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| Preface.--Of the Death of Constantine.
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The Life
of the
blessed emperor
constantine,
by
eusebius pamphilus.
————————————
Book I.
Chapter
I.—Preface.—Of the Death of
Constantine.
Already3049
| 3049 Literally “recently” or “not long since,”
and so it is rendered by Tr. 1709, Stroth, Molzberger, Valesius
(“nuper”), and Portesius. Christophorson and Cousin avoid
the awkwardness by circumlocution or simple omission, while our
translator shows his one characteristic excellence of hitting nearly
the unliteral meaning in a way which is hard to improve. | have all mankind
united in celebrating with joyous festivities the completion of the
second and third decennial period of this great emperor’s reign;
already have we ourselves received him as a triumphant conqueror in the
assembly of God’s ministers, and greeted him with the due meed of
praise on the twentieth anniversary of his reign:3050
| 3050 The
assembly referred to was the Council of Nicæa. Constantine’s
vicennial celebration was held at Nicomedia during the session of the
Council at Nicæa (July 25), according to Hieronymus and others,
but celebrated again at Rome the following year. The speech of Eusebius
on this occasion is not preserved. Valesius thinks the one spoken of in
the V. C. 3. 11, as delivered in the presence of the council, is
the one referred to. | and still more recently we have woven, as it
were, garlands of words, wherewith we encircled his sacred head in his
own palace on his thirtieth anniversary.3051
| 3051 This
oration is the one appended by Eusebius to this Life of
Constantine, and given in this translation (cf. V. C. 4.
46). |
But now, while I desire3052
| 3052 [In
the text it is ὁ λόγος, “my power of speech, or of description, much
desires,” and so throughout this preface: but this kind of
personification seems scarcely suited to the English
idiom.—Bag.] This usage of Logos is most interesting. Both
he and his friend, the emperor, are fond of dwelling on the circles of
philosophical thought which center about the word Logos (cf. the
Oration of Constantine, and especially the Vicennial Oration of
Eusebius). “My Logos desires” seems to take the place in
ancient philosophical slang which “personality” or
“self” does in modern. In ancient usage the word includes
“both the ratio and the oratio” (Liddell and Scott), both
the thought and its expression, both reasoning and saying,—the
“internal” and “expressed” of the Stoics,
followed by Philo and early Christian theology. He seems to use it in
the combined sense, and it makes a pretty good equivalent for
“personality,” “my personality desires,”
&c. The idiom is kept up through the chapter. | to give utterance to some of the customary
sentiments, I stand perplexed and doubtful which way to turn, being
wholly lost in wonder at the extraordinary spectacle before me. For to
whatever quarter I direct my view, whether to the east, or to the west,
or over the whole world, or toward heaven itself, everywhere and always
I see the blessed one yet administering the self-same empire. On earth
I behold his sons, like some new reflectors of his brightness,
diffusing everywhere the luster of their father’s character,3053
| 3053 Constantine II., Constantius, and Constans proved on the whole
sorry reflectors of glory. | and himself still living and powerful,
and governing all the affairs of men more completely than ever before,
being multiplied in the succession of his children. They had indeed had
previously the dignity of Cæsars;3054
| 3054 The
first had been Cæsar more than twenty years; the second, ten; and
the third, less than five. |
but now, being invested with his very self, and graced by his
accomplishments, for the excellence of their piety they are proclaimed
by the titles of Sovereign, Augustus, Worshipful, and
Emperor.E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
|
