The History of the Church from Christ to Constantine

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Penguin Publishing Group, Nov 23, 1989 - History - 434 pages
Eusebius's account is the only surviving historical record of the Church during its crucial first 300 years. Bishop Eusebius, a learned scholar who lived most of his life in Caesarea in Palestine, broke new ground in writing the History and provided a model for all later ecclesiastical historians. In tracing the history of the Church from the time of Christ to the Great Persecution at the beginning of the fourth century, and ending with the conversion of the Emperor Constantine, his aim was to show the purity and continuity of the doctrinal tradition of Christianity and its struggle against persecutors and heretics.

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About the author (1989)

Eusebius is best remembered for his celebrated Ecclesiastical History, which provides a history of Christianity from the apostolic age down to the early fourth century. It is primarily this work that earned Eusebius the title of Father of Church History. Eusebius was born in Palestine about A. D. 264. Beginning about 315, he was made bishop of Caesarea. His Praeparatio Evanglica contains valuable extracts from the ancient philosophers. His Chronica is likewise valuable to students of ancient history. Theologically, Eusebius is remembered for his retelling of Christian history to include a positive role for the admired Roman emperors as instruments of God's will. Eusebius died about 340. Andrew Louth is Emeritus Professor of Patristic and Byzantine Studies in the Department of Theology and Religion at Durham University.

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