The Oration of Eusebius 3
3.1 Chapter III
1. And gladly does he accept and welcome this sacrifice, and commend the presenter of so august and noble an offering, by protracting his reign to a lengthened period of years, giving larger proofs of his beneficence in proportion to the emperor’s holy services to himself. Accordingly he permits him to celebrate each successive festival during great and general prosperity throughout the empire, advancing one of his sons, at the recurrence of each decennial period, to a share of his own imperial power.
Ὁ δὲ τῷ τοιῷδε χαίρων ἱερείῳ καὶ τὸ δῶρον ἀσμένως ἀσπαζόμενος τῆς τε σεμνῆς καὶ καλλιπρεποῦς θυςίας τὸν ἱεροφάντην ἀγάμενος προσθήκας αὐτῷ μακρῶν περιόδων τῆς βασιλείας προστίθησιν, ἀμοιβαίως ταῖς εἰς αὐτὸν ὁσίαις αὔξων τὰς εὐεργεςίας, παρέχει τε παντοίας ἑορτὰς ἐκτελεῖν σὺν πολλῇ ῥᾳστώνῃ τῆς μοναρχίας, ἐφ’ ἑκάστῃ περιόδῳ δεκαετοῦς πανηγύρεως ἕνα τινὰ τῶν αὐτοῦ παίδων ἐπὶ τὴν τοῦ βασιλικοῦ θρόνου κοινωνίαν προχειριζόμενος καὶ ὥσπερ εὐθαλεῖ καὶ ἀκμαίῳ φυτῷ χρόνων αὐξήσεις δωρούμενος.
3.2
2. The eldest, who bears his father’s name, he received as his partner in the empire about the close of the first decade of his reign: the second, next in point of age, at the second; and the third in like manner at the third decennial period, the occasion of this our present festival. And now that the fourth period has commenced, and the time of his reign is still further prolonged, he desires to extend his imperial authority by calling still more of his kindred to partake his power; and, by the appointment of the Cæsars, fulfills the predictions of the holy prophets, according to what they uttered ages before: “And the saints of the Most High shall take the kingdom.”
πρῶτόνγε τοῦ πατρὸς τὸν ὁμώνυμον κατὰ τὴν πρώτην τῆς βασιλικῆς περιόδου δεκάδα τοῦ βασιλικοῦ κοινωνὸν ἀπέφηνε κλήρου, δεύτερον δ’ ἐπὶ τῇ δευτέρᾳ δεκάδι τὸν ἐφεξῆς τῷ χρόνῳ, τὸν τρίτον ὡσαύτως ἐπὶ τῇ τρίτῃ τῆς μετὰ χεῖρας ἑρτῆς δεκάδι. ἤδη δὲ καὶ τετάρτης ἀνακυκλουμένης περιόδου, ὡς ἂν τῶν χρόνων εἰς μῆκος ἐκτεινομένων, συναύξων τὴν βασιλείαν ἀφθόνῳ κοινωνίᾳ τοῦ γένους καιςάρων τε ἀναδείξεσι θείων προφητῶν ἀποπληροῖ θεσπίσματα, ἃ δὴ πάλαι καὶ πρόπαλαι ὧδέ πη ἐβόα· „καὶ διαλήψονται τὴν βασιλείαν ἅγιοι ὑψίστου.“
3.3
3. And thus the Almighty Sovereign himself accords an increase both of years and of children to our most pious emperor, and renders his sway over the nations of the world still fresh and flourishing, as though it were even now springing up in its earliest vigor. He it is who appoints him this present festival, in that he has made him victorious over every enemy that disturbed his peace: he it is who displays him as an example of true godliness to the human race.
οὕτω δῆτα χρόνων ἅμα καὶ παίδων αὐξήσεις βασιλεῖ τῷ θεοφιλεστάτῳ θεὸς αὐτὸς ὁ παμβασιλεὺς δωρούμενος, ἀκμάζουσαν αὐτῷ καὶ νεαρὰν τὴν κατὰ τῶν ἐπὶ γῆς ἐθνῶν ἡγεμονίαν ὥσπερ ἄρτι φύειν ἀρχομένην καθίστησιν, αὐτός τε αὐτῷ συντελεῖ τὴν πανήγυριν, νικητὴν αὐτὸν καθιστὰς ἐχθρῶν ἁπάντων καὶ πολεμίων εὐσεβείας τε ἀληθοῦς ὑπόδειγμα τοῖς ἐπὶ γῆς ἅπασιν ἀποφαίνων.
3.4
4. And thus our emperor, like the radiant sun, illuminates the most distant subjects of his empire through the presence of the Cæsars, as with the far piercing rays of his own brightness. To us who occupy the eastern regions he has given a son worthy of himself; a second and a third respectively to other departments of his empire, to be, as it were, brilliant reflectors of the light which proceeds from himself. Once more, having harnessed, as it were, under the self-same yoke the four most noble Cæsars as horses in the imperial chariot, he sits on high and directs their course by the reins of holy harmony and concord; and, himself every where present, and observant of every event, thus traverses every region of the world.
ὁ δ’, ὡς φῶς ἡλίου τοὺς πορρωτάτω τοῖς τόποις ἀπῳκισμένους ταῖς εἰς μακρὸν ἐξ αὐτοῦ παραπεμπομέναις ἀκτῖσι καταυγάζει, ὧδε μὲν ἡμῖν τοῖς τὴν ἑῴαν λαχοῦσι τὸν ἐπάξιον αὐτοῦ καρπόν, θάτερον δὲ τῶν παίδων θατέρῳ γένει τῶν ἀνθρώπων, καὶ πάλιν ἄλλον ἀλλαχόθι, λαμπτῆρας οἷα καὶ φωστῆρας τῶν ἐξ αὐτοῦ προχεομένων φώτων διενείματο· εἶθ’ ὑπὸ μίαν ζεύγλην βασιλικοῦ τεθρίππου τέτταρας ὑποζεύξας αὐτὸς αὐτῷ οἷά τινας πώλους τοὺς ἀνδρειοτάτους καίσαρας ἡνίαις τε αὐτοὺς ἐνθέου συμφωνίς τε καὶ ὁμονοίας ἁρμοςάμενος, ἄνωθεν ὑψηλῶς ἡνιοχῶν ἐλαύνει, ὁμοῦ τὴν σύμπασαν ὅσην ἥλιος ἐφορᾷ διϊππεύων, αὐτός τε τοῖς πᾶσιν ἐπιπᾶρὼν καὶ τὰ πάντα διασκοπούμενος.
3.5
5. Lastly, invested as he is with a semblance of heavenly sovereignty, he directs his gaze above, and frames his earthly government according to the pattern of that Divine original, feeling strength in its conformity to the monarchy of God. And this conformity is granted by the universal Sovereign to man alone of the creatures of this earth: for he only is the author of sovereign power, who decrees that all should be subject to the rule of one.
κἄπειτα τῆς οὐρανίου βασιλείας εἰκόνι κεκοσμημένος. ἄνω βλέπων κατὰ τὴν ἀρχέτυπον ἰδέαν τοὺς κάτω διακυβερνῶν ἰθύνει, μονάρχου δυναστείας μιμήματι κραταιούμενος· τοῦτο γὰρ ἀνθρώπου φύσει τῶν ἐπὶ γῆς μόνῃ ὁ τῶν ἁπάντων δεδώρηται βασιλεύς. νόμος γὰρ οὗτος βασιλικῆς ἐξουςίας ὁ κατὰ πάντων μίαν ἀρχὴν ὁριζόμενος.
3.6
6. And surely monarchy far transcends every other constitution and form of government: for that democratic equality of power, which is its opposite, may rather be described as anarchy and disorder. Hence there is one God, and not two, or three, or more: for to assert a plurality of gods is plainly to deny the being of God at all. There is one Sovereign; and his Word and royal Law is one: a Law not expressed in syllables and words, not written or engraved on tablets, and therefore subject to the ravages of time; but the living and self-subsisting Word, who himself is God, and who administers his Father’s kingdom on behalf of all who are after him and subject to his power.
μοναρχία δὲ τῆς πάντων ὑπέρκειται συστάσεώς τε καὶ διοικήσεως· ἀναρχία γὰρ μᾶλλον καὶ στάσις ἡ ἐξ ἰσοτιμίας ἀντιπαρεξαγομένη πολυαρχία. διὸ δὴ εἷς θεὸς ἀλλ’ οὐ δύο οὐδὲ τρεῖς οὐδὲ ἔτι πλείονες· ἀκριβῶς γὰρ ἄθεον τὸ πολύθεον, εἷς βασιλεύς, καὶ ὁ τούτου λόγος καὶ νόμος βασιλικὸς εἷς, οὐ ῥήμασι καὶ συλλαβαῖς ἐκφωνούμενος οὐδ’ ἐν γραφαῖς καὶ στήλαις χρόνου μήκει δαπανώμενος, ζῶν δὲ καὶ ὑφεστὼς θεὸς λόγος, τοῖς ὑπ’ αὐτὸν καὶ μετ’ αὐτὸν ἅπασι τὴν τοῦ πατρὸς διαταττόμενος βασιλείαν. στρατιαὶ δὲ τοῦτον οὐράνιοι περιπολοῦσι, μυριάδες τε ἀγγέλων θεοῦ λειτουργῶν πλήθη τε στρατοπεδείας ὑπερκοσμίου τῶν τε εἴσω οὐρανοῦ πνευμάτων ἀφα- νῶν τῇ τοῦ παντὸς κόσμου τάξει διακονουμένων, ὧν πάντων ὁ βασιλικὸς καθηγεῖται λόγος οἷά τις μεγάλου βασιλέως ὕπαρχος. ἀρχιστράτηγον αὐτὸν καὶ ἀρχιερέα μέγαν προφήτην τε τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ μεγάλης βουλῆς ἄγγελον φωτός τε ἀπαύγασμα πατρικοῦ μονογενῆ τε υἱὸν καὶ τούτων ἕτερα μυρία θεσπίζουσιν ἀναφωνοῦσαι θεολόγων φωναί, ὃν δὴ ζῶντα λόγον καὶ νόμον καὶ σοφίαν ἀγαθοῦ τε πλήρωμα παντὸς ὁ γεννήσας ὑποστηςάμενος, μεγίστων ἀγαθῶν δόμα τοῖς ὑπὸ τὴν βασιλείαν πᾶσιν ἐδωρήσατο. ὁ δὲ διήκων τὰ πάντα πάντη τε ἐπιπορευόμενος καὶ τάς τε τοῦ πατρὸς χάριτας ἀφθόνως ἐξαπλῶν εἰς πάντας μέχρι καὶ τῶν ἐπὶ γῆς λογικῶν τὸ τῆς βασιλικῆς δυναστείας ἐξέτεινεν μίμημα, θεϊκαῖς δυνάμεσι τὴν κατ’ εἰκόνα τὴν αὐτοῦ πεποιημένην ἀνθρώπου ψυχὴν κατακοσμήσας· ἔνθεν αὐτῇ καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἀρετῶν ἡ κοινωνία θεϊκῆς ἐξ ἀπορροίας περίεστι. μόνος μὲν γὰρ σοφὸς ὁ καὶ θεὸς μόνος. ὁ δ’ αὐτὸς τὴν οὐσίαν ἀγαθὸς μόνος, ἰσχύι τε δυνατὸς αὐτὸς μόνος, καὶ γεννήτωρ μὲν αὐτῆς δικαιοςύνης, πατὴρ δὲ λόγου καὶ σοφίας, πηγή τε φωτὸς καὶ ζωῆς, ἀληθείας τε καὶ ἀρετῆς ταμίας, καὶ δὴ βασιλείας αὐτῆς ἀρχῆς τε πάσης καὶ ἐξουσίας καθηγεμών.
3.7
7. His attendants are the heavenly hosts; the myriads of God’s angelic ministers; the super-terrestrial armies, of unnumbered multitude; and those unseen spirits within heaven itself, whose agency is employed in regulating the order of this world. Ruler and chief of all these is the royal Word, acting as Regent of the Supreme Sovereign. To him the names of Captain, and great High Priest, Prophet of the Father, Angel of mighty counsel, Brightness of the Father’s light, Only begotten Son, with a thousand other titles, are ascribed in the oracles of the sacred writers. And the Father, having constituted him the living Word, and Law and Wisdom, the fullness of all blessing, has presented this best and greatest gift to all who are the subjects of his sovereignty.
3.8
8. And he himself, who pervades all things, and is every where present, unfolding his Father’s bounties to all with unsparing hand, has accorded a specimen of his sovereign power even to his rational creatures of this earth, in that he has provided the mind of man, who is formed after his own image, with Divine faculties, whence it is capable of other virtues also, which flow from the same heavenly source. For he only is wise, who is the only God: he only is essentially good: he only is of mighty power, the Parent of justice, the Father of reason and wisdom, the Fountain of light and life, the Dispenser of truth and virtue: in a word, the Author of empire itself, and of all dominion and power.