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Eusebius: The Church History Paperback – Illustrated, May 31, 2007
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This new, highly affordable paperback edition includes Maier's best-selling translation, historical commentary on each book of The Church History, and ten maps and illustrations. Often called the "Father of Church History," Eusebius recorded crucial information about the lives of Jesus' disciples, the development of the New Testament, Roman politics, and the persecution of early Christians.
- Print length368 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherKregel Academic
- Publication dateMay 31, 2007
- Dimensions5.25 x 0.98 x 8 inches
- ISBN-10082543307X
- ISBN-13978-0825433078
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"There is no book more important to understanding the early church than Eusebius's The Church History. And there is no edition more readable and engaging than this one." -- Mark Galli, Managing Editor ― Christianity Today Published On: 2007-01-01
From the Back Cover
Often called the "Father of Church History," Eusebius was the first to trace the rise of Christianity during its crucial first three centuries from Christ to Constantine. Our principal resource for earliest Christianity, The Church History presents a panorama of apostles, church fathers, emperors, bishops, heroes, heretics, confessors, and martyrs.
This paperback edition includes Paul L. Maier's clear and precise translation, historical commentary on each book in The Church History, and numerous maps, illustrations, and photographs. Coupled with helpful indexes and the Loeb numbering system, these features promise to liberate Eusebius from previous outdated and stilted works, creating a new standard primary resource for readers interested in the early history of Christianity.
Reviews of the hardcover edition:
"The publication of a new translation of Eusebius's The Church History is an important event. This translation, along with the helpful introductions and commentary by Paul L. Maier, makes early history come alive." --Mark A. Noll, Francis A. McAnaney Professor of History, University of Notre Dame
"There is no book more important to understanding the early church than Eusebius's The Church History. And there is no edition more readable and engaging than this one." --Mark Galli, Managing Editor, Christianity Today
Paul L. Maier is the Russell H. Seibert Professor of Ancient History at Western Michigan University. He received his Ph.D. summa cum laude from the University of Basel, the first American ever to do so. Frequently interviewed for national radio, television, and newspapers, Maier is the author of numerous articles and books, both fiction and nonfiction, with several million books in print in sixteen languages. His publications include the award-winning translation, Josephus: The Essential Works.
About the Author
Paul L. Maier is the Russell H. Seibert Professor of Ancient History at Western Michigan University. In 1984 he was named "Professor of the Year" as one of America's twenty-five finest educators. His other works include the award-winning Josephus: The Essential Works, Eusebius: The Church History; In the Fullness of Time; Pontius Pilate; and The Flames of Rome.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
If Herodotus is the father of history, then Eusebius of Caesarea (c. A.D. 260-339) is certainly the father of church history. He was the first to undertake the task of tracing the rise of Christianity during its crucial first three centuries from Christ to Constantine. Since no other ancient author tried to cover the same period, Eusebius is our principal primary source for earliest Christianity, and his Church History is the cornerstone chronicle on which later historians would build. The Jewish historian Flavius Josephus provides fascinating addenda to our information about the people, places, and events of the biblical world, and Eusebius does the same for the period up to A.D. 324.
What happened to Jesus' apostles later in life? Did Simon Peter ever to go Rome? Where did John spend the rest of his days? Did Paul survive his trial before Nero? When were the Gospels written? Who wrote them, and where? How did the New Testament canon develop? Why and how were the early Christians persecuted? These questions and many more involve an era no longer covered by the New Testament and could hardly be answered were it not for Eusebius.
Product details
- Publisher : Kregel Academic; Later Printing edition (May 31, 2007)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 368 pages
- ISBN-10 : 082543307X
- ISBN-13 : 978-0825433078
- Item Weight : 12.3 ounces
- Dimensions : 5.25 x 0.98 x 8 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #20,185 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #19 in History of Religions
- #39 in History of Christianity (Books)
- #54 in Christian Church History (Books)
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Eusebius is a very helpful book for study of the early church, because many of the writings before he completed this in AD 324 are lost because of the early Christian persecutions. So, Eusebius' quotations of these works are the only extant copies of their works. Papias is one such person, who is believed to have been a contemporary of John the Apostle.
Eusebius is called the father of church history because he was the first historian to attempt to chronicle the Christian church from the beginning with Christ until his time, the early 4th century. His writing is the preeminent history of the church from Jesus' time on earth until AD 324, just before the Council of Nicea, but after Constantine had ended Christian persecution from Rome by passing the decree making Christianity a legal and later a preferred religion in the Roman Empire.
Eusebius' writing is not without slant, but considering he was the first to write on this subject, he is still widely regarded as a superb resource of church history. Again, Papias gives an example of this slant, as Eusebius calls his intelligence into question because of his millennial views. But, in studying the early church, Eusebius is the key resource.
This copy of Eusebius is very well bound in the hardback edition. The binding is stout and the pages are thick and durable. Maier's commentary is easily discernible from Eusebius' writings by either being placed in footnotes or on pages with a beige tint. Maier includes many images and notes that help explain aspects of Eusebius' history.
Anyone from lay-people to theologians interested in church history study would be well served by this reliable, modern and sturdy copy of the most referenced church historian in Christian history.
First of all, I thought the translation was excellent. The prose was very understandable and clear. Note that this is the only translation that I have read, so I have no comparison. I also liked the commentaries that the author put in after every chapter to put things into context and to update historical errors that Eusebius made.
I found the extra biblical stories of the apostles fascinating. I also learned a lot about the early church fathers and the early heretics. Eusebius extensively covered the persecutions that the early Christians endured.
As far as doctrines, he didn't go into much detail, except when explaining the heresies; and that was explaining what they didn't believe. The most enlightening section on his beliefs was in the end when he gave a Panegyric on the building of some churches. Here I was able to get a good feel for his beliefs in God. Maier did note that he trimmed this section a bit due to its "excessively eulogistic verbiage". I would be interested in seeing all of that section for doctrinal reasons. I'll have to look elsewhere. As far as I could tell, that is the only section he trimmed.
I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in early Christian history. It is clearly a must for anyone interested in the subject.
"From Syria to Rome, I am fighting with wild animals on land and sea, night and day, chained to ten leopards - a troop of soldiers - whom kindness makes even worse. Their shameful deeds increase my discipleship, but this does not justify me. May I benefit from those wild beasts that are ready for me, and I pray that they are prompt. I will coax them to devour me quickly, not as with some whom they have been afraid to touch. If they are unwilling, I will force them to do it. Pardon me, but I know what is best for me: now I am starting to be a disciple. May I envy nothing seen or unseen in gaining Jesus Christ. Let fire and cross, struggles with beasts, tearing bones apart, mangling limbs, crushing of my whole body, and tortures of the devil come upon me, if only I may attain Jesus Christ."
The martyrdom of Polycarp (p.131-135), burnt alive at "the stadium," is perhaps highlighted by the last moment before he died in which "he was filled with courage and joy, and his features with such grace that they did not pale with alarm at what was said to him." Then there is his remark in response to the governor's pressure on him to curse Christ "For eighty-six years I have been his servant and he has never done me wrong. How can I blaspheme my King who saved me?"
Both sides of the stories in Eusebius's Ekklesiastices Historias, the original title in Greek, in which Christianity was persecuted under Roman regimes before Constantine and its privileged status afterwards are reflected today in countries hostile to Christianity and the prosperous West, respectively. While there is no need to feel guilty for those of us living in the West, the Western churches would do well to remember various Scripture exhortations to support their persecuted brothers and sisters. I will only include Pink's exposition on Heb 10:32-34 and 13:3 in this regard, "It is the bounden duty for Christians to express in a practical way their compassion for any of Christ's suffering servants, doing everything in their power to succor, support and relieve them...remember them in your prayers, intercede for them, seeking on their behalf grace from God, that they may meekly acquiesce to his providential dealings...Finally, do unto them as you would wish them to do unto you were you in their place. If you can obtain permission, visit them (Matt 25:36), endeavor to comfort them, so far as practicable relieve their sufferings; and leave no stone unturned to seek their lawful release" (An Exposition of Hebrews, p.631, 1121-1122).
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As far as Eusebius himself, his History covers a critical period and gives us a unique insight. He supports much of what he says from primary sources which he quotes at length. It is clear that he wants to persuade rather than assert. I found the story fascinating, comparable to any adventure novel.
But it's a bit problematic to read a "history" that doesn't know the story is Christ was crucified by the Romans. And even if Eusebius' wants to blame Jews to make himself feel better and superior, saying Jews killed Christ is like saying white people killed JFK. It be laughable if the reprecussions weren't so deadly...even to this day.
The book is well illustrated too. Highly recommended.