Alenka Cedilnik: The Eusebians and their Politico-Ecclesiastical Strategies

The Eusebians can be presented as a group linked by a specific politico-ecclesiastical plan, drawn out in its basic features by Eusebius of Nicomedia. At the heart of this project were the efforts to extend the influence of Constantinople over its neighbouring areas, both in Europe and Asia. The efforts that were made in that direction should have thus been even more important than the sole theological issues, contrary to what we can usually read on that topic. Yet, these politico-ecclesiastical efforts seem to be easier to trace than the theological beliefs of individual members of the Eusebians, since most of them are very poorly known, due to a lack of written sources. In order to shed light on the so-called plans promoted by the Eusebians, we will first present Eusebius of Nicomedia and his endeavouring to strengthen the power of the Constantinopolitan see. Then, we will indicate which individuals are referred to as Eusebians in the sources and, finally, we will show how the implementation of the Eusebius’ project can be traced through the actions of the individuals chosen among his disciples and their followers.