Eusebius of Emesa: Church and Theology in the Mid-Fourth Century

294 Pages·2011·1.081 MB·English

by  Robert E. Winn

Eusebius
of EmEsa

Robert E. Winn

Eusebius
of EmEsa
Church & Theology in the Mid-Fourth Century
The Catholic University of America Press
Washington, D. C.
Copyright © 2011
The Catholic University of America Press
All rights reserved
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of
American National Standards for Information Science—Permanence
of Paper for Printed Library materials, ANSI Z39.48-1984.
∞
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Winn, Robert E.
Eusebius of Emesa : church and theology in the mid-fourth century /
Robert E. Winn.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and index.
ISBN 978-0-8132-1876-2 (cloth : alk. paper)
1. Eusebius, Bishop of Emesa, ca. 300-ca. 359—Sermons.
2. Church history—4th century I. Title.
BR65.E76W56 2011
230'.19092—dc22 2011014812
For Samantha Winn,
with gratitude

CoNTENTS
Acknowledgments ix
Abbreviations xi
Introduction 1
1 The World of Eusebius of Emesa 19
2 Rhetorical and Exegetical Strategies 52
3 The Natural World and Human Nature 86
4 The Nature of God 123
5 The Humanity and Divinity of Christ 187
6 Martyrs and Virgins: Asceticism
and the Church 225
Conclusion 253
Appendix 257
Bibliography 263
Index 275

ACkNoWLEDGMENTS
I first encountered the sermons of Eusebius of Emesa in a seminar
on the Antiochene theologians of the patristic era when I was a
graduate student at the Catholic University of America. Two things
struck me at the time: here is a singularly interesting voice from
the mid-fourth century and his is a voice that is often unheard in
discussion of fourth-century Christianity. Reading through the Ar-
menian sermons of Eusebius with Robin Darling Young, then on
the faculty of the School of Theology and Religious Studies at the
Catholic University of America, solidified my decision to one day
undertake a significant research project on his life and thought. This
book, now over ten years removed from my original encounter with
Eusebius, is the result of this persistent interest in this bishop.
Several other individuals have also been helpful over the years of
writing and rewriting on Eusebius of Emesa. Joseph Lienhard and
Markus Vinzent both provided guidance and made valuable sugges-
tions at different stages in the development of this project. Philip
Amidon, Peter Cowe, and an anonymous evaluator, all external
readers for the Catholic University of America Press, also were gen-
erous with their constructive criticisms. This book is without ques-
tion better because of their input; all errors and infelicities are, of
course, my own.
Parts of chapter 2 and chapter 6 first appeared as the following
article: “The Church of Virgins and Martyrs: Ecclesiastical Identity
in the Sermons of Eusebius of Emesa.” Copyright © 2003 The North
American Patristic Society and The Johns Hopkins University Press.
This article first appeared in the Journal of Early Christian Studies 11,
ix