Eusebius’ Church History
An Introduction and Study Guide
The first 300 years of the New Testament church was a rollercoaster ride for which few of us would get in line. Though there were some pockets of peace (depending upon who presently sat on the throne of the Roman Empire or where one lived geographically) the first three centuries after Christ came were fairly full of difficulties for those who bore the name of Christ. In the earliest years, as we may read about in the biblical book of Acts, Christians faced significant persecution from the Jewish authorities in Jerusalem and abroad. Towards the latter half of the first century, however, the Roman authorities took it upon themselves to carry on the work of persecution. They attempted to stamp out what they considered to be a seditious subgroup that had been growing within the Empire.
The reason for the shift from Jewish to Roman persecution of Christianity had multiple facets to it, but a major component of this shift is explained by the events of the Jewish-Roman wars. By the year 66 A.D. Jewish zealots had organized themselves to make an attempt to wrest Judaea from the hands of the Romans. Inevitably their attempts were insufficient to achieve their ends while being more than sufficient to raise the full ire of the Roman Empire upon them. In the year 70 A.D., under the generalship of Titus,1 the Romans seized Jerusalem and ultimately destroyed the Temple. This event, foretold by Jesus during his earthly ministry,2 functionally ended Judaism as it had been known up to that time (since the priests could no longer make offerings for sins).3
The attention of the Jews being directed upon Rome, and Rome’s subsequent demolition of Jerusalem, effectively decreased the negative attention of the Jewish people towards the Christian religion. Nevertheless, many of the Romans seemed to lump Christianity and Judaism together without distinction. Therefore the attention of the Romans and their persecution of the Jews also fell indiscriminately upon Christians at times.
Fast forward to the late first century, and on into the second and third, it becomes more clear to Roman authorities that Christianity is its own entity. Nevertheless, and often because of misunderstanding concerning Christian faith and practice, quite a few Roman emperors and subsidiary authorities believed Christianity to be a plague upon the empire to be eliminated. Among the reasons that Christianity was said to be bad for the empire were such claims as “Christians are cannibals!” (a misunderstanding of the Lord’s Supper), “Christians are incestuous!” (another misunderstanding concerning the Lord’s Supper which were sometimes called “love feasts”), and “Christians are atheists!” (because Christians denied the real existence of the Greek and Roman gods).4
Despite their misunderstandings of Christianity, probably the number one reason Christians were persecuted in the early church was because they believed that Jesus Christ was King of kings and Lord of lords and they would not bow the knee to Caesar. Under some administrations of the Empire the “emperor cult” was stronger than others, but always Christians would categorically refuse to offer incense to the emperor as the custom was required in many places across the Empire. This act of refusal to acknowledge Caesar as the supreme Lord led to banishment, loss of houses and property, torture, and gruesome death for many Christians.
During this time, however, the gospel continued to spread like wildfire. The harder the Empire squeezed the more Christians it made. Churches met secretly in homes, developed code phrases and symbols to speak to one another and mark out meeting places, and they worshipped Jesus Christ with self abandon. Their love for the Lord and for each other, their dedication to the body of Christ, as well as their overwhelming love for their own persecutors, proved to be an impossible force to conquer. Despite the burning of churches, private homes, and even attempts to gather the copies of the Scriptures and destroy them utterly, the gates of Hell could not prevail against Christ’s church.
In the year 313 A.D. co-emperors Constantine and Licinius issued the Edict of Milan which made Christianity a free and legal religion in the Roman Empire. It is only a little while after this victory that Eusebius wrote his Church History in an attempt to chronicle the 300 year long wild ride of Christianity’s growth and expansion in the midst of unimaginable trials and difficulties. During that time believers were consumed with the basic needs of survival and with their commitment to sharing the gospel with their friends, family, neighbors, and persecutors. They wrote letters to encourage their brethren, theological treatises against heretics, they wrote apologies (defenses) of the Christian faith to respond to false accusations being made against them, but they did not write much in the way of histories. With the freedom that came from the Edict of Milan, however, Christians were now able to give time and attention to other important (even if secondary) matters that had been neglected.
So, Eusebius’ history of the church was the first work of its kind to be written since Luke wrote the book of Acts some 250 years prior. Eusebius wrote, as might be well understood, with a tone of triumph as he reveled in the glorious fact that the gospel of Jesus Christ was now free to be openly proclaimed, and that places of public worship were being constructed, and even the Emperor himself (Constantine the Great) had now publicly declared his personal allegiance to Jesus as Lord! Eusebius wrote with the confidence that was not only appropriate to his present circumstance but which is also appropriate for all students of Scripture. Jesus is Lord! Every knee will bow and every tongue confess. The gospel marches on. We will win down here.
Below you will find links to each section of the study guide for Eusebius’ Church History as they become available. If you would like to pick up a copy of the book to join in the study you may do so by clicking HERE. The translation that is being used is done by Paul L. Maier and it’s quite excellent. For a list of other Great Books study guides already available, in development, or planned for the future you can click HERE.
Book 1
Book 2
Book 3
Book 4
Book 5
Book 6
Book 7
Book 8
Book 9
Book 10
A PDF version of this study with lots of extras is available to Paid Subscribers!
Titus was the son of the then current emperor, Vespasian. Vespasian reigned from 69-79 A.D. and was succeeded by his son, Titus, who reigned from 79-81 A.D.
Matthew 24:2
With the end of what was known as “second temple Judaism” this gave rise to “rabbinic Judaism” which is more akin to the modern Judaism of today.
Interestingly this charge was also raised against Socrates at his trial in 399 B.C.
I read this on a treadmill in a gym at which I had a temp membership. It was a coming-of-age experience. I was reading about the circuses of Lyon (a footnote called them "human demolition derbies ") & the sobering thought hit me on the face that I was reading about the Church, but not just its history.
There were quotes at the same time coming from the hierarchy. "I will die peacefully in bed. My successor will die in prison. And his successor will be publicly executed. "[Cardinal George] Also, "what you're asking us, Mr. President, is for Catholics to betray their consciences." [Cardinal ... about Obama's HHS mandate]
For the first time in my shallow life, being a Catholic looked like a very serious, serious commitment.
Jacob, this is excellent. Well done, but not surprised.