Salvation and the Roman empire: Eusebius of Caesarea on pastoral peace and the martial shepherd

Summary The present article is the first in a diptych looking at the pastoral characterisation of Constantine in the works of Eusebius of Caesarea through the lens of institutional theory. Through pastoral discourse, I argue, Eusebius systematises key elements of the policy and functions of the first Christian emperor, thus contributing to the institutional construction of the early Christian basileiā . Central to this construction are pastoral narratives of peace and warfare, drawn from earlier traditions but revisited and remodelled. By identifying the so-called pax Constantiniana with the pastoral peace preannounced by the prophets, Eusebius’ panegyric at Tyre, in particular, repositions the Roman empire within the conceptual framework of Christian soteriology. The perceived peace of the empire becomes a juncture of salvation history, brought about by the divine shepherd through the agency of the pious emperors. Eusebius’ later works reiterate the association of the pastoral metaphor with warfare already articulated in the panegyric at Tyre, but also innovate it significantly, as the soteriological underpinning of the shepherd’s military engagement becomes increasingly blurred.