Identity, Descent, and Polemic: Ethnic Argumentation in Eusebius' Praeparatio Evangelica

Abstract

This paper argues that the apologetic methodology of Eusebius' Praeparatio Evangelica is grounded upon a portrayal of the nations of the world (in particular the Greeks) in contradistinction to the Christian nation. I call this methodology "ethnic argumentation." Building upon the insights of recent ethnicity theory, which emphasizes the discursive nature of ethnic identity, I offer a reading of the first six books of the Praeparatio that attempts to appreciate more fully the significance of Eusebius' construction of ethnic identity. In particular, I take Eusebius to be providing a narrative of descent of the Greek nation from those of the Phoenicians and Egyptians, and then to be dealing with particular issues that pertain to this narrative: the opposition to Greek allegorists, the delineation of national character, and (most importantly) Eusebius' preparation for a new national option—Christianity—whose Hebrew ancestors were older and more pious than the ancestors of the other nations.

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