Eusebius of Caesarea
c. 263 – c. 339 · Bishop of Caesarea
Also known as Eusebius Pamphili
Feast: 21 June (Orthodox)
Bishop of Caesarea; the 'Father of Church History,' author of Historia Ecclesiastica, Praeparatio Evangelica, Demonstratio Evangelica, and the Life of Constantine. Pupil of Pamphilus.
Highlights
- Main contribution
- Eusebius saved much of early Christian history from disappearing.
- Best first read
- Ecclesiastical History
- Primary source
- Eusebius, Hist. Eccl. (passim)
Eusebius saved much of early Christian history from disappearing. His Ecclesiastical History preserves succession lists, martyr stories, lost documents, heretical controversies, and quotations from writers whose works no longer survive. He wrote with biases, especially around Constantine and imperial Christianity, so historians read him carefully. But without his library and his habit of quotation, the first three centuries of the church would be dramatically harder to reconstruct.
Notable works
- ·Ecclesiastical History · 325
- ·Life of Constantine · 337
- ·Preparation for the Gospel + Demonstration of the Gospel · 313
- ·Onomasticon · 320
Primary sources
- ·Eusebius, Hist. Eccl. (passim)
- ·Jerome, De Viris Illustribus 81
- ·Socrates, Hist. Eccl. 1.8
- ·Eusebius, Hist. Eccl. (passim, autobiographical references)
- ·Socrates Scholasticus, Hist. Eccl. 1.8
Book of the day
Ecclesiastical History
Eusebius of CaesareaA reading pick tied to today's figure, quote, era, or event. The ancient source behind a huge amount of what we know about bishops, martyrs, succession lists, and early controversies.
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