The fourth and fifth centuries may be regarded as the greatest centuries as far as the defense of faith is concerned. There were many heresies attacked the Church and the Church strongly defended its true faith through her faithful believers. The heroic children of the Church fought against the opponents of the Church through their teachings and literary works. We can say, without any doubt, these significant personalities are really heroes, the champions of Orthodoxy. The Church cherishes them in her heart as sources and models for Spirit inspired life. • PAMPHILUS OF CAESAREA (+ ca AD. 309) Pamphilus was born at Berytus in Phoenicia. After the primary education in his native place, he went to Alexandria for higher studies. He then reached Caesarea and read books on Theology and Philosophy from the library of Origen. He became a priest and votary of Origen. He took copies of many important works and added them to Origen's collection of books. Maximinus had started his persecutions and had imprisoned many Christians including Pamaphilus. While imprisoned in the persecution of Maximinus, he wrote an Apology for Origen, highlighting the greatness of Origen's theology. He made many copies of the Greek Bible, which later led to the propagation of the Bible. Pamphilus' Chief contribution was that he shaped Eusabius into a student of history who later became the father of Church history. Pamphilus suffered martyrdom by 309. • EUSEBIUS PAMPHILUS OF CAESAREA (ca.AD 263-340) Eusebius, the Father of Ecclesiastical History, was born at Caesarea in Palestine about the year 263 AD. Eusebius grew up as the disciple and spiritual son of Pamphilus and he got good education and training in research. In gratitude to Pamphilus, Eusebius took his name and called himself Eusebius Pamphili implying Eusebius, son of Pamphilus. When Pamphilus died, he fled to Tyre, then to Egypt and at the end, he returned to Caesarea in 313, and there he became a bishop. It was at this time that the disputes about Arius’ heresy rocked the whole Church of the Roman Empire. Eusebius also participated in some discussions. He put forward a proposal to solve the problem. Unfortunately, it created three groups in the Church: 1) those who favoured Arius, 2) those who favoured Athanasius and 3) those who favoured Eusebius, the mediator. He enjoyed the Emperor Constantine's friendship and it was a very influential one. He died around 340 AD. LITERARY CONTRIBUTIONS OF EUSEBIUS OF CAESAREA • Historical writings o History of the Church (inter.AD 300-325): Eusebius Ecclesiastical history is the principal source for the history of Christianity from the Apostolic Age to his own day. It contains an immense range of material on the Eastern Church, largely in the form extracts taken over bodily from earlier writers. It contains ten books. The first book is a historical analysis about Jesus Christ. The remaining books contain facts connected with the growth of Church. Importance is given to the description about martyrs. o The Chronicle (ca.AD 303): It contains a summary of universal history with a table of dates. Eusebius himself gives the work the title Chronicle Rolls and epitome of the complete History of the Greeks as well as of the Barbarians. This work is divided into two parts. The first part aims at giving a chronological account of the outstanding events of each nation. The second part gives a co-ordination of these events. Throughout this work, there runs the idea that the remote history of his own time is closely connected. • Apologetic works o Preparation for the Gospel (inter AD. 314-320): It contains fifteen books. The object of the work is to refute pagan polytheism and to show the superiority of Judaism, which served to prepare for the gospel, the good news of man's salvation. o Proof of the Gospel (inter AD. 316-322): It contains twenty books and it answers the Jewish objection that Christianity has accepted from Judaism, its promises and blessings, and shows that Christianity is a divine development of Judaism. • Dogmatic works o Against Marcellus: He wrote two books against Marcellus of Ancyra whom he accused of being Sabellian, in 336 AD. o Ecclesiastical Theology: It is a work in three books, written in the year 337 or 338 AD. The work constitutes a more detailed refutation of Marcellus of Ancyra than his Against Marcellus, and it defends the true doctrine of the Logos. • Biographical work The Life of the Blessed Emperor Constantine is an inspiring work, contains four books. The circumstances of the conversion of the persecuted Church into the royal Church and the transformation of the heathen temples into Christian Churches are especially noteworthy.