Eusebius’ Church History Book Seven
This episode contains book seven of Eusebius’ “Church History.” Eusebius was born around AD 260, likely in Caesarea in Palestine. While little is known about his personal life, the lack of a conversion story suggests that he was born into a Christian family. During his youth he worked under the Bishop of Caesarea, Pamphilus, who had studied in Alexandria and stewarded Origen’s expansive library. Pamphilus was arrested in 307 during Diocletian’s persecution and Eusebius had the opportunity to visit his mentor in jail where they wrote the “Apology of Origen.”
While Pamphilus was martyred in 309, Eusebius escaped persecution and carried on the work of collecting and archiving various writings and documents from the Early Church. This culminated in Eusebius’ “Church History,” a collection of books written to document the history of the Church. Because of his personal experience with persecution and the wealth of writings left by Origen and Pamphilus, Eusebius was uniquely positioned to explain the significance of Constantne’s legalization of Christianity in 313 at the Edict of Milan.
The impact of Eusebius’ work is substantial. It is largely thanks to his quotations that scholars have been able to positively identify many of the writings presented in previous episodes. He directly contributed to our confidence in the Canon of Scripture, as it is largely because of his witness that we know which letters and books were included in the Early Church’s Bible. There is little else to be added to this important work, other than to highlight the following from Eusebius’ own introduction.
But at the outset I must crave for my work the indulgence of the wise, for I confess that it is beyond my power to produce a perfect and complete history, and since I am the first to enter upon the subject, I am attempting to traverse as it were a lonely and untrodden path. I pray that I may have God as my guide and the power of the Lord as my aid, since I am unable to find even the bare footsteps of those who have traveled the way before me, except in brief fragments, in which some in one way, others in another, have transmitted to us particular accounts of the times in which they lived. From afar they raise their voices like torches, and they cry out, as from some lofty and conspicuous watch-tower, admonishing us where to walk and how to direct the course of our work steadily and safely.
Because of Eusebius, Jerome, and thousands of other scribes and scholars, the trail of Church history is no longer lonely. While seldom trodden in its entirety, for those who follow the path guideposts like this clearly mark the way.
If you would like to read more of the writings of the Early Christian Fathers, please visit ccel.org to view the full collection.
