By Dr. Augustine Sokolovski
Saint Eusebius of Samosata is a heroic saint of the fourth century. Bishop, he opposed the Arian heresy in the era when, after the Council of Nicaea (325), power in Roman Empire passed to the sons of Constantine the Great, who openly fought against Orthodoxy and supported Arianism. Eusebius's period of activity fell in the sixties and seventies of the fourth century.
Eusebius refused to hand over to Emperor Constantius the text of the decrees of the Council of Antioch, which spoke of the election of another great Father of the Church, Saint Meletius, to this apostolic see. The heretics needed the original document to cancel the election.
He was a friend and interlocutor of Gregory the Theologian and Basil the Great. He corresponded with the latter, and supported his election to the very important Caesarea Cappadocia see.
Under the guise of a military official, he went around Syria, Phoenicia and Palestine, and ordained Orthodox candidates to the priesthood. With the accession of the pious Emperor Theodosius the Great, Eusebius returned to the see of Samosata.
It was then that in a neighboring town one of the fanatical women, supporters of the Arian heresy, threw a piece of tile from the city wall onto his head. The saint died from a severe wound. His life is a tremendous example of biblical fearlessness; his death is evidence that martyrdom is a gift from God and can await a Christian in any, even seemingly safe times.