Eusebius of Caesarea against Paganism.

Norris, Frederick W.

Eusebius of Caesarea against Paganism. By Aryeh Kofsky. Jewish and Christian Perspectives Series 3. Leiden: E. J. Brill, 2000. xiv + 337 pp. $119.00 cloth; $34.95 paper.

The apologetic-polemical volumes of Eusebius have often not received the attention given to his historical efforts. Only when they are considered to be a mine of quotations from other authors, especially pagans too little known or unknown, do they become vital. This book helps to rectify that slight. Its main focus, six of nine chapters, is on the Praeparatio Evangelica (hereafter PE) and the Demonstratio Evangelica (hereafter DE) as a two-part work that "was apparently the most comprehensive apologetic-polemic written in the early Christian era" (1). Providing unexpected value, chapter 9 offers the clearest investigation known to me of the new arguments that appear within The Theophany, a late digest that may include some of the points made in the lost second half of the DE.

Chapter 1 looks at the background of apologetics-polemics before Eusebius, sketches the context of Caesarea and persecutions, and then treats Porphyry's anti-Christian polemic. Chapter 2 burrows into Eusebius's other writings, both those that concentrated on apologetics-polemics and those that had other central purposes but still have apologetic themes. Chapter 3 then turns to the DE-PE described as a single enterprise. It is hard to imagine any thorough study of these issues in Eusebius that would not pursue those lines of investigation.

The heart of the book, however, is more creative in that it identifies and carefully investigates the major themes of the DE-PE. For Kofsky there are three. The Christian understanding of prehistory proved to be quite significant while prophecy and miracles also formed the primary focus of the attack on pagans. The first involved the history of the Jews, especially the ancient and honorable Moses and the patriarchs, but also the practice of sacrifices in the religions known to Eusebius. Eusebius claimed Socrates was a progenitor of Christians, and he addressed the Christian neglect of science. In looking at that prehistory, Eusebius also set up polytheism as part of the fodder for his cannonade. Second, when looking at prophecy, the Caesarean compared pagan and Hebrew-Christian prophets, including Jesus, and showed to his satisfaction the superiority of his prophets. He knew how ambiguous prophetic language could be, specifically that of the pagan oracles, but Kofsky gives an example of how Eusebius interpreted Jewish and Christian prophecy to his advantage, sometimes with allegory that he did not always praise.

Third, the largest chapter discusses miracles in the life of Jesus and the practices of the Christian community. Eusebius's attitude toward them perhaps was more ambivalent than it was toward prophecy. He did not think that the story of Jesus could be told without miracles. He also contended that they provided some weight in arguments for his divinity, but primarily they worked within a circle of argument that moved through the energy of Jesus' moral character and deeds. Magic and sorcery were often connected in people's minds with such unusual happenings. In spite of his remarkable power, Jesus was more than once accused of "weakness, wretchedness, and cowardice" (209). It was his goodness that would have to carry the day.

Chapter 7 rounds out this study with a collection of what Kofsky considers minor issues, so that the catalogue and discussion of most all of Eusebius's claims are included in this volume. Chapter 8 suggestively looks at Eusebius's "tactics and rhetoric" (241-49) as well as the part played by Porphyry in the construction of the PE-DE.

In terms of the "tactics and rhetoric" that Eusebius employed, I have found over the years that people reading the sarcasm of Eusebius's attack on those who thought of Jesus as a deceiver and the disciples as his partners in crime find it to be rather funny (DE 3.4-5). Once some college students exposed to it for the first time rewrote and enlarged those sections with points from elsewhere in that apology. They put it into modern language and produced it as a farce. That surely is one hint that passing over these apologetic works has been a serious mistake. In terms of contemporary debates, the rebirth of Greco-Roman religion on a number of North American and European campuses makes Eusebius's arguments against pagan opponents more than savvy dead issues.

Eusebius's apologetic-polemic works are especially interesting because he was unsure of exactly what to do with prophecy and miracles since pagan communities also had those features. He claimed that theirs were inauthentic. But I would emphasize somewhat more than Kofsky does that the Caesarean was not completely certain that apologetics would perform the service intended. For Eusebius only the power of the Word could make the case for Christianity, not apologetics. All the arguments, even the dignity of the subject, were not enough to convince anyone. Too few contemporary apologists have either that faith or that humility.

There is no doubt that this volume will be of great assistance to those who want to know the most about Eusebius of Caesarea. But students of ancient history and classics with a Hellenistic bent can also gain much. Porphyry becomes a clearer figure in this study not because of his Against the Christians but because Kofsky pays attention to Eusebius's concern with "the religious and philosophical opinions in Porphyry's other compositions" (250).

A fine book closely argued and persuasive. I hope Kofsky will honor his own suggestion and pursue further his interest in Eusebius's influence on later Christian apologetics.

Frederick W. Norris Emmanuel School of Religion