EUSEBIUS
EUSEBIUS: ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY, BOOK VI. ii. X.
Now Clement, writing in the sixth book of the Hypotyposes, makes this
statement. For he says that Peter and James and John, after the Saviour's
ascension, though pre-eminently honoured by the Lord, did not contend for glory, but
made James the Just, bishop of Jerusalem.
EUSEBIUS: ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY, II. 15.
So, then, through the visit of the divine word to them, the power of Simon
was extinguished, and immediately was destroyed along with the man himself.
And such a ray of godliness shone forth on the minds of Peter's hearers, that
they were not satisfied with the once hearing or with the unwritten teaching of
the divine proclamation, but with all manner of entreaties importuned Mark, to
whom the Gospel is ascribed, he being the companion of Peter, that he would leave
in writing a record of the teaching which had been delivered to them verbally;
and did not let the man alone till they prevailed upon him; and so to them we
owe the Scripture called the "Gospel by Mark." On learning what had been done,
through the revelation of the Spirit, it is said that the apostle was delighted
with the enthusiasm of the men, and sanctioned the composition for reading in
the Churches. Clemens gives the narrative in the sixth book of the Hypotyposes.
EUSEBIUS: IBID.
Then, also, as the divine Scripture says, Herod, on the execution of
James, seeing that what was done pleased the Jews, laid hands also on Peter; and
having put him in chains, would have presently put him to death, had not an angel
in a divine vision appeared to him by night, and wondrously releasing him
from his bonds, sent him away to the ministry of preaching.
EUSEBIUS: ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY, VI. 14.
And in the Hypotyposes, in a word, he has made abbreviated narratives of
the whole testamentary Scripture; and has not passed over the disputed
books,--I mean Jude and the rest of the Catholic Epistles and Barnabas, and what is
called the Revelation of Peter. And he says that the Epistle to the Hebrews is
Paul's, and was written to the Hebrews in the Hebrew language; but that Luke,
having carefully translated it, gave it to the Greeks, and hence the same colouring
in the expression is discoverable in this Epistle and the Acts; and that the
name "Paul an Apostle" was very properly not pre-fixed, for, he says, that
writing to the Hebrews, who were prejudiced against him and suspected, he with great
wisdom did not repel them in the beginning by putting down his name.
EUSEBIUS: BOOK VII.
I Tim. ii. 6. "In his times;" that is, when men were in a condition of
fitness for faith.
I Tim. iii. 16. "Was seen of angels." O mystery! The angels saw Christ
while He was with us, not having seen Him before. Not as by men.
I Tim. v. 8. "And especially those of his own house." He provides for his
own and those of his own house, who not only provides for his relatives, but
also for himself, by extirpating the passions.
I Tim. v. 10. "If she have washed the feet of saints;" that is, if she has
performed without shame the meanest offices for the saints.
I Tim. v. 21. "Without prejudice;"[1] that is, without falling under the
doom and punishment of disobedience through making any false step.
I Tim. vi. 13. "Who witnessed before Pontius Pilate." For He testified by
what he did that He was Christ the Son of God.
2 Tim. ii. 2. "By many witnesses;"[2] that is, the law and the prophets.
For these the apostle made witnesses of his own preaching.
EUSEBIUS: ECCLESIASTCAL HISTORY, BOOK. VII. ii. 1.
To James the Just, and John and Peter, the Lord after His resurrection
imparted knowledge (<greek>thn</greek> <greek>gnwsin</greek>.) These imparted it
to the rest of the apostles, and the rest of the apostles to the Seventy, of
whom Barnabas was one.
EUSEBIUS: THE SAME, II. 2.
And of this James, Clement also relates an anecdote worthy of remembrance
in the seventh book of the Hypotyposes, from a tradition of his predecessors.
He says that the man who brought him to trial, on seeing him bear his testimony,
was moved, and confessed that he was a Christian himself. Accordingly, he
says, they were both led away together, and on the way the other asked James to
forgive him. And he, considering a little, said, "Peace be to thee" and kissed
him. And so both were beheaded together.
EUSEBIUS: THE SAME, VI. 14.
And now, as the blessed Presbyter used to say, since the Lord, as the
Apostle of the Almighty, was sent to the Hebrews, Paul, as having been sent to the
Gentiles, did not subscribe himself apostle of the Hebrews, out of modesty and
reverence for the Lord, and because, being the herald and apostle of the
Gentiles, his writing to the Hebrews was something over and above [his assigned
function.]
EUSEBIUS: THE SAME.
Again, in the same books Clement has set down a tradition which he had
received from the elders before him, in regard to the order of the Gospels, to the
following effect. He says that the Gospels containing the genealogies were
written first, and that the Gospel according to Mark was composed in the following
circumstances:--
Peter having preached the word publicly at Rome, and by the Spirit
proclaimed the Gospel, those who were present, who were numerous, entreated Mark,
inasmuch as he had attended him from an early period, and remembered what had been
said, to write down what had been spoken. On his composing the Gospel, he
handed it to those who had made the request to him; which coming to Peter's
knowledge, he neither hindered nor encouraged. But John, the last of all, seeing that
what was corporeal was set forth in the Gospels, on the entreaty of his intimate
friends, and inspired by the Spirit, composed a spiritual Gospel.