Customer Reviews:
A tough but rewarding read.......2007-05-23
The History of the Church by Eusebius is part bibliography, part sourcebook, part historical narrative with some doctrinal commentary, textual criticism, and hagiographies sprinkled throughout. Eusebius includes lengthy quotations of primary sources. Sometimes whole documents are inserted. The accessibility of the work varies with the material being quoted. In book two, the extensive quoting of Josephus makes for quick reading. In book ten, a sixteen-page dedication oratory seems to never end.
Eusebius opens his work with his own exposition on nature of God and on Messianic prophesies in the Old Testament. Soon the history of the early church, the fates of the Apostles, and the siege of Jerusalem are discussed. The rest of the work is organized chronologically. After reaching the time of a prominent writer, Eusebius often will list the book written by the writer or note the opinions of the writer on the authenticity of specific scriptural texts.
The History describes at length the suffering and endurance of martyrs. Persecutions are a major theme of the work, especially the later half. Eusebius mentions divisions within early Christianity, but usually he describes only the response of leaders and writers to specific heretics. Descriptions of what different sects believe are either written in a polemic tone or absent altogether.
The back cover claims that this translation emphasis clarity. Still, finishing this book took effort and fortitude. The History and the material it preserves are important sources for early Christian history. The History therefore is a rewarding as well as a tough read.
Essential to your foundation.......2007-05-01
This is an essential foundational work for anyone studying early Christian church history. But it is also a great asset to the Christian wanting to understand the origin of doctrine and the defense of orthodox Christianity against spurious beliefs that are with us even to this day. C. S. Lewis warned of the danger of becoming isolated from the faith of our fathers so that we lose not only the heritage of that faith but the sound foundation of teaching they prepared. Study to scriptures to show yourself approved but study church history (a.k.a., tradition) to identify errors in your own understanding. Do not neglect that great cloud of witnesses described in Hebrews but instead take their hard-won lessons to heart. This is a good place to begin to know your ancient Christian fathers and mothers in the faith.
A must read for anyone serious about Church history or their faith.......2006-11-10
This book is definitely a must read for anyone serious about Church history or their faith. It's amazing to me how many Christians have never read this book. As the first ecclesiastical history it gives a perspective that no modern historian is capable of. Many writings are only known to exist from mention by Eusebius. Written in the fourth century no other book on Church history gives witness to what the Church was really like at such an early age. Anyone who calls himself a Christian should be obliged to read The History of The Church. Insight into Church governance and hierarchy, early heresies and controversies, and persecutions and martyrdoms, it's all here. Eusebius may not go into as much detail as some would like, and he clearly wrights from his own perspective and not "impartially" as modern historians attempt (and usually fail) to; never the less, given the antiquity of this book, no other volume can speak with as much authority on the early pre-Nicene Church's history. I am buying this book for all my Christian friends.
While available in other editions and as part of multi-volume sets such as Nicene and Post-Nicene Series 2, the Penguin edition is my favorite. Penguin editions give access to great classics at a very reasonable price and in convenient carry size. The introductions, notes, and end materials such as the "who's who" make this the edition to buy.
A must read for early church historians!.......2006-02-25
Anyone interested in early Christianity in late antiquity should read this book. Many quote from it, but few read the entire work, and thus, do not get an appreciation for Eusebius' weaving of events around the time encompassing early church history.
Required Reading For Anyone Interested in Christian History.......2005-07-01
This book is one of the foundational works of Christian history. It was the first extensive, systematic attempt to present Christian history up till the author's time (4th century). In the centuries following the work of Eusebius, many other authors attempted Histories, including Sulpitius Severus, Hermias Sozomen, Socrates Scholasticus, Theodoret, Evagrius Scholasticus, John of Ephesus, Gennadius of Marseilles, Isidore of Seville, Bede the Venerable, and others (just to list the major attempts through the 7th century). But none of these authors--and some would argue that none since--achieved what Eusebius did in his Ecclesiastical History. In fact, many didn't even try, and simply picked up the history of the Christian Church at the point where Eusebius had left off.
Eusebius is sometimes accused of being biased, but then everyone is biased. It is true that he might not have followed the strict standards followed by many modern historians (to expect that he would as some objectors do is totally anachonistic), but one thing is for sure, Eusebius was not simply a cheerleader for his own personal beliefs, nor someone who would gloss over differences or arguments within the Church. If someone wants a specific example (and one that isn't a small issue), one could read over his overview of how the Scriptural Canon was compiled and debated.
When it came to the Epistle of James from the New Testamnet, for instance, Eusebius at one point calls it "the so-called epistle of James" and says that it is "Among the disputed writings, which are nevertheless recognized by many" (Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History, 3, 25). In another place Eusebius is speaking of James of Jerusalem, who was the first bishop of the Christian Church there; Eusebius says that James "is said to be the author of the first of the so-called catholic epistles. But it is to be observed that it is disputed; at least, not many of the ancients have mentioned it... Nevertheless we know that [The Epistle of James] also, with the rest, have been read publicly in very many churches."(Eusebius, History, 2, 23)
This is a very good book for anyone interested in Christian History, especially if you are interested in how the actual figures in that history saw their predecessors, and not just in reading the summaries and compilations (and unfortunately, many times, wild speculations) of 19th and 20th century historians. One could also argue that his History, while perhaps a bit more biased in that it was written by a Christian for Christians, was also in some ways closer to the truth than histories today which might technically be more factual.
I know this sounds contradictory, but here is what I mean. Descartes said (rightly) that "history" as we perceive it was for the most part distorted, since history left out most of the minor, mundane thoughts and events of life and focused on the important or sensational aspects of life. History is therefore distorted in that it doesn't tell us about the lives and cultures of people, but only about what their leaders or generals or other great and important men did. Eusebius is someone who included some of everyday stuff in his History. It might not wow people, but it serves a much more important purpose: to put the great events into perspective. Great events and people are only great when compared to others, after all. And in that way, we can also say that Eusebius is indeed great.
Book Description
This study of the Roman Empire in the age of Constantine offers a thoroughly new assessment of the part Christianity played in the Roman world of the third and fourth centuries.
Mr. Barnes gives the fullest available narrative history of the reigns of Diocletian and Constantine. He analyzes Constantine's rise to power and his government, demonstrating how Constantine's sincere adherence to Christianity advanced his political aims. He explores the whole range of Eusebius' writings, especially those composed before Constantine became emperor, and shows that many attitudes usually deemed typical of the "Constantinian revolution" were prevalent before the new Christian empire came into existence. This authoritative political and cultural history of the age of Constantine will prove essential to students and historians of the ancient world.
Customer Reviews:
Not like The Da Vinci Code .......2006-10-20
This book gives an historical overview of the reign of Constantine the Great, the first Roman emperor who converted to Christianity. It also deals extensively with Eusebius of Caesarea, the Christian bishop who became Constantine's biographer (or perhaps panegyrist). The book is boring, tedious and sometimes hard to read. Yet, it's a must for anyone interested in Constantine.
The book might be of special interest for those who wish to counter the current craze around "The Da Vinci Code". Barnes believes, correctly in my opinion, that Constantine was a real Christian and that his conversion took place already before his conquest of Rome. He wasn't simply a power-hungry despot who needed a Christian cloak for reasons of politic, and definitely not a pagan. Even more interesting is Barnes' analysis of Constantine's dealings with the Church. It turns out that Constantine wasn't "orthodox" and didn't suppress the "heretical" Arians. Rather, Constantine attempted to mediate between the orthodox and Arian factions within the Church. He simply didn't understand what the fuzz was all about!
At the first ecumenical church council at Nicea, the Nicene creed was adopted almost unanimously while Arius was excommunicated. But this was not a victory for orthodoxy over Arianism. Rather, Constantine hoped that the Nicene creed would be acceptable to all factions, as indeed it was - even the Arians voted for it, with the exception of two close associates of Arius himself. Of course, the unity achieved at the council proved to be very short-lived, as conflicts between the various factions erupted again shortly afterwards, with Constantine constantly wavering back and forth between orthodox and Arians. Ironically, both the bishop who wrote Constantine's biography, Eusebius of Caesarea, and the bishop who baptized him at his deathbed, Eusebius of Nicomedia, were Arians!
Thus, Constantine was neither the orthodox saint he is imagined to be by traditionalist Catholics, or the orthodox villain of Da Vinci Code fame. The real Constantine was much more complex. This Timothy Barnes demonstrates conclusively in this book. The only problem with this book is the author's inexplicable hatred for the orthodox church father Athanasius, which he develops even more in a later book, "Athanasius and Constantius". Yet, I give it 4 stars out of 5, not because of its style, but because of its contents and importance.
The Definitive Work on Constantine.......2003-09-13
Besides Augustus, Constantine is perhaps the most written about Roman Emperor by scholars down through the centuries because of his impact upon the development of Christianity. Most works on Constantine are very one sided. Some scholars have portrayed Constantine as a saint who saved Christianity through the inspiration of God. Others have portrayed him as a murdering tyrant who used religion as a political tool to gain power and benefit his own deranged ambitions. Barnes' portrayal shows that Constantine was a much more complex individual who had the characteristics of both saint and tyrant. Through extremely thorough research, Barnes reveals that Constantine was a complex, driven, and intelligent individual who acted as both saint and tyrant to advance his evangelical wish to make Christianity the dominant religion of the Roman world, and his goal of making his imprint on that religion. Woven into the story of Constantine is that of Eusebius, a bishop contemporary to Constantine who had a profound influence on the dissemination of the New Testament, the place of the Old Testament in Christian teachings, and how the Christian church fits into the overall history of humanity. Besides being contemporary to one another, Constantine and Eusebius also influenced each other, and became two of the most influential individuals in Christian history. Through these two men, Barnes presents one of the most important moments in the history of western civilization that would turn Christianity into a religion threatened with destruction to the dominant religion of the western world.
Who was Eusebius?.......2000-04-12
Most readers of history are familiar with the Emperor Constantine's reported vision of the Cross before his victory at the Milvian Bridge and his deathbed baptism to Christianity, yet few probably know about the emperor's first biographer, Bishop Eusebius of Caesarea (260-339 C.E.). University of Toronto Professor Timothy D. Barnes devotes this scholarly volume to the two men. With copious footnoting, the first third of the book details the era from Diocletian's reforms to Constantine's consolidation of power as sole emperor of a united Roman Empire. In introducing Eusebius, Barnes backtracks to Third century Caesarea, a cosmopolitan seaport in Roman Palestine, and the Christian scholar Origen. Origen's interest in the relationship of God with humankind led him to a synthesis of Platonism and Christianity, believing that God had revealed himself - imperfectly - through Holy Scripture, and on three levels of understanding that encompassed body, soul and spirit. Eusebius was influenced by Origen, but interpreted the Bible from a historical perspective, with the Holy Spirit as the ultimate author. As scholar-historian, Eusebius compiled Chronicle, a guide to biblical place names, with a chronology that dated Moses and the Hebrew prophets in relation to Christ's Incarnation. Eusebius met Constantine in 325, at Nicea, during a council of some 300 bishops, which the emperor called primarily to settle the heresy of Arianism. A bishop by then, Eusebius was under suspicion and presented a formal creed of orthodoxy to refute reports of his Arian sympathies. In 330, when Constantine dedicated New Rome on the site of ancient Byzantium, Eusebius was asked to provide 50 bibles for churches in the new capital. The bishop was there again in 336 for the emperor's 30th anniversary, and read his Panegyric to Constantine, a poem of praise that likened the emperor to Christ. Eusebius then began a 4-book Life of Constantine, another panegyric that he transformed into a biography. In the final chapter Barnes discusses the historical value of the Life and provides a summary of the book's contents. Although Eusebius only met Constantine 4 times and received 6 letters, which reflect respect but not intimacy, he had access to documents after 324, yet glosses over the bloody succession to power by Constantine's 3 sons. An Epilogue treats of the criticism of Constantine by Julian II, Zosimus and others, and the renewed interest in the emperor during the Renaissance and Counter- Reformation. Barnes's conclusion, "Constantine... was neither a saint nor a tyrant. He was more humane some of his immediate predecessors, but still capable of ruthlessness and prone to irrational anger.... After 312 Constantine considered that his main duty as emperor was to inculcate virtue in his subjects and to persuade them to worship God. Constantine's character is not wholly enigmatic; with all his faults and despite an intense ambition for personal power, he nevertheless believed sincerely that God had given him a special mission to convert the Roman Empire to Christianity." Albert Noyer M.A. Author: The Saint's Day Deaths.
Book Description
Eusebius' Life of Constantine is the most important single record of Constantine, the emperor who turned the Roman Empire from prosecuting the Church to supporting it, with huge and lasting consequences for Europe and Christianity. The only English version previously available is based on a seventeenth-century Greek edition, but two new critical editions produced this century make a new English version necessary. The authors of this edition present the results of the recent scholarly debate, as well as their own researches so as to clarify the significance of Eusebius' work and introduce the student to the text and its interpretation, thus opening up the contentious issues. At face value much of what Eusebius wrote is false. This book shows how, once his partisan interpretations and rhetoric are properly understood, both Eusebius' text and the documents it contains give vital historical insights.
Customer Reviews:
Serious stuff.......2003-01-02
This volume is a very scholarly translation of Eusebius' Vita Constantini into English, with a major introduction, massive notes (at the back) and bibliographical details. The detail in the notes alone makes it worth the purchase, while the discussion of issues in the introduction is masterly.
The intellectual integrity of Eusebius is discussed and upheld, the role of the work as panegyric rather than history discussed; even the authenticity of the chapter titles is handled (Cameron and Hall reject this).
The only gripe I have is that the notes are at the back, rather than at the foot of each page. I found I had to read it flipping to and fro. And one simply doesn't *want* to miss the comments -- they are detailed, documented, and tremendously informative.
This is in quite a different league to the ordinary English translation-only volume. It is easily of the same standard as the Ancient Christian Writers series, and in fact probably better, as it has less philology and much more useful historical matter.
Highly recommended.
The best book on Constantine the Great........2001-04-17
Eusebius, the bishop of Caesarea and author of the first history of the Church, wrote The Life of Constantine, or Vita Constantini. This book praised the Emperor for changing the Empire from one that persecuted Christians to an Empire that supported Christianity. Many modern scholars believe that much of what Eusebius, who acutally met the Emperor, was false.
Before this book, translated by Averil Cameron and Stuart G. Hall, the last English translation was a greek version from the 17th century. This refreshing translation also offers a section of notes that is as long as the Vita Constantini is itself.
This book is a must have for all graduate students and very serious undergrads.
Average customer rating:
- Original early history of the Christian Church
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The History of the Church from Christ to Constantine (Classics)
Eusebius
Manufacturer: Penguin Classics
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Customer Reviews:
Original early history of the Christian Church.......2005-08-15
This book is truly unique since it offers the reader what many consider the earliest recorded history of the early Christian Church. Simply put there is no equivalent to Eusebius when it comes to early Church history. He lived in the 4th century and wrote 10 books describing the first three centuries of the Church after Christ's ascension into heaven.
The greatest value of this book is the insight it offers. I learned several interesting things such as how much doctrine was debated, how awful the persecution was for early believers, and how much the early Church fathers wrote. It is amazing to think all of the books that we do not have a copy of from this era.
I really think that every Christian should read some of this book to get a sense of how difficult it was to practice the Christian faith in ancient Roman civilization. The list of those who gave their life for Christ is very long, and the persecution lasted for centuries. We truly are blessed to live in a time, and country in which we can worship freely.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in early Christian history. Hopefully it will open your eyes (like it did mine) to what life was like for the first Christians. A word of warning about Eusebius' writing - some of it is pretty dry and factual, but there are plenty of golden nuggest sprinkled throughout the text.
Product Description
Includes 74-page Prolegomena: The Life and Writings of Eusebius of Caesaria by Arthur Cushman McGiffert, and 70-page Prolegomena: Constantine the Great by Ernest Cushing Richardson; extensive notes and subject index.
Book Description
This highly affordable paperback edition includes Maier's best-selling translation, historical commentary on each book of The Church History, and numerous maps and illustrations.
Customer Reviews:
Eye-opening veiw of the early church.......2007-09-04
Dr. Maier's translation and commentary of Eusebius is outstanding! Veiw the church through the eyes of those established by, or knew, the apostles of Christ. Follow this journey through Christian history up to the days of Eusebius and Constantine. You'll read commentary Eusebius tranlsated form the early church fathers of those famous in Asia Minor (seven churches of the Revelation). Understanding church past unlocks many doors of understanding and learning.
Great Early Church Resource.......2007-06-08
This is an excellent translation, easy to read, and faithful to the original. Dr. Maier translates the entire work and provides meaningful commentary. Eusebius made some errors and did some sloppy history, and Dr. Maier points it out. There are some real gems here too, and Eusebius preserved some of the sources he quoted since all extant copies are lost save for the quoted portions in this work. This is a must for any student of church history.
Knowing the Early Church.......2007-05-08
Eusebius is not exactly a household name, but you have come across it with any nodding acquaintance of church history. He lived in the fourth century, AD, and writes of the Christian Church in Jerusalem, Antioch, Alexandria, and Rome. He gives extensive and sometimes bloody details about lions, disemboweling, crucifixion, the gruesome deaths of decadent Roman emperors, a basketful of heretics, some courageous virgins, and so on, ending with Constantine. Paul Maier, the editor, has included some good photographs, helpful historical summaries at the end of each chapter, and a list of popes and emperors. Some of this will be familiar to anyone interested in Christian history, but the details will not be familiar. Recommended reading for any curious reader with a taste for history, and for all those involved in Christian education.
Early Christianity was not for the faint-hearted.
This is a high quality product.......2006-11-29
I received my copy of Eusebius' church history only yesterday, so I have not read it. However, I did read a different (and older) edition from cover to cover several years ago, so I know the historical value of this work. Undoubtedly you do too, so I will comment only on the other aspects of this book.
I can sum up the Maier edition in one sentence: This is a high-quality product. The paper is the best and smoothest and most durable you can get. The color photographs are sharp and bright. The binding is strong and opens with no crackle. The hard cover has a cloth exterior. The cover jacket is durable and attractive. The print type is razor sharp, unlike the fuzzy type you would sometimes get with older books.
The translation is a fresh change from the tedious style of older translations. The English is clear, modern, crisp and polished. There are many footnootes, but these are brief and to the point. Each chapter has an introductory commentary, shown in a different background color.
This book is so high quality that if it were physically bigger, it would make a good coffee table book. But this book deserves to be read, not displayed as decoration.
Superb translation of the father of church history.......2006-05-19
Dr Maier, the R. H. Seibert Professor of Ancient History at Western Michigan University, has completed this new and helpful translation of Eusebius. The translation is highly readable and in modern language.
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.
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Eusebius of Caesarea's Commentary on Isaiah: Christian Exegesis in the Age of Constantine (Oxford Early Christian Studies)
Michael J. Hollerich
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
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Book Description
Eusebius of Caesarea (d. 339), bishop, church historian, and biographer of Constantine, is the major Christian witness to the Constantinian settlement. Despite his importance, his biblical exegesis has not received the attention it deserved. His Commentary on Isaiah, rediscovered in nearly complete form only this century, was written shortly after the Council of Nicaea in 325 and the unification of the empire under Constantine. It is thus an important witness to Eusebius' thinking on the Bible, the church, and the empire at a critical moment in his life and in the history of Christianity. The present book is the first comprehensive assessment of the commentary's methods and ideas. It examines how the new situation influenced Eusebius' reading of Isaiah, especially as revealed in his treatment of Judaism and Jewish exegesis. It also proposes that the commentary's focus on the `godly polity', meaning above all the church and its clergy, is a valuable corrective to interpretations of Eusebius' theology based too exclusively on the Constantinian literature.
Books:
- The Language of Letting Go (Hazelden Meditation Series)
- The Measure of a Man: A Spiritual Autobiography (Oprah's Book Club)
- The Minor Prophets: An Exegetical and Expository Commentary : Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, and Habakkuk (Minor Prophets: An Exegetical and Expository Commentary, Vol. 2)
- The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari: A Fable About Fulfilling Your Dreams & Reaching Your Destiny
- The Natural Way to Draw: A Working Plan for Art Study
- The Osha: Secrets of the Yoruba-Lucumi-Santeria Religion in the United States and the Americas : Initiation, Rituals, Ceremonies, Orishas, Divination, Plants, s
- The Phoenix Affirmations: A New Vision for the Future of Christianity
- The Politics of Jesus : Rediscovering the True Revolutionary Nature of Jesus' Teachings and How They Have Been Corrupted
- The Power and the Glory (Penguin Classics)
- The Problem of Pain
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