The Library of Eusebius of Caesarea

The purpose of this dissertation is to establish the contents of the library of Eusebius (ca. 260–339) of Caesarea in Palestine. Founded by Origen to support his biblical criticism and teaching, the library survived to furnish Eusebius with materials for his own scholarship. Its importance as a Christian center of education and scholarship lies in its collection of Christian and Jewish texts, but also in its collection of Greek literature, primarily philosophical and historical works. There were approximately 400 works contained in the library. Eusebius provides the most evidence of the library's contents in his voluminous extant writings, especially the Chronicon, Historia Ecclesiastica, Praeparatio Evangelica, and Vita Constantini, in all of which Eusebius names and quotes from his sources. Some of these sources can be traced back to Origen, who is probably responsible for putting many of the books in the library that Eusebius later used. The dissertation includes a history of the library, a discussion of Eusebius' use of sources, and an examination of the philosophers, poets and orators, historians, Jewish authors and documents, Christian authors and documents, and contemporary documents available in Eusebius' library.