EUSEBIUS OF VERCELLI, ST.

Bishop, monastic founder, and anti-Arian polemicist; b. Sardinia, Italy, early fourth century; d. Vercelli, August 1, 371. He became a member of the Roman clergy under Pope julius. When consecrated first bishop of Vercelli c. 344, he established a community life for his clergy, and he is considered a founder of the canons regular. He was also instrumental in the establishment of new dioceses near Vercelli, e.g., Turin and Embrun. Eusebius attended the Council of Milan in 355 as legate of Pope liberius and with Dionysius of Milan upheld the orthodoxy of St. athanasius against the politically intimidated Western episcopate. He was exiled in the East until the death of constantius ii, was liberated under Julian, and in 362 attended the Council of Alexandria with Athanasius and approved its lenient decisions for the reconciliation of compromised bishops. Returned to Italy, he collaborated with hilary of poitiers against the Arians; he died peaceably in his own diocese. Of his correspondence, three letters have been preserved, and the first seven books of a De Trinitate previously attributed to Athanasius or Vigilius of Thapsus are now ascribed to him by many patrologists. He also translated Commentaries on the Psalms by eusebius of caesarea (Jerome, Ep. 61.2), now lost, and may have authored the pre-Jerome version of the Gospels preserved in the Codex Vercellensis.

Feast: Aug. 2 (formerly Dec. 16, anniversary of his consecration).

Bibliography: De Trinitate and Epistulae, ed. v. bulhart (Corpus Christianorum. Series latina 9; 1957) 1–110. Eusebio di Vercelli e il suo tempo, ed. e. dal covolo, r. uglione, and g. m. vian (Rome 1997). Patralogiae cursus completus, series latina, ed. a. hamman (Paris 1957) 1:1741–42, 305–307. b. altaner, Patrology, tr. h. graef (New York 1960) 429. v. de clercq, Dictionnaire d'histoire et de géographie ecclésiastiques (Paris 1912–) 15:1477–83. Clavis Patrum latinorum, ed. e. dekkers 105–111.

[v. c. de clercq]