EUTHANASIA
630
EUTROPIUS
Testament writings. He also wrote a short "Life of
St. Paul" and a series of Argumenta" or short sum-
maries which are placed by way of introduction to the
different books of the New Testament. Of Euthalius'
activities as a bishop little or nothing is known. Even
the location of his episcopal see, Sulca, is a matter of
doubt. It can hardly be identified with the bishopric
of that name in Sardinia. More likely it was situated
somewhere in Egypt, and it has been conjectureil that
it is the same as Psilka, a city of the Thebaid in the
neighbourhood of Syene.
After having long lain in oblivion, the works of Eu- thalius were published in Rome, in 1G98, by Lorenzo Alessandro Zaccagni, Prefect of the Vatican Library. They are embodied in the first volume of his "Col- lectanea Monumentorum Veterum Ecclesite Griecoe ac Latinas." They can also be found in Gallandi (Bib- lioth.Pat.,X, 197)andinMigne(P.G.,LXXXV,621).
ViGOUHOUX in Diet, de la Bible, s. v.; Millioan in Did. of Chri.^lian Biography, s. v.; Scrivener, A Plain Introduction to the Criticism of the New Testament (London, 1S94). 53, 63, 64,
etc. James F. Driscoll.
Euthanasia (from Greek c5, well, and flararos, death), easy, painless death. This is here considercil in so far as it may be artificially brought about by the employment of anaesthetics. When these last are of a character to deprive the sufferer of the use of reason, their effect at this supreme hour of human life is not viewed with apjirobation by the received teaching of the Cuthiilic Church. The reason for this attitude is that this ]jractice deprives a man of the capacity to act meritoriously at a time when the competency is most necessary and its product invested with finality. It is equally obvious that this space is immeasurably precious to the sinner who has still to reconcile himself with his offended God.
An additional motive assigned for this doctrine is that the administration of drugs of the nature speci- fied is in the premises if not formally at all events equivalently a shortening of the life of the patient. Hence as long as the stricken person has as yet made no adequate preparation for death, it is always griev- ously unlawful to induce a condition of insensibil'ty. The most that may be granted to those charged with responsibility in the case is to take up a pa.ssively per- missive demeanour whenever it is certain that the departing soul has abundantly made ready for the great summons. This is especially true if there is ground for apprehending, from the dying person's con- tinued possession of his faculties, a relapse into sin. In no contingency, however, can any positive indorse- ment be given to means whose scope is to have one die in a state of unconsciousness. What has been said applies with equal force and for the same reasons to the case of those who have to suffer capital punish- ment by process of law.
Genicot, Theolafjia: Moralis Institutiones (Louvain, 1S98); I-EHMKi'iiL, Thcnloiria Moralis (Freiburg, 1887); Ballehini, Opus Theologicum Morale (Prato, 1S98).
Joseph F. Delany.
Euthymius, Saint (styled The Great), abbot in Palestine; b. at Melitene in Lesser Armenia, a.d. 377; d. A.D. 473. He was educated by Bishop Otreius of Melitene, who afterwartls ordained him priest and placed him in charge of all the monasteries in the Dio- cese of Melitene. At the age of twenty-nine he se- cretly set out on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and re- mained for some time with a settlement of monks at a laura called Pharan, about six miles east of Jeru.salem. In 411 he withdrew, with St. Theoctistus, a fellow- hermit, into the wilderness, and lived for a while in a rough cavern on the banks of a torrent. When many disciples gathered around them they turned the cavern into a church and built a monastery which was placed in charge of St. Theoctistus.
A miraculous cure which lOuthymiusw.as believed to have effected for Terebon, the son of the Saracen chief
Aspebetus, spread the fame of the holy hermit far
beyond the confines of Palestine. — ,\spebctus, was
afterwards ordained priest and became bishop over his
tribe, in which capacity he attended the Council of
Ephesus in 431.
When the report of this miracle had made the name of Euthymius famous throughout Palestine, and large crowds came to visit him m his solituile, he retreated with his disciple Domitian to the wiklerness of Ruba, near the Dead Sea. Here he lived for some time on a remote mountain called Marda whence he afterwards withdrew to the desert of Zipho (the ancient Engaddi). When large crowds followed him to this place also, he returned to the neighbourhood of the monastery of Theoctistus, where he took up his abode in a cavern. Every Simday he came to the monastery to take part in the Divine services. At length, because numerous disciples desired him as their spiritual guide, he founded, in 420, on the right side of the road from Jerusalem to Jericho, a laura similar to that of Pharan. The church connected with this laura was dedicated in 42S by Juvenal, the first Patriarch of Jerusalem. When the Council of Chalcedon (451) condemned the errors of Eutyches, it was greatly due to the authority of Euthymius that most of the East- ern recluses accepted its decrees. The Empress Eu- doxia was converted to Catholic imity through his efforts. The Church celebrates his feast on 20 Janu- ary, the day of his death.
BvTLER, Lires of the Saints, 20 Janniiry; BARlNG-GofLD, Lives of the Saiiils, 20 January: Sinclair in Diet. Christ. Biogr. s. v.; v4c/a.S.S., January, II, 662-92. A very reliable life was written by Cyril of Scythopolis about forty years after the death of Euthymius. It is published in Acta SS, loc. cit., also by Cote- LlER, Eccl. Grcec. Monum. (Paris, 1692), IV, Montfaucon, Analecta Grceca (Paris, 1688), I, and in P. G.. CXIV, 595-734. Michael Ott.
EutTopius of Valencia, a Spanish bishop; d. about 610. He was originally a monk in the Monasterivm Sem'tanutn, generally believed to have been situated in the provinceof Valencia, Spain. It was founded some time in the si.xth century by the monk Donatus who had been driven from Roman Africa during one of the Vandal persecutions. The rule he introduced must have been based on that in use among the African monks, which has caused the memliers of this commu- nity to be connected with the .\ugustinians, without, however, sufficient warrant. The Momislcriiim Ser- vilnnum is known only through the references of Sts. Isidore and Ildephonsus to its founder and one of his disciples, Eutropius, who succeeded as abbot.
Eutropius is known as the author of three letters, one to Licinianus, Bishop of Carthagena, and two to Peter, Bishop of Iturbica. In the first, which has been lost, he inquires the reason for anointing bap- tized children with holy chrism. This letter is known through St. Isidore. The same saint mentions a letter to Bishop Peter, the text of which has been preserved, which he says every monk should read. The title is " De destructione monachorum et ruina monasteri- orum". In response to a suggestion of some candi- dates for his monastery, he points out that the num- ber of monks is a small matter compared with their earnestness. He may be criticized for his severity in enforcing the rule and in reprimanding the guilty, but he can easily justify himself, as his whole care consists in applying the rules the founders of the monastery laid down. And thus the reproaches made against him fall back on their authors. In any ca.se he will not swerve from his course; he is indifferent to the critici-sms of men. He cannot allow the faults of his monks to go unchecked. The Scriptures and the Fathers agree that correction is one of the first duties of him who is charged with the guidance of others, and negligence on this head would only lead to serious irreg\ilarities. The second letter to Bishop Peter touches on the seven deadly sins. Like Ca.ssian, Eu- tropius enumerates eight : gluttony, lust, covetousness,
