The Speeches of Constantine and Eusebius

For centuries, Bishop Eusebius of Caesarea (c. 260–339 CE) was thought to have been a close confidante and advisor to his younger contemporary, Constantine the Great (r. 306–337). Eusebius himself contributed to this image in his biography of that emperor, de vita Constantini (VC), in which he claimed the right to undertake this work on the basis of his closeness to the emperor. Modern scholars have greatly reduced this estimation of Eusebius’s influence, and are aware that the bishop ideal...