Eusebius of Caesarea, Theophany fr. 6

https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/91

Context

Among his many writings, late in his career Eusebius produced a wide-ranging treatise on theophany, or the divine manifestation, of Jesus Christ. The work survives in two forms: fragmentary passages from the original cited by Nicetas of Heracleia, an erudite deacon in Constantinople during the 11th century, and a Syriac translation by Ja’qob in Edessa in 411 C.E. This passage, found in the earliest manuscript and confirmed by the Syriac translation (4.6 ed. Gressman and Laminski), is a commentary on the episode of Christ and the disciples fishing on the Sea of Galilee. Eusebius cites the prosperity of the Churchs of Caesarea, Antioch, and Rome as proof of St. Peter’s success as a fisher of men.

Text

ὁ γοῦν ἀμφιβολεὺς ἐκεῖνος, ὁ ἁλιεύς, ὁ Σύρος ἀντὶ τῆς τῶν ἰχθύων θήρας ὅσας ἀνθρώπων ἐσαγήνευσε μυριάδας λόγων ἀπορρήτων δικτύοις θεικῇ δυνάμει πλακεῖσιν, οὐκ ἕστιν ἀριθμῷ περιλαβεῖν δυνατόν. ὄψις δ ἀδήλων τὰ φαινόμενα. ἃ γὰρ ὁ μακρὸς αἰὼν τοῦ βίου πρὸ τῆς τοῦ σωτῆρος θεοφανείας οὐκ ἤνεγκεν, ἃ μήτε Μώσης ὁ τῶν Ἑβραίων νομοθέτης μήτε οἱ μετὰ Μωσέα τοῦ θεοῦ προφῆται μήτε μυρίοι ἄλλοι πάλαι τὴν ἕνθεον διδασκαλίαν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἀναφωνήσαντες θηρευταὶ πολλὰ καμόντες διὰ πάσης νυκτὸς τῆς πρὸ τῆς ἐπιφανείας αὐτοῦ καταπράξασθαι μὴ δεδύνηνται, ταῦτα ὁ Γαλιλαῖος, ὁ πένης, ὁ βάρβαρος τὴν φωνήν, αὐτὸς ἐκεῖνος ὁ Πέτρος κατεπράξατο. δεῖγμα δὲ τῶν τότε ἐπιτελεσθέντων πρὸς Πέτρου αἱ εἰς δεῦρο διαλάμπουσαι ἐκκλησίαι πολὺ μᾶλλον τῶν τότε σκαφῶν λογικῶν ἰχθύων πληθύουσαι, οἵα ἡ κατὰ Καισάρειαν τῆς Παλαιστίνης τυγχάνει, οἵα ἡ ἐπὶ Ἀντιοχείας τῆς κατὰ τὴν Συρίαν, οἵα ἡ ἐπ’ αὐτῆς τῆς Ῥωμαίων πόλεως. τάσδε γὰρ αὐτὸς ὁ Πέτρος τὰς ἐκκλησίας καὶ τὰς ἀμφ’ αὐτὰς ἁπάσας συστησάμενος μνημονεύεται, καὶ τὰς ἐπ’Αἰγύπτου κατ’ αὐτὴν τὴν Ἀλεξάνδρειαν πάλιν αὐτός, οὐ μὴν δι’ αὑτοῦ, διὰ δὲ Μάρκου τοῦ μαθητευθέντος αὑτῷ κατεστήσατο. αὐτὸς μὲν γὰρ ἀμφὶ τὴν Ἰταλίαν καὶ πάντα τὰ ἀμφὶ ταύτην ἔθνη ἐσχόλαζεν, τὸν δ’ αὐτοῦ φοιτητὴν Μάρκον τῶν κατ’ Αἴγυπτον διδάσκαλον καὶ σαγηνευτὴν ἀποδέδειχεν. 1

Textual Note

Ed. Gressmann 1904 with ref. to Gressmand and Laminski 1992

Textual Note

Codex Vaticanus 1611 folio 83v (12th century)

Browse source text.

Translation

In any case, it is not possible to comprehend in number how many thousands of men instead of fish that netcaster, the fisherman, the Syrian (sc. Simon Peter), caught in nets of mysterious Words woven by divine power. The visual perception of something hidden is something visible. Therefore, that which the long life of the world before the appearance of our Savior could not bring about; that which neither Moses the lawgiver of the Hebrews, nor the Prophets of God after Moses, nor yet the thousands of others who from ancient times proclaimed the inspired teaching to humanity, fishermen toiling hard throughout the entire night before His manifestation, were able to achieve: this Galilean, this pauper, this barbaric speaker, this Peter did himself achieve it. The proof of Peter’s accomplishments are the Churches, shining bright up to now, filled much more than boats with fish of the Words, like the one at Caesarea Palestinae, the one at Antioch in Syria, the one at the city of the Romans. For Peter himself organized and commemorated these, and all those around them. And again he established the Churches in Egypt, in Alexandria itself, not on his own but through Mark, his disciple. For while he pursued his devotion around Italy and all neighboring nations, he appointed his student Mark to be teacher and netcaster in Egypt. 2

Translation Note

Trans. J. L. Rife with ref. to Lee 1843

Works Cited

1 Eusebius of Caesarea, Eusebius Werke III.2: Die Theophanie, ed. H. Gressmann and Adolph Laminski, 2nd ed., Die Griechischen christlichen Schriftsteller der ersten drei Jahrhunderte 11 (Berlin: Akademie Verlag, 1992), p: 19.32-20.19.
2 Eusebius of Caesarea, Eusebius, Bishop of Caesarea, on the Theophany or Divine Manifestation of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, trans. Samuel Lee (Cambridge: University Press, 1843)

Additional Bibliography

Eusebius of Caesarea, Eusebius Werke III.2: Die Theophanie, ed. H. Gressmann, Die Griechischen Christlichen Schriftsteller Der Ersten Drei Jahrhunderte 11 (Leipzig: J. C. Hinrichs, 1904)

How to Cite This Entry

Joseph L. Rife, “Eusebius of Caesarea, Theophany fr. 6,” in Caesarea Maritima: A Collection of Testimonia, entry published June 30, 2023, https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/91.

Bibliography:

Joseph L. Rife, “Eusebius of Caesarea, Theophany fr. 6.” 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/91.

About this Entry

Entry Title: Eusebius of Caesarea, Theophany fr. 6

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 editor, “Eusebius of Caesarea, Theophany fr. 6”
Joseph L. Rife, entry contributor, “Eusebius of Caesarea, Theophany fr. 6”

Additional Credit:

TEI encoding by William L. Potter
Electronic text added by Joseph L. Rife
Testimonia identified by Joseph L. Rife

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