Known as the “Father of Church History,” Eusebius was bishop of Caesarea in Palestine and the leading Christian scholar of his day. His Ecclesiastical History is an irreplaceable chronicle of Christianity’s early development, from its origin in Judaism, through two and a half centuries of illegality and occasional persecution, to a new era of tolerance and favor under the Emperor Constantine. In this book, Michael J. Hollerich recovers the reception of this text across time. As he shows, Eusebius adapted classical historical writing for a new “nation,” the Christians, with a distinctive theo-political vision. Eusebius’s text left its mark on Christian historical writing from late antiquity to the early modern period—across linguistic, cultural, political, and religious boundaries—until its encounter with modern historicism and postmodernism. Making Christian History demonstrates Eusebius’s vast influence throughout history, not simply in shaping Christian culture but also when falling under scrutiny as that culture has been reevaluated, reformed, and resisted over the past 1,700 years.

Often called the "Father of Church History," Eusebius was the first to trace the rise of Christianity during its crucial first three centuries from Christ to Constantine. Our principal resource for earliest Christianity, The Church History presents a panorama of apostles, church fathers, emperors, bishops, heroes, heretics, confessors, and martyrs. This paperback edition includes Paul L. Maier's clear and precise translation, historical commentary on each book in The Church History, and numerous maps, illustrations, and photographs. Coupled with helpful indexes and the Loeb numbering system, these features promise to liberate Eusebius from previous outdated and stilted works, creating a new standard primary resource for readers interested in the early history of Christianity. Reviews of the hardcover edition: "The publication of a new translation of Eusebius's The Church History is an important event. This translation, along with the helpful introductions and commentary by Paul L. Maier, makes early history come alive." --Mark A. Noll, Francis A. McAnaney Professor of History, University of Notre Dame "There is no book more important to understanding the early church than Eusebius's The Church History. And there is no edition more readable and engaging than this one." --Mark Galli, Managing Editor, Christianity Today Paul L. Maier is the Russell H. Seibert Professor of Ancient History at Western Michigan University. He received his Ph.D. summa cum laude from the University of Basel, the first American ever to do so. Frequently interviewed for national radio, television, and newspapers, Maier is the author of numerous articles and books, both fiction and nonfiction, with several million books in print in sixteen languages. His publications include the award-winning translation, Josephus: The Essential Works.

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.

Next to Josephus, Eusebius is the most widely-consulted reference work on the early church. Much of our knowledge of the first three centuries of Christianity--the terrible persecutions, the courageous martyrs, and the theological controversies--come from the writings of this first century historian. The hardcover edition of this new translation includes more than 150 color photographs, maps, and charts.

This edition of The History of the Church contains all ten chronologically arranged books by Eusebius, which together outline the major events in the early history of the Christian church between the 1st and 4th centuries AD. Ever since its publication in the 4th century, the Church History of Eusebius has enjoyed prominence as a much-cited sources on the subject. To this day it functions as a starting point for many historians, theologians, scholars and other interested readers wishing to research the ancient Christian church. Although many of the opinions Eusebius expressed are controversial - for example blaming the misfortunes of the Jewish peoples upon the death of Jesus - his work comprehensively chronicles the complex and storied events characterizing early Christendom. Eusebius begins his book with a detailed recounting of the life and personality of Jesus Christ, the son of God. This is followed by the destruction of Jerusalem by the Roman general and later Emperor, Titus. The progress of Christianity through the time of the Emperor Trajan, and thereafter through rulers such as Septimus and Decius is recorded. The later books concern themselves with the persecution of early Christian believers, which was a frequent event during the rule of Diocletian. The profound effects this had upon the church's organisation and following is much detailed. Finally, the successful campaigns of the Emperor Constantine - who was the first Roman Emperor to be avowedly Christian - is covered, followed by the formal re-establishment of Christianity. Living in the 4th century AD as one of the earliest bishops, Eusebius of Caesarea was in an authoritative position to record the principle history of the Christian church. He had at his disposal the sizable library of Caesarea, and had spent his life in the study of a multitude of texts. His reputation, as attested in various chronicles, was as one of the most learned scholars on matters of the Christian religion alive at the time. Despite these appraisals, The Church History of Eusebius has had its accuracy called into question by subsequent historians and Christian figures. A common charge is that the book is more occupied with praising the Roman hegemony than strict accuracy. Modern historians of the 20th and 21st centuries meanwhile regard Eusebius as exclusionary to sources or opinions he deemed unfavorable or divergent with his own, personal point of view.