EUSTATHIANS, a name given to the Catholics
of Antioch in the 4th century, on occasion of their re-
fusal to acknowledge any other bishop beside St Eusta-
thius, deposed by the Arians.
The denomination was given them during the episc-
opate of Paulinus, whom the Arians substituted to St
Eustathius, about the year 330, when they began to
hold their assemblies apart. About the year 350,
Leontius of Phrygia, called the eunuch, who was
an Arian, and was put in the see of Antioch, desired
the Eustathians to perform their service in his church;
which they accepting, the church of Antioch served
indifferently both the Arians and Catholics.
This, we are told, gave occasion to two institutions,
which have subsisted in the church ever since. The first
was psalmody in two choirs; though M. Baillet thinks,
that if they instituted an alternate psalmody between
two choirs, it was between two Catholic choirs, and
not by way of response to an Arian choir. The se-
cond was the doxology, Glory be to the Father, and the
Son, and the Holy Ghost. See DOXOLOGY.
This conduct, which seemed to imply a kind of com-
munion with the Arians, gave great offence to abun-
dance of Catholics, who began to hold separate meet-
ings; and thus formed the schism of Antioch. Upon
this, the rest, who continued to meet in the church,
ceased to be called Eustathians, and that appellation
became restrained to the dissenting party. S. Flavia-
nus, bishop of Antioch in 381, and one of his succes-
sors, Alexander, in 482, brought to pass a coalition, or
reunion, between the Eustathians and the body of the
church of Antioch, described with much solemnity by
Theodoret, Eccles. l. iii. c. 2.
EUSTATHIANS were also a sect of heretics in the
fourth century, denominated from their founder Eu-
stathius, a monk so foolishly fond of his own profession,
that he condemned all other conditions of life. Whe-
ther this Eustathius was the same with the bishop of
Sebaste and chief of the Semiarrians, is not easy to
determine.
He excluded married people from salvation; pro-
hibited his followers from praying in their houses; and
obliged them to quit all they had, as incompatible
with the hopes of heaven. He drew them out of the
other assemblies of Christians to hold secret ones with
him, and made them wear a particular habit: he ap-
pointed them to fast on Sundays; and taught them, that
the ordinary fasts of the church were needless, after they
had attained to a certain degree of purity which he
pretended to. He showed great horror for chapels built
in honour of martyrs, and the assemblies held therein.
Several women, seduced by his reasons, forsook their
husbands, and abundance of slaves deserted their mas-
ters houses. He was condemned at the council of
Gangra in Paphlagonia, held between the years 326
and 341.