INTRODUCTION
The
ecclesiastical history as written by
Eusebius encapsulates the top events in the history of Christianity dating from
antiquity. This is a specific account of the events that shaped the church and
its civilization. The church transcends the facts of the world, but it is
connected to historical events. With brief words on the author and the book, here
is a concise summary of the ecclesiastical
history written by Eusebius.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Eusebius
was born in AD 260 in Palestine about the end of the reign of Gallienus. He was
a student of Pamphilius, and later became the bishop of Caesarea in about 313[1],
and thus the reason he is called Eusebius Pamphili or the Eusebius of Caesarea.
He is a historian and a leading figure in the religious struggle of his time, one
of the last apologists and the first chronicler and archivist of the church.
ABOUT THE BOOK AND SITUATION THAT
WARRANTED THE WRITING
The
ecclesiastical history is a presentation of the church’s history, recording
from the apostolic age as far as the early fourth century, written during the
periods of the roman persecution and revised several times between 312 and 324.[2] This book was written with the purpose of
exposing the Christian religion in its antiquity and broadly for the
preservation of history. Thus Eusebius said at the beginning of the book that
it is his purpose to record the successions of the apostles together with the
times since our savior down to the present and secondly he made known his
intention to swiftly describe the calamities that swiftly overwhelmed the whole
Jewish nation, by what means and in what time the word of God experienced
hostility and the eminent people who made positive or negative impacts.
THE ECCLESIATICAL HISTORY
This
book shows the person of Christ as the object of faith and hope from the most
remote ages. This account of the first centuries of Christianity is a landmark
in Christian historiography. It is chronologically order into ten books which
are as follows:
BOOK 1:
in this book which have thirteen chapters, Eusebius presents the subject of his
work, his purposes and intentions, alongside acknowledgments. Here also he
defends the events of the life history of Christ, (his person, authority and
divinity), giving prominence to the account of the gospels, and specially
pointing out prominent figures in the life of Christ, His trials and death. This
book comprises of the divinity of Jesus, the antiquity of the doctrines and the
evangelical life lead by Christians.
BOOK 2:
here in twenty-six chapters Eusebius presents the circumstances that followed
after the ascension of Christ. This book which started with the account of the
replacement of Judas with Matthias covers the timeline from Tiberius to Nero,
the evangelical works of the apostles and their martyrdoms, and how the
doctrine of Christianity got across the ends of the world. The believers
visited places like Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch but the gentiles were discriminated
until the vision of Peter and the conversion of Paul. The period of peace under
Tiberius most favoured the work of evangelization. This book also accounts for
the death of James the just in the chapter twenty-three.
BOOK 3:
consisting of thirty-nine chapters, this book contains the details regarding
the period from Vespasian to Trajan. It discussed the creation of the Gospels,
the book of revelation and the successors of the apostles, succinctly
expressing in the first chapter what region was evangelized by which particular
apostle. Here also is a record of early persecution and heresies.
BOOK 4:
this book of thirty chapters portrays Rome and Alexandria becoming more outstanding
and influential. It covers the period from Trajan to Marcus with particular
focus on the succession of bishops and their writings. It related the details
of the sufferings of the Jews, the calamity of Trajan, martyrdom of Justin,
opposition to heresies and the defense of the faith.
BOOK 5:
These thirty-eight chapters started with persecution under Verus and the
restoration of the lapsed. This book have a common content with the book four
but it focused more on the heresy of Marcion. This contained the resolution of
the Easter festival dispute.
BOOK 6:
within these forty-six chapters, the situation of persecution under Severus was
related. The discourse of the person of Origen and his contemporaries dominated
this book.
BOOK 7:
consisting of thirty-two chapters, this contains the details of persecution
under Decius and contention for the rebaptism of the heretics. Within this book
also is the erroneous doctrine of Sabellius, heresy of manes and the Novetian
schism. During this time, the see of Jerusalem gained dominance.
BOOK 8:
this book contains the memories of the greatest and last persecution of the
first centuries of the church, demolition of churches and attestation to the
faith by the martyrs. As part of this book, is included the book of the
martyrs.
BOOK 9:
within these eleven chapters is stated the details of the turn-around in
history when things came back in favour of Christianity and decrees against the
Christians were revoked at.
BOOK 10:
this book of nine chapters commended the reverse of events with the copies of
the documented privileges granted to the Christians. This was the period of
Constantine.
RELEVANCE IN THE CHURCH TODAY:
The
church is obviously rooted in history, and this is relevant and necessary for a
basic understanding of the institution of the Christian church. History is not
a subject to be tolerated when necessary and ignored when possible. The ecclesiastical
history is full of controversies, heresies and battles for the truth. We need to
familiarize with the events in the church’s past if we are to stand faithfully
and fitfully in the present. Above all, I personally think this book provides
the entire church with some kind of courage and consolations, especially in
areas where the church is being persecuted to hold on to the faith and know
that they are working or suffering for a greater course. Also, it gives a
detailed account of those (martyrs) who suffered for what we have now and the
sacrifices they made. Thus the saying: “the church is built upon the blood of
the martyrs”; reminding us that we are part of a larger family of faith. This
master piece serves as an authoritative reference; it is one of the primary
sources for the church’s history and it provides a model for ecclesiastical
historians, giving basic details of what happened ages before us.
CONCLUSION:
Ecclesiastical history
traces 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. Supported
with extensive quotation from original sources, it showed the purity and
continuity of the doctrinal tradition of Christianity in its struggle
against persecutors and heretics.
I found this summary helpful in directing my thought to particular books within the Ecclesiastical History. However, I believe it will be quite helpful if the basic theme of discus in any of the book is highlighted just after the book number. For example: Book 8 (The Great Persecution).
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