Sophia Scriptura

Church History 10.8.19

Eusebius of Caesarea · Church History · ca. 300–325 · Caesarea · Read in context

Summary: Before Licinius could carry out a general persecution, God sent Constantine like a great light to save his people.

Greek text · Dindorf 4:486

ἐκράτει τε γνώμης καὶ οὐδὲν ἐμποδὼν ἦν αὐτῷ μὴ οὐχὶ ἐν ἔργῳ χωρεῖν, εἰ μὴ τάχιστα τὸ μέλλον ἔσεσθαι προλαβὼν ὁ τῶν οἰκείων ψυχῶν ὑπέρμαχος θεὸς ὡς ἐν βαθεῖ σκότῳ καὶ νυκτὶ ζοφωδεστάτῃ φωστῆρα μέγαν ἀθρόως καὶ σωτῆρα τοῖς πᾶσιν ἐξέλαμψε, τὸν αὐτοῦ θεράποντα Κωνσταντῖνον ὑψηλῷ βραχίονι ἐπὶ τὰ τῇδε χειραγωγήσας.

English · Claude translation

He was carrying out his intention, and nothing hindered him from putting it into effect, had not God, the champion of the souls that are his own, very quickly anticipated what was about to happen and, as in deep darkness and gloomiest night, suddenly made a great light and savior shine forth for all, leading his servant Constantine there with a high arm.

About this passage

Source
Dindorf 4:486 · Wilhelm Dindorf, ed., Eusebii Caesariensis Opera, vol. 4: Historiae ecclesiasticae libri I–X (Leipzig: Teubner, 1871) · Greek text: W. Dindorf, Eusebii Caesariensis Opera 4 (Leipzig: Teubner, 1871), digitized by the First Thousand Years of Greek project (Open Greek and Latin), CC BY-SA 4.0
Text
As printed in Dindorf, Eusebii Opera 4. Manuscript variants and the editor's apparatus are not reproduced; no textual problem is noted in this passage.
Translation
Claude translation (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 · Translated by Claude from the Greek text of Dindorf, Eusebii Caesariensis Opera 4 (Teubner, 1871); made independently of existing English translations.
Compare
Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 1 (1890) (an older public-domain English translation, whole volume at CCEL; checked against ours only after ours was made)
Scripture
Topics
Persecution

Notes

Translation notes

  • “With a high arm” echoes the Exodus language (e.g. Exod 6:6; Deut 5:15).

Cite this passage

Eusebius, Hist. eccl. 10.8.19 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/eusebius-historia/10/8/19/).

Plain text
Eusebius, Hist. eccl. 10.8.19 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/eusebius-historia/10/8/19/).

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