Abstract Eusebius’ Vita Constantini, finalised after Constantine’s death, is one of the most important sources for the reign of Constantine I. But Eusebius’ retrospective view of Constantine’s life is not only revealing for Constantine’s rule itself. This article will examine how and in which contexts Eusebius depicts and presents the three sons and successors of Constantine in the VC. It will be shown that Eusebius develops an idea of Christian succession and thereby attempts to master the challenges posed by Constantine’s death, which lay in the uncertainty of how politics will continue, especially concerning religious issues. In particular, some comparison with other panegyrists of the 4th century, such as Libanius and Themistius, will demonstrate that Eusebius legitimised imperial succession on the basis of Christian theology in an original and profound way. He thus emerges as a panegyrist not only of Constantine himself, but also of his sons.

Abstract The Euthalian Prologue to the Letters of Paul is found in hundreds of late ancient and medieval editions of the Pauline corpus, presenting readers with a prefatory biography of the apostle that both aligns and departs from canonical traditions. Notably, the Prologue depicts Paul’s violence against early Christian assemblies as a manifestation of Jewish μανία, triggered by prophetic foresight and healed by Christ on the road to Damascus. Previous studies primarily examine the Prologue’s connection to canonical sources. This article explores its relationship with other late ancient expressions of Paul’s life. It argues specifically that the Prologue’s depiction of Paul has been shaped – either directly or indirectly – by the writings of John Chrysostom, based on otherwise unique shared thematic elements. Its findings contribute to our understanding of the Prologue’s nebulous origins, its rhetorical objectives, and Chrysostom’s already massive impact on the reception of Pauline literature and tradition in the late ancient and medieval periods.

Abstract In this article, I will examine the functions of oaths in narratives of encounter, confrontation and polemic between religious communities in late antiquity, especially Jews and Christians. Through an analysis of these narratives, I hope to show that oaths had several functions: specific oath formulae were strongly associated with specific religious identities, and as such could be used to highlight distance between religious groups. However, oaths could be used to demonstrate the permeability of religious boundaries, or even be deployed cunningly to conceal one’s identity or subvert expectations of its performance.

Abstract Four fragmentary Egyptian papyrus sheets containing liturgical texts housed at the Catholic University of Milan were published by Giuseppe Ghedini in 1933 and subsequently known as the Milan Euchologion. While reportedly lost, a single photograph of the papyri preserved in Harold Idris Bell’s papers in the British Library allows for a reassessment of the arrangement and contents of the papyri. Based on a new analysis of the fragments, it is clear that they preserve the end of an anaphora (fruits of communion, intercession, and doxology), a prayer of fraction, and a prayer of thanksgiving after communion and that they date to the second half of the fourth century. This places them among the earliest material witnesses to the anaphora and the post-anaphoral part of the Eucharist.