Christian saint, bishop of Antioch from 324, and an opponent of Eusebius of Caesarea
A native of Side, in Pamphylia, Eustathius was appointed bishop of Beroea (c. 320) and several years later was transferred to Antioch. After the Council of Nicaea (325), he pursued the removal of Arians with much vigor, eventually entering into conflict with Eusebius of Caesarea. Through the machinations of the pro-Arian bishop of Caesarea, Eustathius was deposed by the Synod of Antioch and exiled to Thrace by Emperor Constantius the Great. There he died, but his supporters at Antioch, who called themselves Eustathians, formed the basis for the Melitian Schism. The author of numerous works, Eustathius’s writings are known today only in fragmentary form, with the exception of the De Engastrimutho, an attack on Origen.
Eustathius of Sebaste (d. c. 377) Christian saint and bishop of Sebaste in Pontus who influenced the development of monasticism
Born the son of a bishop, Eustathius studied at Alexandria under Arius. It was there that he was introduced to the heretical doctrines of Arianism, propositions about which he would vacillate throughout much of his life. While condemned in 343 by the Council of Gangra, he nevertheless accepted the Nicene Creed (which established the orthodox doctrine of faith) and was on good terms with Pope Liberius (r. 352-366). In 357, despite his checkered theological past, Eustathius was made bishop of Sebaste. In his earlier years, he had focused extensively on monasticism, adhering to a very severe idea of asceticism. His student, St. Basil the Great, was almost certainly much influenced by him, although ultimately the two had a parting of the ways over Eustathius’s adoption of semi-Arian teachings that took shape in the so-called Macedonian heresy.
Eutherius (fl. mid-fourth century c. e.) Chamberlain (praepositus sacri Cubiculi) to Julian the Apostate Eutherius served from circa 356 to 360 and earned a reputation as one of the most loyal and honest imperial chamberlains in history. Eutherius was born to free parents in Armenia but was kidnapped by tribesmen, castrated, and sold to Roman slave merchants. He then entered the palace of Constantine, growing up in the courts, where he astounded his contemporaries with solutions to difficult problems and with his remarkable memory. Eutherius passed into the household of Con-stans before becoming grand chamberlain for Julian, then
Caesar to Constantius II. He freely criticized Julian but always with good reason. In 360, he retired to Rome.
Eutropia (fl. late third century c. e.) Wife of Emperor Maximian
She was from Syria and had been married once before, perhaps to one Afranius Hannibalianus, by whom she bore Theodora. By maximian she had two children: Fausta, who married Constantine the Great, and Maxen-tius, emperor in Rome from 306 to 312.
Eutropius (1) (fl. fourth century c. e.) Historian and consul (in 387)
A native of Bordeaux, Eutropius served in Julian’s campaign against the Persians in 363 and then held numerous posts in the reigns of Julian, Valens, and Theodosius I. He then became MAGISTER MEMORIAE under Valens, from circa 369 to 371, when he held the proconsulship of Asia. As proconsul he rebuilt the area of Magnesia but was then tried for treason by his successor, Festus, in 372. Acquitted because of the faithfulness of the philosopher Pasiphilus, he later visited the court of Gratian and received the titles of Praetorian prefect in Illyricum from 380 to 381 and consul in 387. The greatest achievement of Eutropius’s literary career was the very extensive Digest of Roman history (Breviarium ab urbe condita). It began with Romulus and covered most of the history of Rome until the death of Emperor Jovian in 364. Numerous historians relied heavily upon the Digest, including Festus, Hieronymus, and Orosius. Eutropius was a pagan.
Eutropius (2) (d. c. 399 c. e.) Powerful eunuch and grand chamberlain (Praepositus Sacri Cubiculi) from 395 to 399 during the reign of Arcadius (395-408 c. e.)
Probably from Armenia, he insinuated himself into a key position of trust in the court of Theodosius I. From this position he countered the power of the Praetorian Prefect of the East Flavius rufinus by convincing the next emperor, arcadius, to marry eudoxia in April of 395, instead of Rufinus’s daughter. For the next four years Arcadius was the prisoner of Eutropius, who succeeded in alienating most of the political forces in Constantinople. He sold offices, crushed possible rivals and abused his power. In 399, he assumed the consulship, the first time that a eunuch had ever attempted such a violation of tradition, although his name was not entered in the consular records (Fasti). stilicho, the ambitious MAGISTER MILITUM, dispatched a trusted lieutenant to Constantinople. Eutropius, outnumbered and defeated by Eudoxia for Arcadius’s attentions, fell from power. He was exiled to Cyprus, with his property confiscated. He probably died by the sword there.
Eutyches (c. 378-c. 451) Progenitor of the heresy of Eutychianism
Eutyches was the archimandrite (an Eastern type of abbot or monastic superior) of a monastery at Constantinople. Educated under the influence of Cyril of Alexandria (d. 444), he vigorously opposed the doctrines of Nestorian-ism, particularly as embodied by Nestorius, the patriarch of Constantinople from 428. This disagreement led in 448 to an accusation by Eusebius of Dorylaeum that Eutyches held the heretical positions of confusing the natures of Christ. specifically, Eutychianism supported an ultra-Monophysite position by stressing the virtual exclusive divinity of Christ. Eutyches was summoned before Flavian, by then patriarch, and the synod of Constantinople. There, he declared the maxim “two natures before, one after the Incarnation,” expressing the Monophysite idea that Christ’s human nature was subsumed by the divine one into a single essence. Deposed by Flavian, Eutyches nevertheless used friends at the imperial court to secure a new trial. At the Latrocinium (the Robber Council of Ephesus), in 449, he was acquitted; in 451, at the Council of Chalcedon, however, he was once more condemned and was exiled. After his exile, Eutyches disappeared from prominence. His followers remained as adherents of Eutychianism, and he is ranked as one of the most important figures in the rise of Monophysitism.
Eutychianus, Valerius Comazon (d. c. 222 c. e.?) Dancer and specialist in buffoonery
In 218 C. E., Eutychianus was named by Emperor elaga-BALUS to be PREFECT OF THE PRAETORIAN GUARD. Part of the very eccentric court of Elagabalus, Comazon typified the appointments of that ruler’s reign so infuriating to the Rome establishment. utterly unqualified to hold the prefecture, Comazon also received appointments to the consulship and the prefectship of the city, viewed by the Romans as disastrous. Elagabalus gave his friend the right to serve as city prefect twice more, in violation of all precedent. In 222, Comazon’s open corruption played a part in the murder of Elagabalus and his mother, Julia soaemias, by the Praetorian Guard. He may have survived the ensuing massacre, but he probably died with his patron.
Evagrius Ponticus (346-399) Writer One of the more important ascetical writers of his time, Ponticus, named after Pontus, the place of his birth, was ordained a deacon by St. Gregory of Nazianzus. He emerged as a preacher of high repute in Constantinople. He accompanied Gregory to the second Council of Constantinople (381) but ultimately departed the city and went first to Jerusalem and then to the Nitrian Desert. There he devoted himself to an ascetic life, studying under the monks of the desert and evolving his mystical theology. He became famous for his ascetical writings, including Monachos, on the spiritual life of the monk; and a treatise On the Eight Evil Thoughts, both in Greek.
His writings, however, were attacked by Jerome as suffering from Origenism, including his teachings on the preexistence of souls. They were later condemned by the sixth, seventh, and eighth ecumenical councils. Translations into Latin were done by Rufinus and Gennadius.
Evocati Hand-picked corps of bodyguards and advisers for the emperors. The Evocati, or “Recalled,” were veterans of the legions who had retired but were ordered or summoned back into imperial service. In 44 B. C.E., Octa-vian (Augustus) looked for all possible reliable troops and thus issued calls to former legionaries of Julius Caesar, now living in Campania on granted lands. He paid them 2,000 sesterces each and instructed them to march with him. In the subsequent campaigns they proved invaluable, lending their experience and opinions as well as their stabilizing influence on raw recruits hastily assembled for the war. Augustus made the Evocati an important formation in his reign. Their numbers were never large, but the acceptance of a retired centurion into the corps was very prestigious. Their pay was good, they saw the emperor every day, and they had the right to carry a rod, just as the regular army centurions did. The Evocati were still in existence in 217 C. E., when one of their number, Julius Martialis, took part in the assassination of Caracalla.
Excubitors Imperial bodyguard established around 470 C. E. by the Eastern Emperor LEO I. His aim was to counter the Germanic influences at the court of Constantinople. Leo’s solution was to recruit a large standing army from his Greek and Anatolian provinces. For the Excubitors he chose the fierce hillsmen of isauria. His hopes were more than fulfilled, for his new guard served with loyalty and skill. The Excubitors became a fixture of Byzantine life in the following centuries.
Exploratores Military units composed of lightly armored and foreign-based soldiers who bore the title of scouts. Exploratores were very useful on campaigns to patrol the regions around an advancing legion. On the frontiers they were also used in maintaining watch on troublesome tribes or on other kingdoms. In the fifth century C. E., they formed an actual branch of the imperial army (comitatenses).
Exsilium Form of self-imposed banishment used largely by a person on trial for various offenses in the late Republic and early empire. under initial imperial law, a court was not empowered to exile a citizen, but throughout a trial the accused could always voluntarily depart from Rome. In return for sparing the life of the accused, such a citizen would accept condemnation and a decree prohibiting a return, the so-called fire and water (aquae et ignis interdicto). In later years the emperors did use another form of punishment by exile, the deportatio in insulam, or deportation to an island. This was one of Tiberius’s favorite forms of punishment.
See also law; relegatio.
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