Eusebius of Vercelli

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Eusebius (wall painting in Vercelli cathedral)

Eusebius von Vercelli (* around 283 in Sardinia ; † August 1, 371 in Vercelli ) was the first bishop of Vercelli and was canonized by the Catholic Church. In the Arianism dispute of the 4th century he supported Athanasius .

Live and act

Eusebius was born in Sardinia and received his education in Rome , where he worked as a lecturer. It is believed that Restituta of Cagliari, often equated with Restituta of Africa , was his mother. In 345 he became the first bishop of Vercelli . The community in which the clergy under him lived can be seen as a preliminary stage of monastic life ( vita communis ), as practiced by the Augustinians , for example.

In the Arian disputes of the 4th century, Eusebius was a staunch opponent of Arianism , that is, the teaching of Arius , according to which God and Jesus are not of the same nature . In 353 the Bishop of Rome Liberius commissioned him to join an embassy under Lucifer of Calaris , which was to ask the Emperor Constantius II for a new synod to negotiate Athanasius , who had already been condemned in 353 at the Synod of Arles . At the Council of Milan , which was finally convened in 355, Eusebius was one of the staunch defenders of Athanasius. Even when the emperor threatened harsh punishments for every bishop who refused to sign the condemnation of Athanasius, Eusebius stood firm. So he was sentenced and banished.

Page from Codex Vercellensis, around 370

Eusebius first came into exile in Scythopolis in Syria , where Bishop Patrophilus , called "prison guard" by Eusebius, treated him cruelly, later to Cappadocia and finally to the Egyptian Thebaïs . Under Emperor Julian , who ruled from 361, he was able to return and take part in the Synod of Alexandria in 362 . Here he was commissioned to take care of the settlement of the Meletian schism in Antioch . He was unsuccessful, however. Nevertheless, Eusebius continued to take action against Arianism in the West. One of his main opponents was Auxentius of Milan . According to legend, Eusebius was stoned to death by the Arians against whom he had sided with.

Aftermath

After his death, Eusebius was canonized . His feast day is August 2nd, before the calendar reform after the 2nd Vatican Council it was December 16th.

Most of Eusebius' writings are lost. Three short letters have been preserved and published ( Jacques Paul Migne , Patrologia Latina XII, 947–954 and X, 713 f.). The Codex Vercellensis in Vercelli Cathedral , a manuscript with the four Gospels, may have been written by Eusebius.

Numerous Eusebius churches are under the patronage of Eusebius von Vercelli; a mural in Vercelli Cathedral shows his portrait.

literature

Web links

Commons : Eusebius von Vercelli  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Remarks

  1. ↑ Hieronymus , de viris illustribus 90.
  2. ↑ Restituta on JISKMail
personal data
SURNAME Eusebius of Vercelli
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Eusebios of Vercellae
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Bishop of Vercelli (from 340)
DATE OF BIRTH at 283
PLACE OF BIRTH Sardinia
DATE OF DEATH August 1, 371
Place of death Vercelli