Eusebius Preparation for the Gospel, use of
sources
Prepared by Robert Kraft (University of Pennsylvania) for
Historiography seminar (Spring 2007)
From Gifford's Introduction. xvi (online)
We shall find as we proceed that many
of his arguments are the same as
those of the earlier Apologists, Aristides, Justin Martyr, Tatian,
Clement of Alexandria, and Origen; that he constantly borrows long
passages from their writings, including the same quotations from Greek
authors, reproduced word for word with due acknowledgement. Those
earlier authors had in fact adopted the very same method which Eusebius
announced as distinctive of his own work. The quotations thus borrowed
are however few in comparison with the great multitude gathered by
Eusebius himself from all parts of the Greek literature of a thousand
years, from works both known and unknown of poets, historians, and
philosophers.
...The list of writers quoted or referred to is astonishing for its
length (see Fabric. Bibl. Graec. vii.
346). Some of these are known to us, even by name, only through
Eusebius, and of several others he has preserved large portions which
are not otherwise extant.
From Robert M. Grant, Heresy and Criticism: The Search for Authenticity
in Early Christian Literature (Louisville: Westminster/John Knox 1993),
ch. 7 "The Orthodox Counterattack" p.108:
Galen is related to heresy in the Church History [see 5.28.14, where
along with Aristotle and Theophrastus he is said to be held in high
esteem by some heretics who tamper with scriptures] and, perhaps for
this reason, there is no trace of him in the Gospel Preparation, for which
Eusebius and his assistants ransacked the church library at
Caesarea.[n.96 K.Mras, Eusebius Werke
8. Die Praeparatio Evangelica
(Berlin: Akademie, 1954-1956), thought Galen's Exhortation was related to a
quotation in Gospel Preparation
5.27.8, 33.8, but the quotation (from Oenomaus of Gadara) is not what
Galen quoted.] Presumably none of Galen's works was included in the
collection, any more than works by Aristotle.
What sources does Eusebius
cite? [Gifford: We are ... indebted for their preservation to Eusebius,
to whose accuracy and fidelity Diels (Proleg. 5-10) pays an
emphatic and even enthusiastic testimony.]
[The following are mentioned in
Gifford's summary of contents]
Abydenus, author of the Assyrian History, the
Alexander of Aphrodisias,
Alexander Polyhistor (cites Eupolemus, Artapanus, Molon, a certain
Philo, and Demetrius),
Amelius,
Areius Didymus (Stoic bk 15.15)
Aristippus,
Aristocles the Peripatetic (bk 14.17-21, 15.)
Aristotle,
Atticus the Platonist (bk 15.4-9)
Choerilus the poet,
Clearchus the Peripatetic,
Diodorus Siculus (cites Euemerus),
Diogenianus,
Dionysius of Halicarnassus,
Epicurus,
Euripides,
Hecataeus of Abdera,
Longinus (bk 15.21)
Metrodorus, and
Numenius (bk 14)
Oenomaus,
Pindar,
Plato,
Plotinus,
Plutarch,
Porphyry,
Proclus,
Protagoras,
Pyrro and the Pyrrhonists/Skeptics (bk 14)
Severus (Platonist; bk 13.16)
Sibyl, and others,
Xenophon,
Africanus,
Aristobulus ("the Peripatetic" bk 13.12)
Bardesanes the Syrian,
Clement of Alexandria,
Dionysius of Alexandria (bk14.23-27)
Ezekiel (Jewish dramatist)
Josephus,
Methodius,
Origen,
Philo,
a Jew named Philo,
Philo Biblios (via Porphyry),
Tatian,
Theodotus (epic poem on Jews),
What authors does Eusebius (and/or his sources) mention (raw statistics from TLG
data bank)?
Πλάτων = 454 hits in TLG
Ἀριστοτέλης = 82
Ὅμηρος = 73
Θεόφραστος = 16
Galen = 0
τραγῳδοποιὸς
= 3
Εὐριπίδης
= 19
Αἰσχύλος
= 5
Σοφοκλῆς
= 4
μυθογράφοι = 2
φυσιολόγων = 71
ἱστορικοὶ = 14
Νικόλαος δὲ ὁ
Δαμασκηνὸς = 4
Εὐήμερος = 7
Διόδωρος
= 21
Βηρωσσὸς
= 9 (Chaldean = 2; Babylonian = 2)
Ἰώσηπος = 32
Ἡσίοδός
= 32
Ἑκαταῖος
= 9
Εὐήμερος
= 7
<>οἱ Περιπατητικοί· = 20
>Χρυσίππῳ
Κλέαρχος
Κλήμης Ἀριστοβούλου
Προσήνην
Στράτων
Μεγακλείδης
Χαμαιλέων
σοφιστὴν
Νικαγόραν
γεωμέτρην
Δημήτριον
Στωϊκὸν
Καλλιέτην
γραμματικὸν
<> Ζηνόδοτος,
Ἀριστοφάνης,
Καλλίμαχος,
Κράτης,
Ἐρατοσθένης,
Ἀρίσταρχος,
Ἀπολλόδωρος.
>Μαΐορα Ἀπολλώνιόν
Θεαγένης τε ὁ
Ῥηγῖνος, = 1
Καμβύσην γεγονώς, = 1
Στησίμβροτος
ὁ Θάσιος = 1
Καλλίμαχος ὁ Κολοφώνιος = 6
Ἡρόδοτός τε Ἁλικαρνασεὺς
Διονύσιος
Ὀλύνθιος
Ἔφορος ὁ Κυμαῖος = 10 (bunched)
Φιλόχορος ὁ Ἀθηναῖος
Μεγακλείδης
Χαμαιλέων
Ἀντιφάνης
Ἀριστόδημος
Φιλοστέφανος
Θεοπόμπου
<>>Μένανδρος