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Hieromartyr4th century

Hieromartyr Eusebius Bishop of Samosata

died c. 379-380

Also known as Eusebios of Samosata

A staunch defender of the Nicene faith who was repeatedly driven from his see and exiled by the Arians, and at last was struck on the head with a tile and killed as he traveled to strengthen the faithful.

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Commemorated as

The Holy Hieromartyr Eusebius, Bishop of Samosata

Life

Eusebius of Samosata was a fourth-century bishop of the Syrian city of Samosata and one of the leading defenders of the Nicene faith during the Arian controversy. He became bishop in 361 and was repeatedly deprived of his see and banished for his refusal to compromise with Arianism, dying as a martyr after being struck with a roof tile.

He was closely associated with the great hierarchs of his age. He held the official record of the 360 election of Meletius of Antioch, and it was chiefly through the combined efforts of Eusebius and Gregory Nazianzen that Basil the Great was elected Archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia in 370. His name, Eusebios, means 'pious.'

Kontakion & Troparion2 hymnsReadHide
KontakionTone 4

(Podoben: “You were lifted up...”) As one who lived piously among Hierarchs and who underwent martyrdom,
O divinely-wise one,
you abolished the sacrifices of idolatry and showed yourself as the protector of your flock.
Therefore, we cry fervently to you:
“By your intercessions, deliver us from all misfortunes, O Eusebios our Father.”

Text used with permission of the Orthodox Church in America (oca.org).

TroparionTone 4

By sharing in the ways of the Apostles,
you became a successor to their throne.
Through the practice of virtue, you found the way to divine contemplation, O divinely-inspired one:
by rightly dividing the Word of truth, you defended the Faith, even to the shedding of your blood.
O Hieromartyr Eusebios, entreat Christ God to save our souls.

Text used with permission of the Orthodox Church in America (oca.org).

Timeline7 momentsReadHide
  1. 360Entrusted with the official record of theEntrusted with the official record of the election of Meletius as Archbishop of Antioch.
  2. 361Becomes bishop of Samosata in SyriaBecomes bishop of Samosata in Syria.
  3. 361-363During the reign of Julian the ApostateDuring the reign of Julian the Apostate, travels in disguise through Syria, Palestine, and Phoenicia, ordaining clergy and consecrating bishops.
  4. 370With Gregory NazianzenWith Gregory Nazianzen, helps secure the election of Basil the Great as Archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia.
  5. 374Banished to Thrace by the Arian emperorBanished to Thrace by the Arian emperor Valens.
  6. 378After the death of ValensAfter the death of Valens, restored to his see.
  7. c. 380Killed by a roof tile thrown byKilled by a roof tile thrown by an Arian woman while consecrating a bishop at Dolikha.

Contributions & Legacy

4 contributionsReadHide

Defense of the Nicene Faith

Eusebius stood firmly for the Orthodox Confession of Faith proclaimed at the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea in 325, and he suffered persecution by the Arians throughout his episcopate, being repeatedly deprived of his see and banished.

He had been entrusted with the official record of the 360 election of Meletius of Antioch. When Meletius proved to be Orthodox rather than sympathetic to the Arian cause that had expected to favor him, Arian bishops persuaded the Arian-supporting Emperor Constantius II to compel Eusebius to surrender the document. According to the synaxarion, when threatened with the loss of his hands he stretched out both, replying that they might be cut off but that he would not give up the conciliar decree; the emperor marveled but did not harm him.

Clandestine Ministry and Exile

During the reign of Julian the Apostate (361-363), Eusebius concealed his identity and traveled in the garb of a soldier through Syria, Palestine, and Phoenicia, ordaining presbyters and deacons and consecrating bishops who renounced Arianism.

In 374 the Arian emperor Valens banished him to Thrace. After the death of Valens in 378, the exiled Orthodox hierarchs were recalled, and Eusebius returned to Samosata and resumed the work of building up the Church.

Martyrdom

While consecrating an Orthodox bishop at Dolikha, Eusebius was struck on the head by a roof tile thrown by an Arian woman. According to the synaxarion, as he lay dying he asked for wine and begged those around him not to harm the woman who had wounded him.

The sources place his death around 379-380, in the years following the restoration of the Orthodox hierarchs.

Veneration

As a saint of the undivided Church who reposed before the Council of Chalcedon, Eusebius is venerated in both the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic traditions. In the Orthodox calendar he is commemorated on June 22.

Companions2 figuresShowHide
Fellow defender of Nicaea; through the combined efforts of Eusebius and Gregory Nazianzen, Basil was elected Archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia in 370.
Basilthe Great
Fellow Nicene hierarch; with Eusebius he helped secure the election of Basil the Great in 370.
Gregorythe Theologian
Related Saints1 saintShowHide

Saints connected to his life, mission, and place in Orthodox tradition.

Fellow Nicene confessor; Eusebius held the official record of Meletius's 360 election to Antioch and refused, even under threat, to surrender it to the Arians.
Saint MeletiusArchbishop of Antioch

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Sources: OCA Synaxarion (oca.org), Lives of the Saints