An Editorial Moment

While I was glancing through my edition, I came across this editorial comment. It, apparently was only preserved in manucript E (Codes Laurentianus 70,20). I'm intrigued with it because it is an interesting example of an editorial warning label, cautioning the reader about the 'suspect' theology of Eusebius of Caesarea. It is, of course, in accord with the Church's view on Eusebius- a useful historian, but heretical in his theology. Interesting that this one manuscript editor felt the need to warn his readers though.

The reader should see that you do not carry off the heretical opinion of the writer. Although the present book is especially useful in regard to history, yet, in places, he seems to speak theologically about God in absolute terms. Here, he does not seem to hold false opinions to some when he speaks about the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. But, everywhere he, as an Arian, shows the son as subordinate to, secondary to and a servant of the Father, showing his own concealed opinion. 

Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History Book 1- Contents

I'm starting where my translations starts: the table of contents for this first book. This is a feature of Eusebius and several authors and is meant to give an idea of what is in the section we are examining, like any modern table of contents. As a rule, I'm going to leave in any unresolved translation issues in footnotes. The text which I've translated will always be in bold.

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

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

2.      A summary abstract concerning the pre-existence and divinity of 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 reverence announced by him to all nations is neither revolutionary nor foreign

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.  Concerning those things about the Jews about which John the Baptist and Jesus born witness

12.  Concerning the disciples of our Savior.

13.  The narrative concerning the ruler of Edessa.

For completeness, I'm providing a brief bibliography at the end of each passage. You'll note that they are mostly dictionaries which are usually not cited, but, as I'm thinking seriously about the language, I'll need to cite them occasionally. Keep in mind though that I'll sometimes consult the full Liddell and Scott ancient Greek dictionary as I did in the footnote below, but, usually, I use the abridged one listed below. 

Bibliography: 

Text: 

Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History Vol. 1. Kirsopp Lake, ed. and transl. Cambridge, Mass: Loeb Classical Library, 1992 (1927)

References:

Liddell and Scott, Lexicon. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1996 (1891)

E. A. Sophocles, Greek Lexicon of the Roman and Byzantine Periods from B.C. 146 to A.D. 1100 Part One and Two. New York, Scribner and Sons, 1900. 

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[1] eusebeiaV- Both Kirsopp Lake’s translation and Sophocles take this as religion, but I’m more inclined to go back to the original sense of the word and go with reverence as I think that the term religion may have more of an institutionalized sense now which distracts from the sense of the passage.