Eusebius of Caesarea, Ecclesiastical History Book One

Here is the first installment of Book One. As an aside, just translating this bit reminded me of two things. First,my ancient Greek is really quite rusty, despite regularly reading the Greek New Testament over the last few years. Second, I really need to sort out the dictionary issue as some meanings aren't really in my small Liddell and Scott. For those who might be interested in my translating problems, please see my footnotes. Questions and observations always welcome. 

This passage is the table of contents for the first book, so, also, serves to warn the reader about what is coming up as far as installments go. Last time I tried to translate parts of the Ecclesiastical History, I bogged down in the very theological early part of this book, so I'm hoping I'll be able to work though that in good order. I can see why those sections need to be there, but they aren't easy. 

The first book of the Ecclesiastical History embraces these (topics)

1.      What foundation is there for (God’s) promise?

2.      A summary account concerning the pre-existence and divinity of the our Savior and Lord, Christ, the son of God.

3.      How the name of Jesus and even that of Christ became known from the first and honoured among the prophets who were sent by God.

4.      How the manner of the religion announced by him to all nations is neither revolutionary nor strange.

5.      Concerning the time of his appearance to men.

6.      How at that time, in accordance with the prophets, the leaders who succeeded their ancestors and ruled the people of Israel and the foreign king, Herod, died out[1].

7.      Concerning the recognized discord in the gospels about the birth of Christ.

8.      Concerning the plot of Herod against the children and how the sudden end of his life pursued him.

9.      Concerning the time of Pilate.

10.  Concerning the high priests of the Jews to whom Christ taught.

11.  Those things about the Jews which have been were witnessed to by the Baptist and Jesus.

12.  Concerning the disciples of our Savior.

13.  The history concerning the ruler of Edessa.

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[1] Herod, the foreign king is in the nominative, so it seems logical to take this with the main verb, but I’m not sure if it makes sense in the context of the chapter. May need to revise. 

Eusebius of Caesarea, Ecclesiastical History

Now that summer is getting closer, I thought I'd like to start a new translation series on Eusebius of Caesarea's Ecclesiastical History. I chose Eusebius, not so much because he hasn't been translated before, but because I wanted to work some rust off my patristic Greek. My eventual aim is to work towards translating Byzantine Greek historians, but I'm not quite confident enough to go in without the nets, as it were. As an aside, if any of my readers have any suggestions of good dictionaries for Late Roman and Byzantine Greek, let me know. I have seen the new reprint of Evangelinos Sophocles, but I have little idea how complete and good that source is. So, as I say, if you have input, pass that along.

Meanwhile, for those of my readers who don't know much about Eusebius of Caesarea, a short biography is in order. Eusebius of Caesarea was a writer and bishop, who flourished in the early to middle fourth century AD. He was born, probably, in the early 260s AD and spent his early years in Caesarea, studying with Pamphilus, then Bishop of Caesarea, and taking care of the library of Origen. The diocese of Caesarea inherited this library from the great theologian of the previous generation, Origen, when he settled there after being driven out of Egypt. When the Great Persecution broke out in AD 303, Eusebius moved around between Tyre and Egypt, but evaded martyrdom. After the persecution ended, Eusebius was elected bishop of Caesarea, succeeding his mentor, Pamphilus, in AD 313. Eusebius became a major adviser of Constantine and laid the foundation of the political theology for Christendom for generations to come. Eusebius involved himself in the politics of the Eastern Church, including a notable, if not particularly edifying role in the early Arian controversy. He was an early supporter of Arius, but was forced to withdraw his support in the Council of Nicaea. However, he, also, helped to lead a reaction against many of the leaders of the Nicene party, including Athanasius. He died soon after Constantine in AD 337.

The date of the Ecclesiastical History is much debated. However, there is general agreement that the first seven books seem to have been were likely published before AD 311. The last books were completed in their final form by AD 325. Eusebius' history is, generally, valued for its rich source materials, but not so much for Eusebius' historical judgement, which has been criticized severely over the centuries. It was, however, a highly influential work because it introduced the new historical genre of ecclesiastical history. I find this development fascinating because ecclesiastical historians offered an alternative historical vision to the classical history which made the political state the focus of history. Ecclesiastical histories place the church at the centre, making its theological clashes its wars, the councils, its major battles and the lives of Christian saints and sinners, the heroes and villains of history. It makes for a very different set of priorities, although not necessarily any more edifying.

The text I'll use in the Loeb edition, Eusebius, The Ecclesiastical History, K. Lake, transl. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1927 (reprint: 1992).