I got curious as to what else might be found using Google books. about Eusebius of Caesarea’s Commentary on the Psalms. Apparently Syriac fragments also exist, mentioned in Wright’s Catal. Syr. MSS. Brit. Mus. pp. 35 sq., 125. A certain Robert Leo Odom, Sunday in Roman Paganism: A history of the planetary week and its “day of the Sun” in the heathenism of the Roman world during the early centuries of the Christian Era, writing on the transfer of the Sabbath to Sunday repeats the quotes we saw before, but with a Migne reference and his own translation:
He appears to be the first ecclesiastical writer to spiritualize and accommodate to Christian thought the very pagan name of the day, saying that “on it to our souls the Sun of Righteousness rose.” 7 And he speaks of seeing “the face of the glory of Christ, and to behold the day of His light.” 8 Indeed, he is the first Christian writer to maintain that Christ Himself transferred Sabbath observance from the seventh to the first day of the week. On this point he said: “Wherefore, being rejected of them [the Jews], the Word [Christ] by the new covenant translated and transferred the feast of the Sabbath to the dawn of light, and handed down to us a likeness of the true rest: the saving and Lord’s and first day of light.” 9
It is interesting to note, also, that in the very same discourse he unwittingly reveals who the real authors of the change were, saying: “All things whatsoever it was duty to do on the Sabbath, these we have transferred to the Lord’s day, as being more appropriate, and chief, and first, and more honorable than the Jewish Sabbath.” 10
7 Eusebius, Commentary on the Psalms, Ps. 91 (Ps. 92 in A. V.), in J. P. Migne, Patrologia Gratia, Vol. 23, col. 1172, author’s translation.
8 Eusebius, The Proof of the Gospel, book 4, chap. 16 (comment on Ps. 84:9, 10), translation by W. J. Ferrar, Vol. 1, p. 207.
9 Eusebius, Commentary on the Psalms, Ps. 91 (Ps. 92 in A. V.), in J. P. Migne, Patrologia Graeca, Vol. 23, col. 1169, author’s translation.
10 Ibid., col. 1172, author’s translation.
Of course by “us” Eusebius means “the Christians”, not himself personally!
The Odom book is very interesting, and full of hard factual data. Looking at the overview, we see instantly that he reprints all the images of the pages of the days of the week from the “Chronography of 354”. I’d like to read it; but who can read such a book on-screen?
Moving on, apparently Eusebius also refers to the finding of the cross. Lardner seems to be one of the few to use this work by Eusebius, and did so from Montfaucon’s publication; and indeed, what else could he use? Again, how we need someone to edit this work!