que tu possèdes auprès de lui * prie le Christ notre Dieu ** d’accorder à nos âmes le salut.
5. Et maintenant, & toujours, & dans les siècles des siècles. Amen.
6. Kondakion du dimanche, ton 4 : Mon Sauveur & mon libérateur * a ressuscité tous les mortels, * les arrachant par sa force divine aux chaînes du tombeau ; * il a brisé les portes de l’Enfer ** et en maître souverain il est ressuscité le troisième jour.
Prokimen
Du dimanche, ton 4 :
R/. Que tes œuvres sont grandes, Seigneur ! Toutes, avec sagesse tu les fis (Psaume 103, 24).
V/. Bénis le Seigneur, mon âme ! Seigneur, mon Dieu, tu es si grand ! (Psaume 103, 1).
Épître
Si vous confessez de bouche que Jésus est le Seigneur, et si vous croyez de cœur que Dieu l’a ressuscité d’entre les morts, vous serez sauvé.
Alleluia
Du dimanche, ton 4 :
V/. Va, chevauche pour la cause de la vérité, de la piété & de la justice (Psaume 44, 5).
V/. Tu aimes la justice, tu hais l’impiété (Psaume 44, 8).
Évangile
Deux possédés qui étaient si furieux que personne n’osait passer par ce chemin-là, sortirent des sépulcres, et vinrent au-devant de lui ; ils se mirent en même temps à crier, et à lui dire : Jésus, fils de Dieu ! qu’y a-t-il entre vous et nous ?
Verset de communion
Du dimanche : Louez le Seigneur du haut des cieux, louez-le au plus haut des cieux. (Psaume 148, 1).
St. Eusebius
Bishop of Samosata (now Samsat) in Syria; date of birth unknown: d. in 379 or 380.
History makes no mention of him before the year 361, when as bishop of Samosata, he took part in the consecration of St. Meletius, the newly
elected Patriarch of Antioch. Just then the Eastern Church was rent by Arianism and its affiliated heresies. Most of the episcopal sees were occupied by Arian bishops, and Meletius himself was
elected Patriarch of Antioch only because the Ariansbelieved him to be a supporter of
their heresy. Tillemont and a few other historians
even maintain that Eusebius was at that time leaning towards Arianism. Whatever might have been the faith of Eusebius previously, it
is certain that at the synod held in Antioch in 363 the
Nicene formula, with express mention of homoousios, was accepted, and the document was
signed by Eusebius and twenty-four other bishops.
When
the Arians discovered that Meletius
upheld the doctrine of the Nicene Council, they
declared his election invalid and attempted to obtain from Eusebius, to whom
they had been entrusted, the synodal acts proving the lawfulness of the
election. The emperor Constantius, who supported the Arians, ordered Eusebius to surrender the
document, but without success. Thereupon Constantius threatened Eusebius with
the loss of his right hand, but the bishop calmly presented both of his
hands to the bearer of the message, saying: "Strike them both off. I will
not surrender the document by which the injustice of the Arians can be proved." The emperor was struck by
the constancy of Eusebius and left the document in his possession.
It was
chiefly due to the concerted efforts of St. Eusebius and St. Gregory Nazianzen that, in 370, St. Basil was elected Archbishop of Cæsarea in Cappadocia. From this time
also dates the tender friendship between St. Eusebius and the last-named
Father, which is attested to by some still extant letters written by St. Basil
to the Bishop of Samasota. Eusebius
displayed his greatest activity during the persecution of the Catholics by the Arian emperor Valens. Disguised as a military officer,
he visited the persecuted Churches of Syria, Phoenecia, and Palestine,
exhorting the afflicted Catholics to remain faithful to
their faith, ordaining orthodox priests where they were needed, and in
many other ways assisting the Catholicbishops in the difficult exercise of
their duties during these troublesome
times. It is on account of this untiring zeal of Eusebius that St. Gregory Nazianzen calls him "A pillar of
the Church", "a gift of God", "a rule of faith", etc.
(Migne, P.G., XXI, 57). Incensed at the
great success of Eusebius, the Arians prevailed upon the
emperor Valens to banish him into Thrace.
After the death of Valens in 378, he was allowed to
return to his see. On his journey from Thrace to
Samosata he was instrumental in the appointment of numerous orthodox bishops, among whom were Acacius at Beroea, Theodotus at Hierapolis, Isidore at Cyrrhus, and Eulogius at Edessa. Having returned to his see, he resumed his former activity against
the Arians, both in his own diocese and in the
neighbouring churches. While he was taking part in the consecration of Bishop Maris, at the little
town of Dolicha, near Samosata, an Arian woman struck him on the head with a
tile thrown from the roof of her house. He died of this wound a few days later.
The Greeks honour him as a Martyr on the 21st of
June, the Latins on the 22nd.
Sources
BUTLER Lives of the Saints, 21 June;
BARING-GOULD, Lives of the Saints, 21 June; REYNOLDS
in Dict. Of Christ. Biogr., II
369-372; Acta SS., June, V, 204-208; TILLEMONT, Mémoires
pour servir á l'histoire ecclésiastique des six premiers siècles (Paris
1693-1712), VIII, 310-336; LE QUIEN, Oriens Christianus (Paris,
1740), II, 933 sqq.; BEJAN, Acta martyrum et sanctorum in Syriac (Paris,
1890-7), VI, 355 sqq.
Ott,
Michael. "St. Eusebius." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol.
5. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1909.21 Jun.
2019 <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05614c.htm>.
Transcription. This article was transcribed
for New Advent by C.A. Montgomery. Dedicated to Eusebia Casella
Giovenco.
Ecclesiastical approbation. Nihil Obstat. May
1, 1909. Remy Lafort, Censor. Imprimatur. +John M. Farley,
Archbishop of New York.
Saint Eusebius of Samosata
Also
known as
- Eusebio
Profile
Bishop of Samosata, Syria. Fought Arianism, and defended
Orthodox Christianity in the 4th century. Active in the Synod
of Antioch in 361, a site of great debate
over Arianism. Emperor Constantius
was displeased, and demanded that Eusebius turn over records from the synod,
threatening to amputate the bishop‘s hand if he refused;
he refused; Constantius was impressed, and let him go.
Worked with Christians in Syria and Palestine, encouraging their
faith during the persecutions of Valens. This work got
him exiled to Thrace, but
when Valens died in 378, Eusebius returned
to Samosata. Killed by an Arian woman when he went to
Dolikha, Syria to ordain a Catholic bishop.
June 21
St. Eusebius, Bishop of Samosata, Martyr
THE CITY of Samosata, capital of Comagene in
Syria, now called Sempsat, was an ancient episcopal see under the metropolitan
of Hieropolis. By an appointment of divine providence, St. Eusebius was placed
in this see at a time when most of the neighbouring bishoprics were occupied by
Arians, in 361. In the same year he was present in a council at Antioch,
composed chiefly of Arians, whilst the emperor Constantius was in that city.
St. Eusebius concurred strenuously to the election of St. Meletius, patriarch
of Antioch, being well assured of his zeal for the orthodox faith. Such was the
opinion which the Arians themselves entertained of Eusebius’s virtue, that
though they knew him to be an irreconcileable enemy to their heresy, they
placed an entire confidence in his probity. On this account, they entrusted in
his hands the synodal act of the election of St. Meletius. A few days after,
being provoked at the vigour with which Meletius preached the faith of the Nicene
council in his first discourse to his people, they sought to set him aside, and
at their instigation Constantius sent an officer to extort out of the hands of
St. Eusebius the act of his election. The saint answered he could not surrender
it without the consent of all the parties concerned in it. The officer
threatened to cause his right hand to be cut off if he refused to comply with
the emperor’s orders. The saint stretched out not only his right but also his
left hand, saying he might cut them both off; but that he would never concur to
an unjust action. Both the officer and the emperor admired his heroic virtue,
and highly commended an action which thwarted their favourite projects. For
sometime St. Eusebius refused not to assist at the councils and conferences of
the Arians, in order to maintain the truth. But finding this conduct gave
scandal to some, he broke off all commerce with them in ecclesiastical
deliberations after the council of Antioch in 363, in the reign of Jovian. In
370 he assisted at the election of St. Basil, archbishop of Cæsarea, and
contracted a strict friendship with that great pillar of faith and virtue. So
remarkable was the zeal of our saint and so bright the lustre of his sanctity,
that St. Gregory Nazianzen, in a letter which he wrote about that time, styles
him the pillar of truth, the light of the world, the instrument of the favours
of God on his people, and the support and glory of all the orthodox.
When the
persecution of Valens began to rage, St. Eusebius not content to secure his own
flock against the poison of heresy, made several progresses through Syria,
Phœnicia, and Palestine, disguised in the dress of an officer, to strengthen
the Catholics in the faith, ordain priests where they were wanting, and assist
the orthodox bishops in filling vacant sees with worthy pastors. His zeal gave
every day some new stroke to the Arian party; so that in 374 Valens sent an
order for his banishment into Thrace. The imperial messenger arrived at
Samosata in the evening, and signified the emperor’s orders to the bishop, who
begged he would keep it secret, saying: “If the people should be apprized, such
is their zeal for the faith, that they would rise in arms against you, and your
death might be laid to my charge.” The holy bishop celebrated the night office
as usual, and when all were gone to rest, walked out with one trusty servant to
the Euphrates, which runs under the walls of the city, where going on board a
small vessel, he fell down the river seventy miles to Zeugma. In the morning
the people were in an uproar at what had happened, and in an instant the river
was covered with boats to search him out. He was overtaken by a great number at
Zeugma, who conjured him not to abandon them to the wolves. He was strongly
affected, but urging the necessity of obeying, exhorted them to confidence in
God. They offered him money, slaves, clothes, and all kind of provisions; but
he would accept very little, and commending his dear flock to God, pursued his
journey to Thrace. The Arians intruded into his chair one Eunomius, not the
famous heresiarch of that name, but a man of great moderation. Yet the people
universally shunned him, the city council and the magistrates above the rest;
not one of the inhabitants, rich or poor, young or old, of the clergy or laity,
would see him, and whether in the church, at home, or in public, he saw himself
left alone. Disgusted at his situation he withdrew and left the people to
themselves. The heretics substituted in his place one Lucius, a violent man,
who banished the deacon Evoltius to the desert of Oasis, beyond Egypt, a priest
named Antiochus into a remote corner of Armenia, and others to other places.
Yet he could not gain any over to his interest. The behaviour of the people was
the same to him as it had been to his predecessor; for an instance of which, it
is mentioned, that as he passed one day through a public square where several
children were at play, their ball hit the hoof of his mule, and as if it had
been defiled, they threw it into the fire. The Goths plundered Thrace in 379,
and to escape their swords, St. Eusebius obtained leave to return to his
church, but to crown his sufferings with martyrdom. He appeared no way broken
or daunted by his banishment, but seemed more indefatigable than ever in his labours
for the church. When the death of Valens had put an end to the persecution in
378, he travelled over great part of the country to procure Catholic bishops to
be chosen where the sees were destitute. This he effected at Beræa, Hierapolis,
and Cyrus. At Dolicha, a small episcopal city in Comagene, forty-one miles from
Samosata, Maris was by his endeavours ordained bishop. The whole town being
inhabited by obstinate Arians, St. Eusebius would attend him thither when he
went to take possession of his church. An Arian woman seeing him pass in the
street, threw a tile from the top of her house upon his head; of which wound he
died a few days after, in 379 or 380. In his last moments, in imitation of his
divine Master, he bound his friends by oath never to prosecute his murderer or
her accomplices. He is honoured by the Greeks on the 22nd, by the Latins on the
21st of June. See Theodoret, l. 4, c. 13, l. 5, c. 4; St. Greg. Nazianz. ep. 28; Godeau, Éloges
des Évêques Illustres, p. 178; Ceillier, t. 6, p. 433
Rev. Alban
Butler (1711–73). Volume VI: June.The Lives of the Saints. 1866.
Eusebius, bishop of Samosata
Eusebius
(77), bp. of
Samosata (360-373), the friend alike of Basil the Great, Meletius, and Gregory
Nazianzen. All that is definitely known of Eusebius is gathered from the
epistles of Basil and of Gregory, and from some incidents in the Ecclesiastical
History of Theodoret. The fervent and laudatory phrases applied to him
might suggest hyperbole if they were not so constant (Epp. xxviii.
xxix. Greg. Naz. Opp. ed. Prunaeus, Colon. vol. i. 792; Ep. xxxiv.
Basilii opera, ed. Par. t. iii.). As bp. of Samorata in 361, he took part in
the consecration of Meletius to the see of Antioch. Meletius was then in
communion with the Arians, an a coalition of bishops of both parties place the
document affirming the consecration in the hands of Eusebius. Meletius soon
proclaimed explicitly his Nicene Trinitarianism and was banished by Constantius
on the charge of Sabellianism. Meanwhile Eusebius had returned to Samosata with
the written record of the appointment of Meletius to Antioch. The Arians,
anxious to destroy this proof of their complicity, persuaded Constantius to
demand, by a public functionary, the reddition of the document. Eusebius
replied, "I cannot consent to restore the public deposit, except at the
command of the whole assembly of bishops by whom it was committed to my
care." This reply incensed the emperor, who wrote to Eusebius ordering him
to deliver the decree on pain of amputation of his right hand. Theodoret says
the threat was only meant to intimidate the bishop; if so, it failed, for
Eusebius stretched out both hands, exclaiming, "I am willing to suffer the
loss of both hands rather than resign a document which contains so manifest a
demonstration of the impiety of the Arians."
Tillemont
hesitates to claim for Eusebius, as many writers have done, the honour of being
the Christian confessor in the persecutions under Julian. According to Greg.
Naz. (Orat. c. Julianum, i. p. 133 b.c.), when suffering on the rack and
finding one part of his body not as yet tortured, Eusebius complained to the
executioners for not conferring equal honour on his entire frame. The death of
Julian and the accession of Jovian gave liberty to the church.
During and
after this temporary lull in the imperial patronage of the Arian party, the
great exertions of Eusebius probably took place. He is represented as
travelling in the guise of a soldier (Theod. iv. 13) through Phoenicia and
Palestine, ordaining presbyters and deacons, and must thus have become known to
Basil, who on the death of Eusebius of Caesarea wrote to Gregory (Bas. Ep. xlvii.
Paris ed.), the father of Gregory of Nazianzus, advising the selection of
Eusebius of Samosata for the vacant bishopric. The Paris editors of Basil
plausibly suggest that the letter thus numbered was written by Gregory to
Eusebius concerning Basil, rather than by Basil concerning Eusebius. The part
which Eusebius did take in the election of Basil is well known. Basil's
appointment gave Gregory extreme satisfaction (Greg. Naz. Ep. xxix.).
He dilates on the delight which the visit of Eusebius to Caesarea had given the
community. The bedridden had sprung from their couches, and all kinds of moral
miracles had been wrought by his presence. Thereafter the correspondence
between Basil and Eusebius reveals the progress of their joint lives, and
throws some light upon the history of the church. The two ecclesiastics were
passionately eager for one another's society, and appear to have formed
numerous designs, all falling through, for an interchange of visits.
In 372
Eusebius signed, with Meletius, Basil, and 29 others, a letter to the Western
bishops, in view of their common troubles from Arian opponents. The letter
(Basil, Ep. xcii. Paris ed.), a melancholy Jeremiad, recounts
disaster and disorder, uncanonical proceedings and Arian heresy. The Eastern
bishops look to their brethren in Italy and Gaul for sympathy and advice,
paying a tribute to the pristine purity which the Western churches had
preserved intact while the Eastern churches had been lacerated, undermined, and
divided by heretics and unconstitutional acts. Later in 372 Basil entreats Eusebius
to meet him at Phargamon in Armenia, at an assembly of bishops (Ep. xcv.).
If Eusebius will not or cannot attend the conference, neither will Basil; and
(xcviii.) he passionately urges him to visit him at Caesarea. Letters from
Eusebius appear to have been received by Basil, who once more (c.) begs a visit
at the time of the festival of the martyr Eupsychius, since many things
demanded mutual consideration. At the end of 372 Basil (cv.) managed the
laborious journey to Samosata, and secured from his friend the promise of a
return visit. This promise, said he, had ravished the church with joy. In 373
Basil urged Eusebius to fulfil his promise, and (cxxvii.) assured him that
Jovinus had answered his expectations as bp. of Nicopolis. Jovinus was a worthy
pupil of Eusebius, and gratified Basil by his canonical proprieties. Everywhere
the θρέμματα of Eusebius exhibit the image
of his sanctity. Other authorities (Tillem. Art. iii.) record
that Jovinus relapsed afterwards into Arianism. The good offices of Eusebius
were solicited by Eustathius of Sebaste, who had quarrelled with Basil. Basil's
principle of "purity before reconciliation" convinced Eusebius of his
wisdom and moderation. At the council of Gangra, probably in 372 or 373,
Eustathius of Sebaste was condemned for Arian tendencies and hyperascetic
practices. There is a difficulty in deciding who was the Eusebius
mentioned primo loco without a see in the synodal letter. It
may have been the bp. of Samosata, and as Basil entreated his advice as to
Eustathius, he may have joined him, Hypatius, Gregory, and other friends whose
names occur in this pronunciamiento. His age and moral
eminence would give him this prominent position. The 20 canons of Gangra are
detailed with interesting comment by Hefele, who thinks the chronology entirely
uncertain. We venture the above suggestion, which would throw considerable
light on the practical character of the bp. of Samosata. In 373 a letter of
Basil (Ep. cxxxvi.) shews that Eusebius had successfully secured
the election of a Catholic bishop at Tarsus. In consequence, he was eagerly
entreated to visit Basil at Caesarea. He may have done so, and presided at the
council of Gangra. An encyclical which Eusebius proposed to send to Italy was
not prepared, but Dorotheus and Gregory of Nyssa were induced to visit Rome in
374. The Paris editors assign to 368 or 369 Basil's letters (xxvii. xxxi.)
descriptive of his illness, and the famine that arrested his movements, but
whensoever written, they reveal the extraordinary confidence put by Basil in
his brother bishop. He had been healed by the intercessions of Eusebius, and
now, all medical aid having failed Hypatius his brother, he sends him to
Samosata to be under the care and prayers of Eusebius and his brethren. It
is remarkable that Eusebius was left undisturbed during the bitter persecutions
of the orthodox by the emperor Valens. At length his hour came, and few pages
in the history of the time are more vivid than those which portray the
circumstances of his exile. Valens promised the Arian bp. Eudoxius, who had
baptized him, that he would banish all who held contrary opinions. Thus
Eusebius was expelled from Samosata (Theod. iv. 13). The imperial sentence
ordered his instant departure to Thrace (ib. 14). Ceillier (v. 3)
places this in 374. The officer who served the summons was bidden by Eusebius
to conceal the cause of his journey. "For if the multitude (said
Eusebius), who are all imbued with divine zeal, should learn your design, they
would drown you, and I should have to answer for your death." After
conducting worship, he took one domestic servant, a "pillow, and a
book," and departed in the dead of night. The effect of his departure upon
his flock is graphically described by Theodoret. The clamour, the weeping, the
pursuit, the entreaties to return to Samosata and brave the wrath of the
emperor, the humble submission of the bishop to the will of the prince on the
ground of the authority of St. Paul, the refusal of costly gifts, the parting
of the old man from his people, and the disappearance of the venerable
confessor on his long and perilous journey to the Danube, are all told in a few
striking sentences. Eusebius had excited a persistent and intense antagonism to
the views of the Arians which assumed very practical forms. The Arian bp.
Eunomius was avoided as if smitten with deadly and contagious pest. The very
water he used in the public bath was wasted by the populace as contaminated.
The repugnance being invincible, the poor man, inoffensive and gentle in
spirit, retired from the unequal contest. His successor, Lucius, "a wolf
and a deceiver of the flock," was received with scant courtesy. The
children spontaneously burned a ball upon which the ass on which the Arian
bishop rode had accidentally trodden. Lucius was not conquered by such
manifestations, and took counsel with the Roman magistracy to banish all the
Catholic clergy. Meanwhile Eusebius by slow stages reached the Danube when
"the Goths were ravaging Thrace and besieging many cities." The most
vigorous eulogium is passed upon his power to console others. At this dark time
his faithfulness was a joy to the Eastern bishops. Basil congratulated
Antiochus, a nephew of Eusebius, on the privilege of having seen and talked
with such a man (Ep. clxviii.), and Gregory thought his prayers for
their welfare must be as efficacious as those of a martyr. For Eusebius,
concealed in exile, Basil contrived means of communication with his old flock.
Numerous letters passed between the two, more in the tone of young lovers than
of old bishops, and some interesting hints are given as to difficulty of
communication. Eusebius was eagerly longing for letters, while Basil protested
that he had written no fewer than four, which never reached their destination.
To Eusebius (ccxxxix.) Basil complains bitterly of the lack of fair dealing on
the part of the Western church, and mysterious hints are not unfrequently
dropped as to the sentiment entertained at Rome with reference to himself,
Eusebius, and Meletius. In 377 Dorotheus found that the two latter were, to the
horror of Basil, reckoned at Rome as Arians. Eusebius suffered less from the
barbarian ravages of the Goths than from this momentary assault on his honour.
In 378 the persecuting policy of Valens was closed by his death. Gratian
recalled the banished prelates, and gave peace to the Eastern church. Theodoret
(H. E. v. 4, 5) expressly mentions the permission to Eusebius to
return. Notwithstanding the apparently non-canonical character of the
proceeding, Eusebius ordained numerous bishops on his way from Thrace to the
Euphrates, including Acacius at Beroea, Theodotus at Hierapolis, Isidore at
Cyrus, and Eulogius at Edessa. All these names were appended to the creed of
Constantinople.
When taking
part in the ordination of Maris at the little town of Dolica (Theod. H.
E. v. 4), a woman charged with Arian passion hurled at Eusebius a
brick, which fell upon his head, and wounded him fatally. Theodoret records
that the aged bishop, in the spirit of the protomartyr and his Divine Lord,
extorted promises from his attendants that they would make no search for his
murderess. On June 22 the Eastern churches commemorate his so-called martyrdom.
His nephew Antiochus probably succeeded to the bishopric of Samosata. Tillem.
viii. 326; Ceillier, v. 5.
[H.R.R.]
Hieromartyr Eusebius the Bishop of
Samosata
The Hieromartyr Eusebius, Bishop of
Samosata, stood firmly for the Orthodox Confession of Faith proclaimed at the
First Ecumenical Council at Nicea in the year 325. For this he underwent
persecution by the Arians, being repeatedly deprived of his see and banished.
The emperor Constantius (337-361), patron of the Arians, learned that Saint
Eusebius kept a conciliar decree regarding the election of the Orthodox
Archbishop Meletius to the See of Antioch. He commanded him to give up the
decree. The saint boldly refused to do as ordered. The enraged emperor sent a
message that if he did not give up the decree, then his right hand would be cut
off. Saint Eusebius stretched out both hands to the emissary saying, “Cut them
off, but I will not give up the Decree of the Council, which denounces the
wickedness and iniquity of the Arians.” The emperor Constantius marveled at the
audacity of the bishop, but did not harm him.
During the reign of Julian the
Apostate (361-363), even more difficult times ensued, and an open persecution
against Christians began. Saint Eusebius, having concealed his identity, went
about in the garb of a soldier across the whole of Syria, Phoenicia and
Palestine, urging Christians to the Orthodox Faith. He established priests and
deacons in desolated churches, and he consecrated bishops who renounced the
Arian heresy. After Julian the Apostate’s death, he was succeeded by the pious
emperor Jovian (363-364), during whose reign the persecutions stopped.
Returning from exile, Saint Meletius (February 12) convened a local Council at
Antioch in the year 379 on the advice of Saint Eusebius. Twenty-seven bishops
participated, and it reaffirmed the Orthodox teaching of the First Ecumenical
Council. The Arians signed the conciliar definition, fearing the steadfast
defenders of Orthodoxy, the holy hierarchs Meletius, Eusebius and Pelagios, who
had great influence with the emperor. After the death of Jovian the Arian
Valentinian (364-378) came to power.
The Orthodox were again subjected to
persecution. Saint Meletius was banished to Armenia, Saint Pelagius to Arabia,
and Saint Eusebius was condemned to exile in Thrace. Having received the
imperial decree, Saint Eusebius left Samosata by night so as to prevent tumult
among the people that esteemed him. Having learned of of the bishop’s
departure, believers followed after him and with tears entreated him to return.
The saint refused the entreaty of those who had come, saying that he had to
obey the authorities. The saint urged his flock to hold firm to Orthodoxy,
blessed them and set off to the place of exile. The Arian Eunomios became
Bishop of Samosata, but the people did not accept the heretic. The Orthodox
would not go to the church and avoided meeting with him. The heretical Arian
perceived that it was impossible to attract the independent flock to him.
The emperor Gracian (375-383) came
upon the throne, and all the Orthodox hierarchs banished under the Arians were
brought back from exile. Saint Eusebius also returned to Samosata and continued
with the task of building up the Church. Together with Saint Meletius he
supplied Orthodox hierarchs and clergy to Arian places. In the year 380 he
arrived in the Arian city of Dolikhina to establish the Orthodox bishop Marinus
there. An Arian woman threw a roof tile at the holy bishop’s head. As he lay
dying, he asked her for wine and requested those around not to do her any harm.
The body of Saint Eusebius was taken to Samosata and was buried by his flock.
The saint’s nephew, Antiochus, succeeded him and the Samosata Church continued
to confess the Orthodox Faith, firmly spread through the efforts of the holy
Hieromartyr Eusebius.
Sant’ Eusebio di Samosata Vescovo
Sant’Eusebio, vescovo di
Samosata, al tempo dell’imperatore ariano Costanzo era solito visitare in
incognito, vestito da militare, le chiese di Dio, per confermarle nella fede
cattolica. Sotto l’imperatore Valente fu poi esiliato in Tracia, ma ritornata
in seguito la pace per la Chiesa fu richiamato dall’esilio sotto l’imperatore
Teodosio; finche portò a compimento il suo martirio presso Doliche in Siria,
mentre visitava di nuovo le chiese, colpito al capo mortalmente da una tegola
scagliatagli addosso da una donna ariana.
Martirologio Romano: A
Dülük in Siria, ora in Turchia, sant’Eusebio, vescovo di Samosata, che, al
tempo dell’imperatore ariano Costanzo, vestendosi da soldato, visitava in
incognito le Chiese di Dio per rinsaldarle nella fede cattolica;
successivamente, sotto l’impero di Valente, fu relegato in Tracia, ma,
ritornata la pace per la Chiesa, fu richiamato dall’esilio al tempo
dell’imperatore Teodosio; infine, mentre era di nuovo in visita alle Chiese,
morì martire colpito al capo da una tegola lanciatagli contro dall’alto da una
donna ariana.
Fu uno dei più zelanti
difensori dell'ortodossia nel IV sec. Non si sa quando fu nominato vescovo di
Samosata nella Siria Eufratese, perché non appare nella storia prima
dell'elezione di Melezio al seggio patriarcale di Antiochia (360-61), elezione
per cui egli aveva fermamente lavorato. Egli passava allora per ariano, ma era
ortodosso nel cuore e lo mostrò bene quando l'imperatore Costanzo gli fece richiedere
il processo verbale dell'elezione di Melezio, che a lui era stato rimesso;
Eusebio rifiutò per ben mostrare la sua adesione al nuovo patriarca. Nel 370 sostenne s.
Basilio e riuscì a farlo nominare vescovo di Cesarea. Da allora, ebbe stretta relazione con lui per la loro
azione comune in favore della fede di Nicea. Si hanno ventidue lettere
indirizzategli da s. Basilio (PG, XXXI, coll. 303-996, nn. 27, 30, 31, 34. 48,
96, 98, 100, 127, 128, 136, 138, 141, 145, 162, 166, 167, 198, 237, 239, 261,
268). Fu pure in relazione con s. Gregorio di Nazianzo, che gli scrisse cinque
lettere (PG, XXXVII, coll. 87-129, nn. 42, 44, 64, 65, 66) : due di queste
lettere sono state pure pubblicate dal Bedjan nella loro versione siriaca (AMS,
VI, pp. 377-80). La sua lotta contro lo arianesimo lo fece esiliare in Tracia
dall'imperatore Valente (374). Alla morte del
persecutore (378) rientrò nella sua città episcopale che gli era rimasta
fedele, malgrado l'intrusione di Eunomio. Percorse allora la Siria del Nord per
combattere l'eresia e fare nominare dei vescovi ortodossi; quando arrivò a
Doliché, una donna ariana gli gettò un mattone sulla testa; morì per la ferita
domandando grazia per la sua assassina (22 giug. 380). I greci lo festeggiano in
questo giorno. I diversi calendari della Chiesa di Antiochia lo celebrano
egualmente al 22 haziràn (giug.) e con la menzione « martirizzato dagli Ariani
». È da notare a questo proposito che una Vita siriaca di E. è stata pubblicata
dal Bedjan da un manoscritto del British Museum (add. 12174). Viene ricordato
al 21 giug. nel Martirologio Romano; non si hanno suoi scritti.
Autore: Raymond
Janin
