Eusebius of Caesarea, Life of Constantine 1.19
https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/130
Context
In this passage from his biography of Constantine the Great, Eusebius
describes the physical and spritual virtues of the adolescent. The historian refers to
seeing Constantine himself, presumably at Caesarea, during the young man’s visit to
Palestine in the company of the senior emperor Diocletian in 301/2 C.E.
Text
Συνῆν μὲν γὰρ οὑτος
τοῖς τῆς βασιλείας κοινωνοῖς, καὶ μέσοις αὐτοῖς, ὡς εἵρηται, κατ’ αὐτὸν ἐκεῖνον τὸν παλαιὸν
τοῦ θεοῦ προφήτην τὰς διατριβὰς ἐποιεῖτο. ἤδη δ’ ἐκ τοῦ παιδὸς ἐπὶ τὸν νεανίαν τιμῆς τῆς
πρώτης παρ’ αὐτοῖς ἠξιοῦτο. Οἷον αὐτὸν καὶ ἡμεῖς ἔγνωμεν τὸ Παλαιστινῶν διερχόμενον ἔθνος
σὺν τῷ πρεσβυτέρῳ τῶν βασιλέων, οὗ καὶ ἐπὶ δεξιὰ παρεστὼς περιφανέστατος ἦν τοῖς ὁρᾶν
θέλουσιν, οἷός τε βασιλικοῦ φρονήματος ἐξ ἐκείνου τεκμήρια παρέχων. σώματος μὲν γὰρ εἰς
κάλλους ὥραν μέγεθός τε ἡλικίας οὐδ’ ἦν αὐτῷ παραβαλεῖν ἔτερον, ῥώμῃ δ’ ἱσχύος τοσοῦτον
ἐπλεονέκτει τοὺς ὁμήλικας ὡς καὶ φοβερὸν αὐτοῖς εἶναι, ταῖς δὲ κατὰ ψυχὴν ἀρεταῖς μᾶλλον ἢ
τοῖς κατὰ τὸ σῶμα πλεονεκτήμασιν ἐνηβρύνετο, σωφροσύνῃ πρώτιστα τὴν ψυχὴν κοσμούμενος
πάντων, κἄπειτα παιδεύσει λόγων φρονήσει τ’ ἐμφύτῳ καὶ τῇ θεοσδότῳ σοφίᾳ διαφερόντως
ἐκπρέπων.
1
Textual Note
Ed. Winkelmann 1991Translation
This son (sc.
Constantine) was with his imperial colleagues (sc. the tetrarchs); and in their midst, as
has been said, he conducted himself in the same way as the ancient prophet of God. Now that
he had passed from childhood to youth, he was granted highest honor among them. As such we
knew him ourselves as he travelled through the land of Palestine in the company of the
senior emperor (sc. Diocletian), at whose right he stood, a noble sight for those with eyes
to see, able already to display an Imperial quality of mind. In handsome physique and bodily
height no other could bear comparison with him; in physical strength he so exceeded his
contemporaries as even to put them in fear; he took pride in moral qualities rather than
physical superiority, ennobling his soul first and foremost with self-control, and
thereafter distinguishing himself by the excellence of his rhetorical education, his
instinctive shrewdness and his God-given wisdom.
2
Translation Note
Rev. Cameron and Hill 1999Discussion Note
“as has been said, he conducted himself in the same way as the ancient prophet of God”: the simile compares Constantine among the tetrarchs to Moses among the Egyptians.Works Cited
- 1 Eusebius of Caesarea, Eusebius Werke I.1: Über das Leben des Kaisers Constantins, ed. Friedhelm Winkelmann, Repr. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter 2008, Die grieschischen christlichen Schriftsteller der ersten drei Jahrhunderte n.F. 7 (Berlin: Akademie-Verlag, 1991), section: 1.19.
- 2 Eusebius of Caesarea, Life of Constantine, trans. Averil Cameron and Stuart G. Hill, Clarendon Ancient History Series (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1999), p: 77, 197-198.
How to Cite This Entry
Eliana Yonan et al., “Eusebius of Caesarea, Life of Constantine 1.19,” in Caesarea Maritima: A Collection of Testimonia, entry published June 30, 2023, https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/130.
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Bibliography:
Eliana Yonan et al., “Eusebius of Caesarea, Life of Constantine 1.19.” In Caesarea Maritima: A Collection of Testimonia, edited by Joseph L. Rife., edited by Joseph L. Rife. Caesarea City and Port Exploration Project, 2023. Entry published June 30, 2023. https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/130.About this Entry
Entry Title: Eusebius of Caesarea, Life of Constantine 1.19
Authorial and Editorial Responsibility:
- Joseph L. Rife, general editor, Vanderbilt University
- Joseph L. Rife, editor, Caesarea Maritima: A Collection of Testimonia
- David A. Michelson, Daniel L. Schwartz, and William L. Potter, technical editors, “Eusebius of Caesarea, Life of Constantine 1.19”
- Eliana Yonan and Joseph L. Rife, entry contributors, “Eusebius of Caesarea, Life of Constantine 1.19”
Additional Credit:
- TEI encoding by William L. Potter
- Electronic text added by Eliana Yonan
- Testimonia identified by Joseph L. Rife