On the Lives of the Prophets (fragments)

stretched out my hands all the day unto a disobedient and gainsaying people, which walked in a way that was not good, but after their own sins.” ^A And here, the rejection of Israel having been prophesied beforehand, there follows the election of the nations which came to pass through Christ. For as the prophet sent up a prayer in the person of the people, the Word replies, rebuking the hardness and disobedience of the former people and setting forth His own love for mankind. For, He says, how can you say these things, as if I were reluctant to save you? Yea, “I was made manifest unto them that asked not for me; I was found of them that sought me not.” And indeed it is clear how the Word of God, though previously unknown to the nations, was at the consummation of the ages made manifest to them through the goodness and love for mankind of the Father and God of all, having never been asked for by them because of the error in which they were held concerning idols. And He was found by us who did not seek Him, and even those who had not called upon His name, having become incarnate, He answered, as if shouting: “Behold, I am here.” ^B These things, then, the Word clearly prophesies concerning the calling of the nations; but next, He again brings forward with the most moving effect words to the Jews, saying: “But unto thee I have stretched out my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people.” This may also signify the form of His passion on the cross.

So much for what it pleased me to excerpt from Isaiah. But indeed, in this ninth book of the *General Elementary Introduction*, having concluded the Eclogues which we have unfolded in this and the three preceding books, in the tenth book we shall endeavor, as far as lies in us, to provide another suitable approach for those whose reason has been damaged by impious heresies.

FRAGMENTS OF EUSEBIUS ON THE LIVES OF THE PROPHETS

From the Preface of Jean Curterius, to Dom Jean de La Rochefoucauld, Abbot of Marmoutier, in the epitome of the various Commentaries of the Christian sophist Procopius on the prophet Isaiah. Paris, printed by Nicolas Chesneau, 1580, folio, following page:

“I have added, moreover, the Lives of all the prophets, which an ancient Marchali codex, attributed to Eusebius along with some others, contained; partly so that students of ecclesiastical writers might have from a fragment that from which the work itself, if ever it should fall into their hands, might be restored to its author and to posterity as a verified original; and partly so that what so great an author had noted concerning the prophets might meanwhile survive, until the work itself should perhaps emerge into the light under better auspices.”

EUSEBIUS ON THE LIVES OF THE PROPHETS

^D From the writings of Eusebius of Caesarea on the titles of the prophetic books and what each of them contains in sum.

HOSEA, I.

There were indeed prophets before him: under Da-

-^Avid, Samuel, Nathan, and Gad; and under Rehoboam, Abijah, and Asa, Ahijah the Shilonite, and Shemaiah, and Addo, and Azariah, and Hanani; and under Jehoshaphat and Ahab, Elijah and Elisha, and he who foretold to Ahab the victory over the Syrians, and he who inflicted a wound upon himself and rebuked Ahab, and Jehu the son of Hanani, and Oziel, and Eliada. But no individual writings of these are extant, only some of their sayings which are read in the histories of the Books of Kings and Chronicles. Among those, however, who committed something to writing and whose works are extant, the first are Hosea and Isaiah. For they prophesied under the same kings—Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah—and in the days of Jeroboam, son of Joash, king of Israel. The word of the Lord came to him, and he prophesied against the priests, and against Israel, and against the house of the king, and concerning the destruction of Samaria; and having rebuked them and concluded that they would remain disobedient, he signified the Church from the Gentiles by taking a harlot as his wife, whom, having taken, he led to sobriety and chastity, bringing her back to himself. He also prophesied concerning the advent of the Savior. ^B

AMOS, III

MICAH, VI

JOEL, II

regarding the repentance, and concerning the coming of the Savior, and the signs which came to pass upon the cross.

[ABDIAS, IV] He proclaims a vision against Idumea and the end it was to have; and against the nations who acted wantonly against Israel. For he signifies that the house of Esau would be consumed by that of Jacob.

[JONAS, V] The word of the Lord came to him to go to Nineveh and preach in it, that yet three days and Nineveh shall be overthrown. But Jonas, fleeing the preaching, went on board the ship. And when a storm arose, he was cast out and swallowed by a sea monster. Then after three days the monster cast out Jonas alive. And again a second time the word of the Lord came to him. And having gone, he preached in Nineveh, and they, hearing, repented, and the Lord turned away his wrath from them. Yet he became a sign of the coming of the Savior, being swallowed by the monster and cast out unharmed.

[NAHUM, SON OF ELKESH, VII] A prophecy concerning the destruction of Nineveh, the book of the vision. He also prophesies and preaches concerning the festival. He signifies in it also concerning the Savior, and all the other things against Nineveh, and he declares its end and that of the enemies of Israel.

[AMBAKUM, VIII] This one also saw a prophecy, praying concerning the destruction of Jerusalem, but signifying concerning the coming of the Savior. He also speaks and prophesies against the despisers. Then in the midst is the prayer of the prophet with an ode. And there are three *diapsalmata* in the so-called ode, as he sings concerning the coming of the Savior and his victory over death.

[SOPHONIAS, SON OF CHUSI, IX] This man and Jeremias were contemporaries, for both prophesied during the reign of Josias, king of Juda. The word of the Lord came to him, and he prophesies in Jerusalem and to all Juda; and he foretells concerning a day that is to come, a great one, so that all idols and sacred groves shall be destroyed, and there shall be much lamentation and wailing. He prophesies also concerning the Savior, and the resurrection which he performs for our sake. And he prophesies against Gaza and Ascalon, and Azotus, and Accaron, and against Moab and Ammon, and against Damascus, and against Nineveh, and against the Ethiopians.

[AGGAEUS, X] He came after the captivity, during the return to Jerusalem, in the second year of Darius, king of the Persians, in the sixth month. The word of the Lord came by his hand, and he prophesies to Zorobabel, and to Jesus, son of Josedek, and to the people of

^A Jerusalem, and concerning the passing away of the shadows, and concerning the calling of the nations.

XI. ZACHARIAS, SON OF SADDO He also prophesies in the second year of Darius. But in the eighth month the word of the Lord came to him, and the angel of the Lord spoke in him, and he prophesies to the fathers and to Jerusalem. He sees many and various visions, and he prophesies about the Savior through many things, and signifying that he would come upon an ass and the foal of a beast of burden.

MALACHIAS, XII He also lived after the captivity during the reign of Darius. He prophesies the reception of the word of the Lord by the hand of His angel, in which he rebukes Israel for their transgressions, and complains of their neglect of tithes and their failure to share with the poor; he prophesies about the day of judgment, about the radiance of the Savior, and he signifies that Elias is to be sent before the advent of the Savior.

ISAIAS, SON OF AMOS He and Osee, as I said before, flourished at the same time. For he lived when Ozias, Joatham, Achaz, and Ezechias were kings of Juda; and having seen a vision, he prophesies against Judea and Jerusalem. The word of the Lord came to him, and the greater part of his prophecy is a gospel concerning the incarnate advent of the Word of God, and what he suffered for our sake. He also prophesies against these nations: against Babylon, against the foreigners, against Damascus, a vision of Egypt, a vision of Idumaea, a vision of the valley of Sion, a vision of Tyre, and a vision of the four-footed beasts in the wilderness. He recounts the expedition of Sennacherim, and the arrogance of Rapsaces, and their fall and destruction; and that when Ezechias was sick and about to die, he prayed and obtained an extension of fifteen years. ^C He also prophesies to the eunuchs and to the nations, adding at the end [a prophecy] concerning the day of judgment.

HIEREMIAS, SON OF CHELCIA From the priests. He, as I said before, and Sophonias were contemporaries. He remained until Joakim, and until the eleventh year of Sedecias, king of Juda, until the captivity of the people. The word of God came to him, as the word of the Lord was born in him; and he rebukes the injustices of Jerusalem through many [words]; he prophesies against Jerusalem, and concerning the drought; and against the nations of Elam, and of the coming of the king of Babylon to cut down the land of Egypt; and against Babylon; and the word which the Lord commanded Hieremias to speak to Saraias, son of Nerias, and to Idumaea, and to the sons of Ammon, and to Cedar, the queen of the court whom Nabugodonosor, king of Babylon, struck, and to Damascus, and to Moab, and against Jerusalem, and against Juda, and to the house of the Rhechabites, and the sons of Jonadab, to the ^D Jews, who inhabit the land of Egypt; and to those who sit in Magdalum and in...

Taphnas, and who inhabited the region of Patoures; and finally to Baruch, when he wrote down these words in the book from the mouth of Jeremias. The book at the end contains an account of how the Jews, plotting against the prophet, threw him into a muddy pit, from which he was drawn out by Abdemelech the Ethiopian. ^A

Why does he entitle the book Baruch? Because he, having written down the words in the book from the mouth of Jeremias, read them to those who had been taken captive in Babylon, comforting them and announcing to them the hope that comes from God.

Why does he entitle the book Lamentations? Because Jeremias lamented these words concerning Jerusalem, when it was captured and the people were taken into captivity. ^B

Why is it called the Epistle of Jeremias? Because Jeremias wrote it to the people in captivity, confirming them against idols, so that those who looked upon them might not be led astray by those who worshipped them.

EZECHIEL, SON OF BUSI THE PRIEST. He lived in the time of the captivity after Jeremias, and in the fifth year of the captivity of Joachin, he began to prophesy. The word of the Lord came to him; and at the beginning he saw a vision of a four-faced living creature, a most wonderful, terrifying, and difficult one to interpret. ^C He prophesies against the prophets of Israel, and about the wood of the vine, and includes a narrative about the eagle, and reproaches Jerusalem for its lawlessness and sins; as well as concerning the proverb which they used, that the fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the teeth of the children have been set on edge. He discusses also Oola and Oliba, and adds a lamentation in Sur and Sidon; a discourse about the day of the Lord, about Pharao king of Egypt, with a lamentation over him and Egypt, and over Mount Seir; about the bones of those who lived again; about Gog and the land of Magog; and about the prince of Tyre, whom he laments along with the sons of his people, and over the shepherds of Israel. Finally, he prophesies describing the restoration of the temple and the city.

Why is he called Daniel? Because he also was in the captivity until Cyrus the king of the Persians, ^D and he himself judged the case of Susanna, condemning the elders as false accusers; and he related the king's dreams and interpreted them. He saw also perfect visions: two concerning kingdoms, two concerning the advent of the Savior and the rest of Jerusalem and the advent of the Antichrist. He relates the martyrdom of Sedrach, Misach, and Abdenago and their hymns; and that they were saved while those who were stoking the fire were consumed by it, and the king repented. And he relates how he himself was cast into the lions' den: first, because when all the Babylonians were worshipping King Darius, he alone worshipped God; and second, because of Bel and the dragon under King Cyrus.

had survived. But he himself was removed from the pit unharmed, and those who had laid snares for him were cast into it and were immediately devoured by the lions. ^A

FRAGMENTS

From the lost book of Eusebius entitled: General Elementary Introduction

(Mai, *Bibliotheca nova Patrum*, IV 316.)

ADMONITION

No one can sufficiently admire the many and most learned labors of Eusebius of Caesarea for the Christian religion. For behold, in the Vienna Codex LV another unpublished work is recorded, and in part survives, of your Eusebius, the *General Elementary Introduction* (Fabric. B. G. ed. nov. t. VII, p. 314, with Lambecius and Kollarius, t. II, or lib. III, col. 205), in which Eusebius says that he adorned this work after his *Chronicon*. Now, in the last or tenth book of the work, the author had treated of impious heresies, as is evident from the words which Fabricius takes from Lambecius at the loc. cit. But behold, in the book of *Sacred Matters* of Leontius and John, which we edited (*Script. vet.* t. VII), four fragments of the Eusebian work *Introductio* occurred; the first from the first book; the second from the fourth; the last two from the tenth, in which, as it has been said, the author wrote concerning heresies. Indeed, because with us it is constantly inscribed "First Introduction," it follows that there seem to have been at least two. But however that matter stands, here are the fragments.

From the book of Sacred Matters of Leontius and John. Script. vet. t. VIII, p. 95 and 100.

9. Eusebius from the first book of the First Introduction. ^B The quality of one's companions demonstrates the character of a man. For the depraved is necessarily associated with those like himself. Conversely, a temperate and wise man approaches those who are participants in his own way of life.

10. Eusebius from the fourth book of the First Introduction. Just as the nature of the eyes has indeed in itself the visual power, yet is not able by itself to perceive visible things unless some external object illuminates it and cooperates with the use of the eyes, providing light for the vision of sensible things; so also does the intellectual and rational nature stand toward the sacred Word of God.

11. Eusebius from the tenth book of the First Introduction. ^C Nature itself has sown the human race with seeds for knowing both virtue and vice, and has given to the will the choice of either of these; for it has established man as the master and judge of himself: yet so that, because he has received from nature the primary idea of virtue and vice, even if he should sometimes plunge himself into the abyss of wickedness, his conscience cannot fail to revere virtue, even though he has chosen vice. A demonstration and proof of this matter is that no one dares to become the accuser of his own wickedness; but on the contrary, he strives with all his strength to hide and cover up, if he has done anything secretly contrary to what is honest. Item, a witness to the same thing is every single person’s...