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).