67. But in the leader of all it is reasonable to suppose [2905] that Christ himself dwells in his fullness, [2906] and in those that occupy the second rank after him, in proportion as each is able to contain the power of Christ and of the Holy Spirit. [2907] And the souls of some of those, namely, who are committed to each of them for instruction and care--may be seats for angels.
68. But the great and august and unique altar, what else could this be than the pure holy of holies of the soul of the common priest of all? Standing at the right of it, Jesus himself, the great High Priest of the universe, the Only Begotten of God, receives with bright eye and extended hand the sweet incense from all, and the bloodless and immaterial sacrifices offered in their prayers, and bears them to the heavenly Father and God of the universe. And he himself first worships him, and alone gives to the Father the reverence which is his due, beseeching him also to continue always kind and propitious to us all.
69. "Such is the great temple which the great Creator of the universe, the Word, has built throughout the entire world, making it an intellectual image upon earth of those things which lie above the vault of heaven, so that throughout the whole creation, including rational beings on earth, his Father might be honored and adored.
70. But the region above the heavens, with the models of earthly things which are there, and the so-called Jerusalem above, [2908] and the heavenly Mount of Zion, and the supramundane city of the living God, in which innumerable choirs of angels and the Church of the first born, whose names are written in heaven, [2909] praise their Maker and the Supreme Ruler of the universe with hymns of praise unutterable and incomprehensible to us,--who that is mortal is able worthily to celebrate this? For eye hath not seen nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of men those things which God hath prepared for them that love him.' [2910]
71. Since we, men, children, and women, small and great, are already in part partakers of these things, let us not cease all together, with one spirit and one soul, to confess and praise the author of such great benefits to us, Who forgiveth all our iniquities, who healeth all our diseases, who redeemeth our life from destruction, who crowneth us with mercy and compassion, who satisfieth our desires with good things.' [2911] For he hath not dealt with us according to our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities;' [2912] for as far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our iniquities from us. Like as a father pitieth his own children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him.' [2913]
72. Rekindling these thoughts in our memories, both now and during all time to come, and contemplating in our mind night and day, in every hour and with every breath, so to speak, the Author and Ruler of the present festival, and of this bright and most splendid day, let us love and adore him with every power of the soul. And now rising, let us beseech him with loud voice to shelter and preserve us to the end in his fold, granting his unbroken and unshaken peace forever, in Christ Jesus our Saviour; through whom be the glory unto him forever and ever. [2914] Amen."
[2814] This person was clearly Eusebius himself (see above, p. 11). Upon the date of this dedicatory service, at which Eusebius delivered the oration given in full in this chapter, see ibid.
[2815] Paulinus, bishop of Tyre. See above, chap. 1, note 1.
[2816] i.e. Paulinus.
[2817] Cf. Rev. xxi. 2
[2818] beseleel, which is the form found in the LXX. The Hebrew is l'ltsv, which the R.V. renders "Bezalel." See Ex. xxxv. 30 sq.
[2819] See Hag. ii. 9
[2820] Eusebius addresses first the assembled clergymen in general, then Paulinus in particular, and finally the people, calling the latter "nurslings," "habitation," "school," "auditory." The significance of the words as used by him is plain enough, but their collocation is rather remarkable.
[2821] Psa. xliv. 1.
[2822] Cf. Ex. vi. 6, et al.
[2823] Psa. xlviii. 8.
[2824] 1 Tim. iii. 15.
[2825] Psa. lxxxvii. 3.
[2826] Psa. cxxii. 1.
[2827] Psa. xxvi. 8.
[2828] Psa. xlviii. 1.
[2829] Psa. xlv. 2.
[2830] Psa. cxxxvi. 4.
[2831] Job ix. 10.
[2832] Dan. ii. 21.
[2833] 1 Sam. ii. 8. (Psa. cxiii. 7).
[2834] Luke i. 52, 53.
[2835] Cf. Psa. xcvi. 1
[2836] prosupakouontes. Eusebius seems to use this rather peculiar expression because the words of song which he suggests are not the words of the "new song" given by the Psalmist, but are taken from other parts of the book.
[2837] Psa. cxxxvi. 4.
[2838] Ibid. 17.
[2839] Ibid. 23, 24.
[2840] It is remarked by Valesius that these words are taken from some tragic poet. That they are quoted from an ancient writer is clear enough from the Ionic forms which occur (hore, allotriesi, xumphoresi), and if a few slight changes be made (kamnonton to kamonton, heneken to heineken, men to ta, ep' allotriesi te to allotriesi) the words resolve themselves into iambic trimeters:-- tes ton kamonton heineken soterias hore ta deina, thing?nei d' aedeon, allotriesi sumphoresin idias karpoutai lupas. According to Valesius, Gregory Nazianzen in his first Oratio quotes the last verse (kai to ep' allotriais sumphorais idias karpousthai lupas, in which there is no trace of the poetical form) with the remark hos?phe tis ton par' ekeinois sophon; and Valesius adds: "Ad quem locum Elias Cretensis notat verba hæc esse Hippocratis quem Gregorius Nazianzenus sapientis cujusdam nomine designat." Moreover, Schwegler remarks that the words are taken from Hippocrates. In a note ad locum he says: "Hippocratis medici (cf. Hippocr. de Flat. init. p. 78, ed. Foes) quæ eadem laudantur et ab aliis Scriptoribus, veluti a Luciano in Bis. Accus. c. I. p. 49, ed. Bip. Cf. quæ interpretes adnotaverunt ad Luciani, l.c. Tom. VII. p. 400, ed. Bip." I have not examined these references, and can therefore form no judgment in the matter.
[2841] ablabos. The application of the word is not perfectly clear, but the meaning seems to be "without harm to himself," "unharmed." "He is the only one able to minister to our salvation without sinking under the weight of the burden, or suffering from his contact with us." Eusebius is perhaps thinking especially of Christ's absolute sinlessness and victory over all temptation; perhaps only in a more general way of the great strength needed for such a task, strength possessed by Christ alone in sufficient measure to prevent his own complete exhaustion under the immense task.
[2842] Cf. Isa. ix. 6
[2843] megas archistr?tegos; cf. Josh. v. 13.
[2844] This seems to be simply a rhetorical expression of what is recorded in Bk. IX. chap. 9, in regard to the great statue of Constantine with a cross in his hand, erected in Rome after his victory over Maxentius. It is possible that other smaller monuments of a similar kind were erected at the same time.
[2845] autotheon. The exact sense in which Eusebius uses this word is open to dispute. That it asserts the Son to be possessed per se, in and of himself, of absolute deity,--that is, that he is self-existent,--can hardly be maintained, though Valesius does maintain it. The word admits some latitude of meaning, as Heinichen shows (in his edition of Eusebius, III. p. 736 sq., Melet. XX.), and its use does not forbid a belief in the subordination of the Son. In my opinion it clearly indicates a belief in an essential deity of the Son, but not a full and absolute deity. Stein, in his Eusebius, p. 138, remarks: "Eusebius wendet hier dei platonischen Ausdrücke nach dem Vorbilde des Origenes auf das Wesen des Sohnes an. Nach Origines bezeichnen diese Ausdrücke die Absolutheit des Sohnes, nach den Platonikern jedoch bedeuten sie nicht das höchste Wesen. Es ist nun Zweifelhaft, ob Eusebius mit diesen Begriffen den Sinn des Origenes, oder den der Platoniker verknüpft habe." There can be little doubt, in my opinion, that Eusebius followed Origen so far as he understood him, but that he never carried the essential deity of the Son so far as to cease to think of some kind of an essential subordination. See the discussion of Eusebius' position, on p. 11 sq. of this volume. I have translated the word autotheon "very God," because there seems to be no other phrase which does not necessarily express more, or less, than Eusebius means by the word. It must be remembered, however, that in using the phrase which is commonly employed to translate the later Nicene alethinon theon, I do not use it in the full sense thus ordinarily attached to it.
[2846] Psa. xxxiii. 9.
[2847] tou pambasileos kai panegemonos kai autou theou logou. Valesius translates, Verbi omnium regis ac principis ac per se Dei; Closs, "des Wortes, das der König aller Könige, der oberste Fürst und selbst Gott ist"; Crusè, "The universal King, the universal Prince, and God, the Word himself." A conception is thus introduced which the clause as it stands, without the repetition of the article with logou, seems to me hardly to warrant. At any rate, the rendering which I have adopted seems more accurately to reproduce the original.
[2848] theologoumeno. The use of the word theologeo in the sense of speaking of, or celebrating a person as divine, or attributing divinity to a person, was very common among the Fathers, especially in connection with Christ. See Suicer's Thesaurus, s.v. II. and Bk. V. chap. 28, § 4, above.
[2849] Eusebius' reference to these various buildings is somewhat confusing. He speaks first of the Church of Christ, "the living temple which we all constitute"; then of the Jews, "the builders of that ancient temple which no longer stands"; and finally, as it seems, of the heathen, "builders of the structure which still endures and is composed of the mass of men" (ton pollon anthropon).
[2850] Literally, "it says" (phesi), i.e. "the Scripture says."
[2851] John v. 19.
[2852] i.e. Paulinus.
[2853] Ex. xxxv. 31.
[2854] Psa. lviii. 6. Eusebius agrees with the LXX, which reads tas mulas ton leonton.
[2855] Psa. viii. 2. The LXX has katalusai instead of Eusebius' kataischunai
[2856] Literally, "the God-fighting, daring deeds of the impious" (tais theom?chois ton asebon tolmais).
[2857] Psa. xxxvii. 14, 15.
[2858] Psa. ix. 6. Eusebius agrees with the LXX in reading met' echou: "with a sound."
[2859] Ibid. 5.
[2860] Psa. xviii. 41.
[2861] Ibid. xx. 8.
[2862] Ibid. lxxiii. 20.
[2863] Cf. Bk. I. chap. 2, § 19, above, and the note on that passage.
[2864] Isa. xxxv. 1.
[2865] Ibid. 3, 4.
[2866] Ibid. 6, 7.
[2867] Psa. lxxiv. 5, 6.
[2868] Diocletian's first edict included the destruction of the sacred books of the Christians, as well as of their churches. See above, Bk. VIII. chap. 2.
[2869] Psa. lxxiv. 7.
[2870] Ibid. lxxx. 12, 13.
[2871] Heb. xii. 6, with which Eusebius agrees exactly, differing from Prov. iii. 12 in the use of paideuei instead of elenchei.
[2872] Isa. xxxv. 6.
[2873] tes theias tou soteriou loutrou palingenesias. Cf. Titus iii. 5.
[2874] Isa. xxxv. 7.
[2875] Ibid. 3.
[2876] ten oikeian poimnen.
[2877] Isa. xxxv. 4.
[2878] Hag. ii. 9.
[2879] The description of the church of Tyre which follows is very valuable, as being the oldest detailed description which we have of a Christian basilica. Eusebius mentions other churches in his Vita Constantini, III. 30-39, 41-43, 48, 50, 51-53, 58, IV. 58, and describes some of them at considerable length. We have a number of descriptions from later sources, but rely for our knowledge of early Christian architecture chiefly upon the extant remains of the edifices themselves. For a very full discussion of the present church, which was an excellent example of an ancient Christian basilica, and for a detailed description of its various parts, see Bingham's Antiquities, Bk. VIII. chap. 3 sq., and compare also the article Basilika in Kraus' Real-Encyclopädie der Christ. Alterthümer. The literature on the general subject of early Christian architecture is very extensive. See more particularly the works referred to in the articles in Smith and Cheetham's Dict. of Christ. Antiq. and in the Encyclop. Britannica; and cf. also Schaff's Ch. Hist. III. p. 538 sq.
[2880] Bingham remarks that the ancient basilicas commonly faced the west, and that therefore the position of this church of Tyre was exceptional; but this is a mistake. It is true that from the fifth century on, the altar almost uniformly occupied the east end of the church, but previous to that time the position observed in the present case was almost universally followed, so that the present building was not at all exceptional in its position. See the article Orientierung in Kraus' Real-Encyclopädie. Although the common custom was to have the church stand east and west, yet the rule was often neglected, and there exist many notable examples of churches standing north and south, or quite out of line with the points of the compass.