Eustathius of Antioch

Eustathius Of Antioch was born at Sida, in Pamphylia (Hieron. Catal. 85). He was for some time bishop of Berea, from whence he was translated to the see of Antioch in 325 by the unanimous suffrage of clergy and people (Theodoret, H.E. 1:7). At the Council of Nice, in 325, he earnestly opposed the Arians, who, at the (Arian) Synod of Antioch, A.D. 331, took their revenge upon him. Eusebius of Nicomedia (or Cyrus of Berea) charged him with Sabellianism (Socrates, H.E. 1:24); but, according to Sozomen (H.E. 2:19), the pretext resorted to for his deposition was that he "had defiled the priesthood byunholydeeds." The synod deposed him, and the people of Antioch was stirred by the act almost to the point of sedition. This angered Constantine, who, moreover, was now, under the influence of Eusebius of Nicomedia, favorable to the Arians. Eustathius had also incurred the ill will of Eusebius of Caesarea, whom he charged with unfaithfulness to the Nicene Cread. He was banished to Thrace, where he died before A.D. 337 (Socrates, 1:24, 25; Sozomen, 1. c.). His innocence as to the charge of immorality was fully shown by the confession of the woman who had sworn against him. The orthodox people of Antioch refused to acknowledge any other bishop, and, so long as they remained in this separate condition (until the fifth century), they were called Eustathians (Neander, Ch. Hist. Torrey's, 2:411). Eustathius was a thorough opponent of the school of Origen, and this constituted one of the points of antagonism between him and Eusebius of Caesarea. He was a copious writer, but only one work of his known to be genuine is now extant, viz. ᾿Κατὰ ᾿Ωριγένους διαγνωστικὸς εἰς τὸ τῆς ἐγγαστρομύθου θεώρημα, against Origen, on the subject of the Pythoness consulted by Saul. Origen had asserted that the witch of Endor had really brought up the spirit of Samuel; Eustathius refutes him with great acuteness, but also not without an unworthy disdain in replying to so great a man. This treatise is to be found at the end of Leo Allatius's edition of the Heptcemeron (1629, 4to, improperly ascribed to Eustathius). It is also given in the Critica Sacra, 8:331 sq., and in Bibl. Max. Patr., 17. There are fragments of a treatise of his on The Soul, and of his Homilies; all of which, withethe treatise against Origeme above named, are given in Migne, Patrol. Grac. 18:614 sq. See Fabricius, Bibl. Graec. aed. Harles, 9:131 sq.; Oudin, Script. Eccl.1:317 sq.; Ceillier, Auteurs Sacre's, Paris, 1865, 3:168 sq.; Cave, Hist. Lit. Genev. 1720, 1:119; Lardner, Works, 4:149; Dorner, Person of Christ, Edinburgh transl., div. 1, volume 2, page 518 sq.