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82 of 84 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Brief Synopsis, January 1, 2002
Eusebius lived in the late third and early fourth centuries in Caesarea Palestine. His History of the Church chronicles the time from Christ to the victory of Constantine over Licinius. He wrote in Greek, but this translation Latinizes the names. Eusebius covers the period of Jewish persecution in the early first millennium a.d.; goes through the succession of the bishops of Rome, Antioch, Alexandria, Jerusalem, etc.; gives the account of heretical movements; and gives numerous examples of Christian martyrs in times of persecution. In the back of this edition is an extensive "Who's Who in Eusebius" spanning some 88 pages. It is a very useful tool in the reading of The History of the Church. It may also prove a valuable quick reference in further studies on early Christianity. Eusebius's style allows him to extensively quote several authors and historians in the early first millennium. His ten books of The History of the Church are riddled with passages from Josephus, Origen, Philo, Hegesippus, and the like. Also, behind the Who's Who in Eusebius, are a few appendices. I would highly recommend reading the appendices B, C, and D before undertaking the body of the book. A brief knowledge of the Roman empire at the time and Christianity will greatly benefit the reader.
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35 of 35 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent introduction, January 31, 2004
This book was first assigned to me as a student of late Roman history and it was one that had a great impact on me. More than a mere ecclesiastical history, it is a defense of Christianity written by a Bishop of the 4th century. Having lived through the persecution of Diocletian and been a confidant of the first Christian Roman emperor, Constantine, Eusebius recounts the tumultuous history of the Church in all its tragedy and triumph.
Quoting from the early Church fathers, Josephus, and sacred scripture, Eusebius proceeds through the reigns of the various Roman emperors from the time of Christ down to his own time--a period of over 300 years. Among the most fascinating information included is the curious correspondence between Jesus himself and Abgar the Toparch of Edessa a city in western Asia Minor in which Jesus promises to send one of His disciples to cure Abgar after His ascension. Though of uncertain authenticity, the tale has been used in recent years to link the Holy Shroud of Turin to the Mandylion of Edessa.
Also of interest are the numerous persecution, miracle, heresy, and martyrdom narratives that are packed into this book. The recounting of the marytrdoms of St. Polycarp and St. Justin Martyr are particularly compelling.
In short, this book is a treasure house of information on the early Church and no serious student of Church history can neglect it. Note, however, that this book does not contain the famous story of Constantine's miraculous conversion--seeing a cross in the sky with the words, "Conquer by this." If I remember correctly, this incident is recounted separately in the "Vita Constantini" also written by Eusebius.
As for the Penguin translation, I am not qualified to comment. If you are in need of the original Greek, I recommend the edition from the Loeb Classical Library (vol. 265) also available here on Amazon.
To read the subsequent early Church historians who built upon Eusebius through the end of the 6th century, check out:
The Ecclesiastical History Of Socrates, Surnamed Scholasticus, Or The Advocate: Comprising A History Of The Church In Seven Books;
Ecclesiastical History of Sozomen;
The Ecclesiastical History of Theodoret;
and The Ecclesiastical History of Evagrius (Christian Roman Empire Series).
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75 of 82 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Flawed Diamond - Anchor Tome for Christian Scholars, September 24, 2000
Like many other reviewers here, I ended up reading Eusebius' History of the Church after getting tired of seeing it cited in all the other books I was reading about the Early Church.
This particular translation benefits (if they're still printing them) from the Introduction and footnotes of G.A. Williamson who observes that in spite of the cumbersome Greek employed by the Bishop of Caesarea in Palestine, that Eusebius was well-aware of his own limitations, yet gathered, assembled and compiled a work which has endured beyond much of its source material. As a student of Pamphilus (who was killed in the last great persecution), Eusebius also possessed a great passion for his work. This was no namby-pamby intellectual here. Eusebius himself was imprisoned for his Lord a couple of times. At the same time, he was a big-time player in the new Catholic Church, sitting in and piping up at the Nicean Council.
Whether you get it to read it through (as I did), or get it as a reference (which I also did), this is one work (much like Josephus' Antiquities) you need to have. He is the master Christian historian.
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