Eusebius' ecclesiastical history: complete and unabridged

xlvi, 477 ; 25 cm Eusebius' Ecclesiastical History is one of the classics of early Christianity and of equal stature with the works of Flavius Josephus. Eusebius chronicles the events of the first three centuries of the Christian church in such a way as to record a vast number of vital facts about early Christianity that can be learned from no other ancient source. When Eusebius (c. A.D. 260-340) wrote his Ecclesiastical History, his vital concern was to record facts before they disappeared, and before eye-witnesses were killed and libraries were burned and destroyed in persecutions by Rome. He faithfully transcribed the most important existing documents of his day so that future generations would have a collection of factual data to interpret. Thus Eusebius richly deserves the title "father of Church history."--Book cover Revised from Baker Books ed Containing Loeb reference numbers Includes bibliographical references and index Book 1: -- Subject of the present work -- Summary view of the preexistence and divinity of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ; reasons why the gospel was not proclaimed sooner -- The name Jesus, as also that of Christ, was both known and honored from ancient times by the inspired prophets -- The religion announced by Christ among all nations was neither unexpected nor strange -- The times of our Savior's manifestation among men -- About the time of our Lord, agreeable to prophecy, those rulers ceased who had formerly governed the nation of the Jews by regular succession, and Herod was the first foreigner who reigned over them -- On the discrepancy which is supposed to exist in the gospels respecting the genealogy of Christ -- Herod's cruelty against the infants and his wretched end -- Of the times of Pilate -- The high priest of the Jews, under whom Christ promulgated his doctrines -- The testimonies respecting John the Baptist and Christ -- Of the disciples of our Lord -- Narrative respecting the prince of Edessa Book 2: -- The course the apostles pursued after the ascension of Christ -- How Tiberius was affected when informed by Pilate, respecting Christ -- How the Christian doctrine soon spread throughout the whole world -- Caius (Caligula), after the death of Tiberius, appointed Agrippa king of the Jews after punishing Herod with perpetual exile -- Philo was sent on an embassy to Caius on behalf of the Jews -- What evils overwhelmed the Jews after their presumption against Christ -- How Pilate destroyed himself -- The famine that happened in the reign of Claudius -- The martyrdom of the apostle James -- Herod Agrippa, persecuting the apostles, immediately experienced divine judgment -- Concerning the impostor Theudas and his followers -- Helen, queen of the Osrhoenians -- Simon Magus -- The preaching of Peter in the city of Rome -- The gospel according to Mark -- Mark first proclaimed Christianity to the inhabitants of Egypt -- The account given by Philo concerning the ascetics of Egypt -- The books of Philo that have come down to us -- The calamity which befell the Jew at Jerusalem on the day of Passover -- The deeds done at Jerusalem in the reign of Nero -- The Egyptian mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles -- Paul, being sent prisoner from Judea to Rome, after his defense was absolved from all crime -- The martyrdom of James, the brother of the Lord -- Annianus appointed the first bishop of Alexandria after Mark -- The persecution under Nero in which Paul and Peter were honored with martyrdom in the cause of religion at Rome -- The Jews were afflicted with innumerable evils and finally commenced a war with the Romans Book 3: -- The parts of the world where Christ was preached by the apostles -- The first who presided over the church at Rome -- Of the epistles of the apostles -- The first successors of the apostles -- The last siege of the Jews after Christ -- The famine that oppressed the Jews -- The predictions of Christ -- The signs that preceded the war -- Of Josephus and the works he has left -- The manner in which Josephus mentioned the Holy Scriptures -- Simeon ruled the church of Jerusalem after James -- Vespasian commanded the descendants of David to be sought -- Anencletus, the second bishop of Rome -- Avilius, the second bishop of Alexandria -- Clement, the third bishop of Rome -- The Epistle of Clement -- The persecution of the Christians under Domitian -- Of John the apostle and the Revelation -- Domitian commanded the posterity of David to be slain -- Of the relatives of our Lord -- Cordon, the third bishop of Antioch -- Narrative respecting the apostle John -- The order of the gospels -- The sacred Scriptures acknowledged as genuine and those that are not -- Menander, the impostor -- The heresy of the Ebionites -- Cerinthus, the heresiarch -- Nicolause and his followers -- The apostled who lived in marriage -- The deaths of John and Philip -- The martyrdom of Simeon, bishop of Jerusalem -- Trajan forbade the Christians to be sought after -- Euarestus, the fourth bishop of the church at Rome -- Justus, the third bishop of Jerusalem -- The epistles of Ignatius -- The preaching evangelists who were yet living in that age -- The epistle of Clement and those falsely ascribed to him -- The writings of Papias Book 4: -- The bishops of Rome and Alexandria in the reign of Trajan -- The calamities of the Jews about this time -- The authors who wrote in the defense of the faith in the reign of Adrian -- The bishops of Alexandria and Rome, under the same emperor -- The bishops of Jerusalem from the period of our Savior until these times -- The last siege of the Jews under Adrian -- Those who were considered leaders in false doctrine at this time -- The ecclesiastical writer then flourishing -- The epistle of Hadrian, forbidding the Christians to be punished without trial -- The bishops of Rome and Alexandria, in Antonine's reign -- The heresiarchs of these times -- The apology of Justin, addressed to Antoninus -- The epistle of Antoninus to the assembly of Asia, respecting our doctrine -- Circumstances related of Polycarp, an apostolic man -- The martyrdom of Polycarp, with others at Smyrna -- How Justine the philosopher suffered martyrdom, asserting the doctrines of Christ -- The martyrs mentioned by Justin in his books -- The books of Justin that have come down to us -- Those who presided over the churches of Rome and Alexandria in the reign of Verus -- The bishops of Antioch -- The ecclesiastical writers who flourished in these times -- Of Hegesippus, and those he mentioned -- Of Dionysius, bishop of Corinth, and his epistles -- Of Theophilus, bishop of Antioch -- Of Philip and Modestus -- Of Melito and the circumstances he records -- Of Appollinaris, bishop of Hierapolis -- Of Musanus and his works -- The heresy of Tatianus -- Of Bardesanes the Syrian and the works of his extant Book 5: -- The number and sufferings of those who suffered for the faith in Gaul -- Those who had fallen away, kindly restored by the pious martyrs -- The vision that appeared to Attalus the martyr, in a dream -- The martyrs commended Irenaeus in their epistles -- God sent rain from heaven to Marcus Aurelius, the emperor, at the prayers of our brethren -- Catalogue of the bishops of Rome -- Miracles were performed in those times by believers -- The statement of Irina's respecting the sacred Scriptures -- The bishops under Commodus -- On Pantaenus the philosopher -- Clement of Alexandria -- The bishops of Jerusalem -- Of Rhodo and the dissension occasioned by Marcion, which he recorded -- The false prophets of the Phrygians -- Of the schism of Blastus at Rome -- The affairs of Montanus and his false prophets -- Of Miltiades and his works -- Apollonius's refutation of the Phrygian heresy, and those whom he has mentioned -- The opinion of serapion respecting the heresy of the Phrygians -- The writings of Irenaeus against the schismatics at Rome -- The martyrdom of Apollonius at Rome -- The bishops who flourished at this time -- The question then agitated respecting the Passover -- The dissension of the churches in Asia -- All agree to one opinion respecting the Passover -- The elegant works of Irenaeus that have come down to us -- The works of others that flourished at the time -- Those who followed the heresy of Artemon, in the beginning -- their character, conduct; and attempt at corrupting the Scriptures Book 6: -- The persecution under Severus -- The education of Origen from his earliest youth -- When a very young man, Origen preached the gospel -- The number of his catechumens who suffered martyrdom -- Of Potamiaena -- Clement of Alexandria -- The historian Judas -- The resolute act of Origen -- The miracle of Narcissus -- The bishops in Jerusalem -- Of Alexander -- Serapion and the writings ascribed to him -- The works of Clement -- The books that Clement mentioned -- Of Heraclas -- The great study Origen devoted to the Holy Scriptures -- Of the translator Symmachus -- Of Amrose -- The accounts of Origen given by others -- The works of the writers of the day still extant -- The bishops who were noted at this time -- The works of Haploids that have reached us -- Origen's zeal and his elevation to this priesthood -- The expositions he gave at Alexandria -- his review of the collective Scriptures -- Heraclas succeeded to the episcopate of Alexandria -- How the bishops regarded Origen -- The persecution under Maximinus -- Of Fabianus, who was remarkably appointed bishop of Rome by divine communication -- The pupils of Origen -- Of Africanus -- The commentaries that Origen wrote in Palestine -- The error of Beryllus -- Of Philip Caesar -- Dionysius succeeded Heraclas in the episcopate -- Other works written by Origen -- The dissension of the Arabians -- The heresy of the Helcesaites -- The persecution of Decius -- What happened to Dionysius -- Of those who suffered martyrdom at Alexandria -- Other accounts given by Dionysius -- Of Novatus -- his manners, habits, and heresy -- Dionysius's account of Serapion -- The epistle of Dionysius to Novatus -- Other epistles of Dionysius Book 7: -- The great wickedness of Decius and Gallus -- The bishops of Rome at this time -- Cyprian and the bishops connected with him maintained that those who had turned from heretical error should be baptized again -- The epistles that Dionysius wrote on this subject -- The peace after the persecution -- The heresy of Sabelius -- The execrable error of the heretics, the divine vision of Dionysius, and the ecclesiastical canon given to him -- The heterodoxy of Novatus -- The ungodly baptism of heretics -- Valerian and the persecution he raised -- The sufferings of Dionysius and those in Egypt -- The martyrs of Caesarea of Palestine -- The peace after Gallienus -- The bishops who flourished at this time -- The martyrdom of Marinus at Caesarea -- Some accounts of Astyrius -- The miracles of our Savior at Paneas -- The statue erected by the woman having an hemorrhage -- The episcopal seat of James -- The epistles of Dionysius on festivals, in which he gave the canon of the Passover -- The events that occurred at Alexandria -- The pestilence which then prevailed -- The reign of Gallienus -- Of Nepos and his schism -- The apocalypse of John -- The epistle of Dionysius -- Paul of Samosata and the heresy introduced by him at Antioch -- The different bishops then distinguished -- Paul, refuted by a certain Malchion, one of the presbyters who had been a sophist, was deposed -- The epistle of the council against Paul -- The error of the Manichees, which commenced at this time -- Of those distinguished ecclesiastical writers of our own day, and those who survived until the destruction of the churches Book 8: -- The events that preceded the persecution in our times -- The demolition of the churches -- The nature of the conflicts endured by the martyrs in the persecution -- The illustrious martyrs of God who filled every place with the celebrity of their names and various crowns of martyrdom for their piety -- The affairs of Nicomedia -- Those who were in the palace -- The Egyptians who suffered in Phoenicia -- Those who suffered in Egypt -- Of those in Thebais -- The writings of Phileas, that gave an account of the martyrs of Alexandria -- The events in Phrygia -- Of many others who suffered in various ways -- Those prelates who evinced the reality of the religion they proclaimed with their blood -- The morals of the persecutors -- The events that happened to the heathen -- The change of affairs for the better -- The revocation of the emperors The Book of Martyrs: -- Procopius, Alpheus, and Zaccheus -- Romanus -- Timotheus, Agapius, Thecla, and eight others -- Arvin's -- Ulpian and Aedsius -- Agapius -- Theodosia, Domninus, and Auxentius -- Other confessors and Valentina and Paulus -- The renewal of the persecution with greater violence; Antoninus, Zebina, Germanus, and others -- Petrus Ascetes, Asclepius the Marcionite, and others -- Pamphilus and others -- The prelates of the church -- Silvanus and John and thirty others Book 9: -- The pretended relaxation -- The subsequent reversal -- The new statue erected at Antioch -- The decrees against us -- The false acts -- Those who suffered martyrdom at this time -- The measures decreed against us, and engraved on pillars -- The events that occurred after these -- famine, pestilence, and war -- The death of the tyrants and their expressions before their end -- The victory of the pious emperors -- The total destruction of the enemies of religion Book 10: -- The peace that was granted us by divine interposition -- The restoration of the churches -- The dedication of the churches in all places -- Eulogy on the splendor of our affairs -- Copies of the imperial decrees -- Of the property belonging to the Christians -- The privileges and immunities of the clergy -- The wickedness that Licinius exhibited, and his death -- The victory of Constantine, and the blessings that accrued under him to the whole Roman world A historical view of the Council of Nicea : -- Translation of related documents