Born in Palestine near the end of the reign of Gallineus, Eusebius of Caesarea was one of the first Church historians. In fact, he is called the "Father of church history." (Cairns 1996, 136) Not much is known about his early learning or lifestyle. It is unknown who his secular scholars are, but one of his teachers of sacred literature was Dorotheus the Eunuch. His mother was the sister of the martyr Pamphilus, but any other information about his parents remains unknown. (Parker 1981, 2) Eusebius was given to the task of church history; his personality fit the role very well. He had a "gentle and agreeable disposition and disliked the quarrels engendered by the Arian herecy." (Cairns 1996, 136) Eusebius lived during a time of persecution against Christians and on many occasions saw friends put in prison and other Christians martyred. Following this persecution though, Eusebius was actually elevated to the position of Bishop of Caesarea.
Stained glass at St John the Baptist's Anglican Ch...
James Bond Island
First page of the Gospel of Mark, by Sargis Pitsak...Eusebius fought hard through his writing to avoid the pollution of the Christian faith by the Arian heretics. (Parker 1981, 9) His greatest work was Ecclesiastical History, a survey of the early history of the church. Due to the access he had to the libraries in Caesarea, this work is now quite valuable to the history of the church. Other works he has written include Chronicle, Life of Constantine and more. Eusebius had a few successors, and while they were good, they never measured up to Eusebius' reliability. (Cairns 1996, 136)
Eusebius' greatest work, Ecclesiastical History, tells the story of the events that transpired from the time of Jesus until roughly 350A.D. It is written in chronological order historically, but due to this, Eusebius covered a great deal of terrain, numerous people and many events, often jumping back and forth. Ecclesiastical History is...