Eusebius: The Church History

Very good and informative.

Dr Maier, the R. H. Seibert Professor of Ancient History at Western Michigan University, has completed this new and helpful translation of Eusebius. The translation is highly readable and in modern language. Eusebius is a very helpful book for study of the early church, because many of the writings before he completed this in AD 324 are lost because of the early Christian persecutions. So, Eusebius' quotations of these works are the only extant copies of their works. Papias is one such person, who is believed to have been a contemporary of John the Apostle. Eusebius is called the father of church history because he was the first historian to attempt to chronicle the Christian church from the beginning with Christ until his time, the early 4th century. His writing is the preeminent history of the church from Jesus' time on earth until AD 324, just before the Council of Nicea, but after Constantine had ended Christian persecution from Rome by passing the decree making Christianity a legal and later a preferred religion in the Roman Empire. Eusebius' writing is not without slant, but considering he was the first to write on this subject, he is still widely regarded as a superb resource of church history. Again, Papias gives an example of this slant, as Eusebius calls his intelligence into question because of his millennial views. But, in studying the early church, Eusebius is the key resource. This copy of Eusebius is very well bound in the hardback edition. The binding is stout and the pages are thick and durable. Maier's commentary is easily discernible from Eusebius' writings by either being placed in footnotes or on pages with a beige tint. Maier includes many images and notes that help explain aspects of Eusebius' history. Anyone from lay-people to theologians interested in church history study would be well served by this reliable, modern and sturdy copy of the most referenced church historian in Christian history.

This book is amazing. I have used it for many years to learn about not only the Christian church history but also how our bible was composed. Outside of my Bible this book is one of my most important studies.

Along with the historian Josephus , Eusebius is one of the few historians who bothered to document the history between the time of Christ and 400 AD. However, a lot went on during this period that literally shaped Western society and led to Jesus becoming the most iconic, famous, deified and also vilified figure in history. This book was required for a Church History class, and I couldn't wait to get into it. Unfortunately, after reading just a few pages, I realized Eusebius was hardly an objective historian (but really, has anyone ever been truly non-biased?). He relies on "church tradition", the writings of Josephus and a few other lesser known theologians, historians and scholars to document what it was like to be an early Christian. Or, as someone employed by the church, could he have been presenting history the way he, or "they" wanted it to be remembered? Who knows. But, it is what it is, so this is definitely worth reading and savoring. My favorite parts of the book, so far, are the editorial notes from Paul Maier. Throughout the book, Paul provides some fact checking and error correction that helps make the biases of Eusebius a little more palatable. Even as a believer, I found myself thinking "this reads more like an apologist account to sway people into the religion, than objective or factual". Fortunately, Maier does bring some balance to the writings, and he reminds the reader that Eusebius, no matter what his presuppositions, did a brilliant job of recording the martyrs, early church practice and doctrines, and the cultures that led to Christ becoming so famous, that one wonders if it would be a greater miracle if he weren't who he said he was, and became world renowned for generations, than if he simply was who he was said to be. Overall, I recommend anyone serious about Christianity, scholarship, western culture, or theology, read this book. I would recommend that no one reads the book without a proper translation and editorial such as the one provided by Maier.

Before purchasing a copy of Eusebius' work, I noticed a few different translations/authors, so I did some research and stumbled upon this copy as the best translation. The translator makes clear in the preface that he kept all "essential" meanings of the text while making it as easy as possible to read and provides examples of him doing this. You can find a copy of Church History on NewAdvent for free, but I believe the text style on that website is antiquated; truer to the original but far harder to read. This translation is VERY easy to read and comprehend. It also includes photos of what Eusebius was talking about. There are footnotes clearing up parts of history that may not be true with modern knowledge compared to Eusebius's day. This doesn't mean Eusebius was incorrect or inaccurate, he is actually deemed quite accurate in his telling of history. The actual quality of the book is nice. Nice art, nice spine, nice font, nice paper. Enlightening read as Christian doctrine in the first few centuries is touched upon, such as how there are statues of Christ and images. Pick it up!

Eusebius' constant hapring on how everything bad that ever happens to a Jew is Divine Justice punishment for the lie that Jews killed Christ makes it hard to read this book. But I guess from an historical perspective it's good to know where anti-Semetic hatred began. But it's a bit problematic to read a "history" that doesn't know the story is Christ was crucified by the Romans. And even if Eusebius' wants to blame Jews to make himself feel better and superior, saying Jews killed Christ is like saying white people killed JFK. It be laughable if the reprecussions weren't so deadly...even to this day.

Paul Maier has done a great job. The translation is a pleasure to read. In addition this edition has high production values with clear font at a sensible size (too often this sort of work is printed in miniature for some reason). Each chapter concludes with a helpful section giving more context and background. Likewise the footnotes contribute to understanding without detracting from the flow. Unusually there are several pictures and maps embedded in the text which again aid understanding. I don't know why this isn't done more often. As far as Eusebius himself, his History covers a critical period and gives us a unique insight. He supports much of what he says from primary sources which he quotes at length. It is clear that he wants to persuade rather than assert. I found the story fascinating, comparable to any adventure novel.

The book contains really good information, Eusebius one of the best historian on early Church, supported by L Maier the book explains a lot details on that time when the Church there was started also the comments are really interesting for the reader and give a real idea on many acts that the Church suffered. I recommend for serious students.

The book itself is in great condition, easy to read print and Paul Maier's Commentary is very helpful. Just began it and new to learning about early church history, so I cannot comment on the content itself