What Caesarea Has to Do with Alexandria? The Christian Library between Myth and Reality

Abstract

This article critically reevaluates the available sources concerning the library of Caesarea, commonly known as the first Christian library established towards the end of the 3rd century CE by the martyr Pamphilus, who was the teacher and close associate of Eusebius of Caesarea. The main contention is that Jerome’s portrayal of the library and its founder in Epistle 34 has exerted a profound and enduring influence, often leading to an exaggerated view of the size and status of the library. By contextualizing Jerome’s depiction within the broader late ancient cultural discourses on bibliography, the article also explores how it was received and transmitted throughout the pre-modern period.