a name given to the Catholics of Antioch in the fourth century, on occasion of their refusal to acknowledge any other bishop except Eustathius, who had been deposed by the Arians. This denomination was given them during the episcopate of Paulinus, whom the Arians substituted instead of Eustathius, about the year 330, when they began to hold their assemblies apart. About the year 350, Leonitus of Phrygia, surnamed 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 offer they accepted, and the church of Antioch served indifferently both Arians and Catholics. This, we are told, gave occasion to two institutions, which have ever since subsisted in the church; the first, psalmody in two choirs; and the second, the doxology.

This conduct, which seemed to imply a kind of communion with the Arians, gave great offence to many of the Catholics, who began to hold separate meetings; and hence arose the schism of Antioch. Upon this, the rest, who continued to meet in the church, ceased to be called Eustathians, and that appellation was restricted to the dissenting party. Flavianus, bishop of Antioch, in 381, and one of his successors, Alexander, in 481, brought about a coalition or reunion between the Eustathians and the body of the church of Antioch, which is described with much solemnity by Theodoret (Eccl. lib. iii. c. 2.)

Eustathians were also a sect of heretics in the fourth century, who derived their name from their founder Eustathius, a monk, who was so foolishly fond of his own profession, that he condemned all other conditions of life. But whether this Eustathius was the same with the bishop of Sebastia and the chief of the Semi-Arians, is not easy to determine.

Eustathius excluded married people from salvation, prohibited 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 meetings with him, and made them wear a particular habit; he ordained them to fast on Sundays; and he 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 evinced great horror of chapels built in honour of martyrs, and of the assemblies held therein. Several women, seduced by his reasoning, forsook their husbands, and abundance of slaves deserted their masters' houses. He was condemned at the council of Gerga in Paphlagonia, which was held between the years 326 and 341.