Eusebius' final pages are among the most optimistic in all of historical literature. Why is Eusebius so positive and so hopeful about the future? In particular, why is he so positive about Constantine? What is Constantine doing that makes Eusebius feel that the Roman world is exactly on the right track? Do you feel Eusebius is missing anything here?
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
Eusebius Book X
Eusebius' final pages are among the most optimistic in all of historical literature. Why is Eusebius so positive and so hopeful about the future? In particular, why is he so positive about Constantine? What is Constantine doing that makes Eusebius feel that the Roman world is exactly on the right track? Do you feel Eusebius is missing anything here?
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Yes, I would agree that the last book of Eusebius has a very positive tone overall. I think this optimism has a lot to do with where Eusebius thinks that the church will go next. He feels like it has done a lot to change the world already and can only help it to change more in the future. He is also very positive about Constantine as a ruler, and feels like he is the best thing that could have ever happened to Rome. Eusebius even calls him the "mightiest victor, adorned with every virtue of piety." I think that quote easily sums up Eusebius' view of Constantine and why he holds him on such a high pedestal.
ReplyDeleteI think Eusebius sees Constantine as a savior of the Christians. I think that Eusebius is speaking so positively on the church because he believes he can say anything and everything good about Christians and the church because there is now a Christian emperor in Rome. If anything is missing, it’s that Eusebius is talking about the great future of Rome, but he really doesn’t mention the future of anywhere else. There are Christian persecutions going on outside the Roman Empire, but Eusebius doesn’t mention them at all.
ReplyDeleteKent Johnsen
ReplyDeleteBook X is a fairly nice ending to an overall dreary book in some respects. It concludes talking a lot about Constantine favorably, not only because of the fact that he is Christian but also supporting the publishing of his book. Eusebius sees potential in Rome's future, but doesn't address what potential Christianity has overall, which could be his only weakness here.
Eusebius is positive because it was the first time things were going really good for the Christians. Christians had been persecuted, tortured, murdered, and disgraced. Now they were free to be themselves. Constantine the emperor even supported them. Constantine is trying to work out the politics in the church and he is making laws that change Christians lives to back to before the persecutions. I think Eusebius maybe missing some stuff because he is really bias of Constantine. He knows Constantine will probably read it so he is trying to write good stuff.
ReplyDeleteI think a big reason as to why Eusebius is so positive in Book X is because the persecution in the Roman Empire is finally over. Not long before, Christians were being tortured and killed, and many other horrible things. But now, under Constantine, all is well for the Christians. Heck, they're even prospering here! In the new capitol of Constantinople, there are churches going up everywhere. After all the bad that happened, I can only imagine how good it must have felt to be a Christian during this time, and seeing the overwhelming rise of Christianity in this area. They finally had a Christian leader, and everything was going well for the Christians. The only thing I think Eusebius is missing is he is really only focused on the Roman Empire, and how well things are going there. Certainly Christianity wasn't doing this well everywhere else, and Eusebius seems to ignore this, or at least not write about it. I have to agree with Donovan, maybe he was trying to only focus on the good to please Constantine.
ReplyDeleteI feel that Eusebius has a pretty good reason to be optimistic, I mean everything is looking up for the Christians at this point in history with Constantine in power and persecution of Christians coming to an end. when you have the highest political power on your side its hard not to be optimistic. I would also have to agree with Donovan the last thing that Eusebius would want to do is get on Constantine's bad side so maybe his trying to say nothing but good things to please Constantine.
ReplyDeleteEusebius has a fantastic reason to be optimistic. He can see things are looking up for the Christians, with Constantine in power it is a huge thing and now the persecution of Christians are at an end. When you got the political power on your side like Constantine it is very difficult not to have a smile on your face.
ReplyDeleteLike the rest of my classmates have written, Eusebius is optimistic because Constantine isn't an emperor that will fight Christianity. He is an emperor that will embrace it. He is the first fully attested Christian Emperor and this is great news. No longer do Christians need to hide in the shadows. The religion can spread without worry of persecution or death. Eusebius really has nothing bad to say at all about Constantine.
ReplyDeleteEusebius does seem more optimistic in this last part of the book. He sees that Constantine is an emperor that isn't going to persecute the Christians, he's not going to fight Christianity in any way. He sees that Constantine instead is going to embrace Christianity and will treat the Christians much better than those of the past. Eusebius is optimistic because he believes that Christians won't have to be afraid anymore.
ReplyDeleteMallory Schlechter