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Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 270.1
EAN num: 9780140445350
ISBN number: 0140445358
Label: Penguin Classics
Manufacturer: Penguin Classics
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 480
Printing Date: April 03, 1990
Publishing house: Penguin Classics
Sale Popularity Level: 21360
Studio: Penguin Classics
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Beginning with persecution at the beginning of the fourth century and ending with the conversion of the Emperor Constantine, the author demonstrates the purity and continuity of the doctrinal tradition of Christianity in its struggle against persecutors and heretics.
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Rated by buyers 
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Terrific book about the early church when church growth was the fastest and greatest it has ever been. Great service from the supplier and the book is just what I needed.
Rated by buyers -
As a Bishop who suffered for Christ's sake and honored another martyr of the faith, his Christian pastor-Bishop Pamphili, Eusebius' humble compilation of the many Christian historical accounts and writings that were available to most Christians around 250-330 a.d., is enlightening and wonderfully establishes the accounts of Christian faithfulness to the apostles and their trusted pastors whom they put in charge of various local churches around the world. I felt as if I was walking with the disciples who had been personally taught by Christ on how our LORD was obviously found within all the pages of the Bible parts that we now call "old" testament. In the pages of this faithful historical account, the Bible is presented as a unified testimony to the glory of Christ our God. Obviously this causes great troubles for the humanistic led mondernist who wants to rewrite Church history to include every vile modern interpretation of the Christian Faith. In Eusebius, you will find no support for the false modern "scholars" who try so hard to take away from Christ's Glory by making God only a man made in our image, and you will find no support for many other false teachings in regards to purity and sexual destructive behaviors that now plague the modern world.
While a modern Roman catholic might get frustrated with no substance for some of their doctrines in early Church history (i.e. papal supreme rulership) and find the Church relying on the faithfulness of The Holy Spirit's discernment granted to councils of persecuted members and pastors of the Christian church, Eusebius also troubles the antiRoman catholic divisiveness that have plagued the modern western churches in the name of nondenominational and denominational splits based on modern private interpretations of Holy Scripture.
This account of early Christian history from the book of Acts for the subsequent 250+ years, is a must read for all Christians who want to honor the heart intent of the reformation leaders, by leading all believes to be united in our following the ONE understanding of Christian Bible rather than the modern divisiveness of every man becoming his own pope to privately interpret the Bible according to his own "understanding". The faithful apostolic understanding of our Christian Faith of the very first centuries of the church is wonderfully shown in the pages of this humble servant Eusebius Pamphili. Eusebius later struggled in his own personal walk of faith, but thankfully got back on the same path of all Christians as he personally heard united accounts by all Pastors who faithfully declared the same message in regards to the Eternal Deity of our LORD Jesus Christ that had been taught to every Church around the world, by all faithful Apostles and their personally trained pastors who kept the Faith in Churches in Antioch, Phillipi, Corinth, etc. all around the world.
My Faith was greatly encouraged by this earliest compilation of Christian historical accounts; however, I was also challenged to throw out my antiRoman bias and to join in the reformation call to return to the early Christian Church's ONE understanding of our Christian Faith as found in the Orthodox Catholic churches in every faithful Christian Church around the world as it has been preserved for almost 2000 years in the continuity of our One Faith, One LORD, One Baptism, in the Orthodox Church, whether in Antioch, "where they were very first called Christians" or in Phillipi, Galatia or wherever the Gospel was preached in the ancient Greek and Antiochian Orthodox Church.
The testimonies in Eusebius clearly show that the Christian Church never wavered from the Faith no matter how many heretics attacked our apostolically faithful understanding of the Christian Faith as taught by our LORD, and no matter how many of our pastors, bishops and family members suffered horrifying physical tortures at the hands of our enemies. It is also wonderful to find Emperor of Rome Constantine to provide some relief to some Christians from our persecution, although later Roman emperors did sometimes return to persecuting our fellow brethren and pastors.
I found a beautiful picture in the writings of Eusebius of Emperor of Rome Constantine, bowing down to our persecuted body members of Christ, as we read of Bishops coming to our Council with one eye gouged out, or with missing limbs or with grave marks of torture on other parts of their bodies. Unfortunately for some of us, this does put a damper on the modern fictionalized theory that somehow Emperor of Rome Constantine made himself ruler of the Christian Church and brought forth changes in our doctrine and understanding of our One Faith; but thankfully, once we begin to understand the faithfulness of The Holy Spirit in the calling of faithful pastors and members of the body of Christ, we are no longer stuck in privately interpreting the Bible according to our own liking, or in a protestant or roman ... Read More
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As ancient and stiff as Eusebius' writing sounds to modern ears, the subject matter of his most famous book nevertheless retains the power to utterly astound. To read Eusebius is to be transported- to hear the Apostles preach in the agoras of the ancient world, and hear the last prayers of the martyrs in the arena; we read the persecution edicts, and the extrabiblical words of Jesus Christ Himself. We listen to the first-hand accounts of the arguments, rumors, controversies and heresies that so disturbed the Early Church. And we can imagine delving the dark archives with Eusebius, who preserved so many valuable snippets of history from too many works which are now lost to the world. A few of the more interesting revelations are:
*a letter written by Jesus Christ to the King of Armenia.
*the existence in Eusebius' time of colour portraits of Jesus, Peter and Paul, and a statue of Christ, all of which were made from life.
*The actions of Pope Victor in the late 100s, who excommunicated all the Eastern churches because of a disagreement over the date of Easter.
*An account of the continuing argument, at the time of this book's composition around 324 AD, over the New Testament canon.
*The extrabiblical deeds of the Apostles.
*A full account of Montanus' heresy, as well as many others.
*Transcriptions of early preaching.
*Descriptions of early worship and beliefs.
*The actual words of the Edict of Milan, which legalized Christianity in the Roman Empire.
*Accounts of how the Church dealt with the various persecutions.
It's an exciting and valuable book, both to the secular student of history- who should appreciate the illumination of a dark chapter- and to the Christian above all. If you are a Christian, the life of Christ was the central event in human existence, which should make the history of His Church of primary importance and interest to you. In fact, when it comes to understanding the true Gospel of Jesus, knowledge of the early history of the Church is often a prerequisite to properly interpreting Scripture.
In the very first place, we all have an easy time agreeing on the authority of Scripture, but interpreting it has been a different story. When man has tried to interpret Scripture on the basis of Scripture alone, some 33,000 different denominations have been the result. Why not put it in context and study how the early church interpreted the teachings of Jesus and the Apostles? Who has a better understanding of the Gospel? The man in 2008 interpreting it for himself out of his King James Bible, or the people who actually learned it at the feet of Jesus or the Apostles? By reading the history of the early Church, we understand exactly what those very first generations of Christians actually believed. It seems ludicrous to think that our detached Sola Scriptura interpretation is more reliable than their theology and praxis.
In the second place, as Eusebius' history attests, as late as the 4th century the Church was still arguing about which books constituted the New Testament. The New Testament was not the rule of Faith for the early Christians since a New Testament per se (not to mention widespread literacy) didn't exist- it was the living faith of the Church, as passed down from generation to generation and kept pure by a clerical hierarchy, which constituted the authority of the faithful. Shouldn't the undisputed historical record of what that early Church believed be a more authoritative measure of the Faith than any modern interpretation based on Scripture alone? This is why traditional, historical Christianity has always wisely accounted Scripture and Tradition as two expressions (written and oral) of the same Gospel, which must always be in accord. An ancient test of doctrine was whether a certain belief had been held "always, everywhere, and by all". By according authority only to Scripture, and denying it to the Faith as it was lived since the beginning, you run into some serious logical and theological problems.
That's not to say that Eusebius or any extrabiblical history is infallible. For instance, the account of Jesus' letter to the Armenian king should be taken with a grain of salt. However, when page after page of history speaks with one voice on a certain question -such as the early Church's belief in Apostolic Succession and clerical hierarchy, shouldn't the honest Christian allow that fact to impact his belief? That's why inquiring minds should be warned- Cardinal Newman had a pithy saying about being "steeped in history": it forces honest Christians to reevaluate their belief systems. We should all know our roots, and Eusebius' Ecclesiastical History is a great place to start understanding where we came from and how we got to where we are.
Rated by buyers 
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Eusebius of Caesarea (c.263-c.339) is remembered to day as the father of Church history, as his history is the oldest one that has survived to today. (Actually, Hegesippus (c.110-c.180) wrote an earlier chronicle of his time, but all that has survived is the eight passages quoted by Eusebius.) Now, Eusebius was not a great historian, and his work has been correctly criticized for a number of issues, most notably the rambling style that makes his work dull and lifeless for the modern reader.
But, that said, what makes Eusebius's book so exciting is that he was alive and writing back in the very earliest days of the Church. Indeed, combining this book with the works of Josephus (37-100), from whom Eusebius quotes extensively, gives you a great look into the early years post-Christ.
So, while I admit that this book is rather slow and somewhat heavy to read, I do think that it is one of the most important books that a Christian can own. I very highly recommend this book!
Rated by buyers 
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If you want to learn about the early days of the Christian Church, this is the book. Eusibius relates the facts concerning the church until his life (around 400ad). This is great as both an introduction to church history and as a capstone to better your understanding of the early church.
Eusibus takes on the events from the life of Christ and the early apostles and the problems that faced the church to the Time of Constantine. He seems to explain things where much of the bible leaves off. He explains where the bible came from, who wrote them and why some parts were left out (though Constantine did most of the damage).
Eusibus was a scholar and historian to the Emperor Constantine and was instructed to explain the progression of the church and their leader which is often a cause for much debate on many Christian sects today. While it can be a nuisance at times, Eusibus often quotes other historians such as Josephus, the bible and other authors.
While at time this book can be a little difficult to read for the average reader, it is filled with loads of information and reference to other writers and authors.
Enjoy
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