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with Ambrose to Caesarea, where he spent some time. Here, in conformity with local usage based on Jewish
custom, Origen, though not ordained, preached and interpreted the Scriptures at the request of the bishops
Alexander of Jerusalem and Theoctistus of Caesarea. When, however, the confusion in Alexandria subsided,
Demetrius recalled Origen, probably in 216 A.D. -- Origen excelled in multiple branches of theological scholarship,
including textual criticism, biblical interpretation, philosophical theology, preaching, and spirituality. Some of his
teachings, however, quickly became controversial. Notably, he frequently referred to his hypothesis of the preexistence
of souls. As in the beginning all intelligent beings were united to God, Origen also held out the possibility,
though he did not assert so definitively, that in the end all beings, perhaps even the arch-fiend Satan, would be
reconciled to God in what is called the apokatastasis ("restitution"). Origen's views on the Trinity, in which he saw
the Son of God as subordinate to God the Father, became controversial during the Arian controversy of the fourth
century, though a subordinationist view was common among the ante-Nicene Fathers. A group who came to be
known as Origenists, and who firmly believed in the preexistence of souls and the apokatastasis, were declared
anathema in the 6th century. This condemnation is attributed to the Second Ecumenical Council of Constantinople,
though it does not appear in the council's official minutes. Few scholars today believe that Origen should be
blamed, as he commonly was in the past, for tentatively putting forward hypotheses, later judged heretical, on
certain philosophical problems during a time when Christian doctrine was somewhat unclear on said problems.
Eusebius of Caesarea (263 - 339 A.D.) also called Eusebius Pamphili - a
Roman historian, exegete and Christian polemicist - He became the
Bishop of Caesarea in Palestine [Israel] about the year 314 A.D. -
Together with Pamphilus, he was a scholar of the Biblical canon
Eusebius of Caesarea (c. AD 263 - 339) also called Eusebius Pamphili, was a Roman historian, exegete and
Christian polemicist. He became the Bishop of Caesarea in Palestine about the year 314. Together with Pamphilus,
he was a scholar of the Biblical canon. He wrote Demonstrations of the Gospel, Preparations for the Gospel, and On
Discrepancies between the Gospels, studies of the Biblical text. As "Father of Church History" he produced the
Ecclesiastical History, On the Life of Pamphilus, the Chronicle and On the Martyrs. ... Little is known about the life
of Eusebius. His successor at the see of Caesarea, Acacius, wrote a Life of Eusebius, but this work has been lost.
Eusebius' own surviving works probably only represent a small portion of his total output. Since he was on the
losing side of the long 4th-century contest between the allies and enemies of Arianism (Eusebius was an early and
vocal supporter of *Arius), posterity did not have much respect for Eusebius' person and was neglectful in the
preservation of his writings. Beyond notices in his extant writings, the major sources are the 5th-century
ecclesiastical historians Socrates, Sozomen, and Theodoret, and the 4th-century Christian author Jerome. There are
assorted notices of his activities in the writings of his contemporaries Athanasius, Arius (Arianism heresy), Eusebius
of Nicomedia, and Alexander of Alexandria. Eusebius' pupil, Eusebius of Emesa, provides some incidental
information. -- By the 3rd century, Caesarea had a population of about 100,000. It had been a pagan city since
Pompey had given control of the city to the gentiles during his command of the eastern provinces in the 60s BC.
The gentiles retained control of the city in the three centuries since that date, despite Jewish petitions for joint
governorship. Gentile government was strengthened by the city's refoundation under Herod the Great (r. 37-4 BC),
when it had taken on the name of Augustus Caesar. In addition to the gentile settlers, Caesarea had large Jewish and
Samaritan minorities. Eusebius was probably born into the Christian contingent of the city. Caesarea's Christian
community presumably had a history reaching back to apostolic times, but it is a common claim that no bishops are
attested for the town before about AD 190, even though the Apostolic Constitutions 7.46 states that Zacchaeus was
the first bishop. -- Through the activities of the theologian Origen (185/6-254) and the school of his follower
Pamphilus (later 3rd century - 309 AD), Caesarea became a center of Christian learning. Origen was largely
responsible for the collection of usage information regarding the texts which became the New Testament. The
information used to create the late-fourth-century Easter Letter, which declared accepted Christian writings, was
probably based on the Ecclesiastical History [HE] of Eusebius of Caesarea, wherein he uses the information passed
on to him by Origen to create both his list at HE 3:25 and Origen•s list at HE 6:25. Eusebius got his information
about what texts were accepted by the third-century churches throughout the known world, a great deal of which
Origen knew of firsthand from his extensive travels, from the library and writings of Origen. In fact, Origen would
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