The History of the Church: From Christ to Constantine (Penguin Classics) by Eusebius - Should be required reading for all Christians

Beginning with persecution at the beginning of the fourth century and ending with the conversion of the Emperor Constantine, the author demonstrates the purity and continuity of the doctrinal tradition of Christianity in its struggle against persecutors and heretics.

Should be required reading for all Christians
As ancient and stiff as Eusebius writing sounds to modern ears, the subject matter of his most famous book nevertheless retains the power to utterly astound. To read Eusebius is to be transported- to hear the Apostles preach in the agoras of the ancient world, and hear the last prayers of the martyrs in the arena; we read the persecution edicts, and the extrabiblical words of Jesus Christ Himself. We listen to the first-hand accounts of the arguments, rumors, controversies and heresies that so disturbed the Early Church. And we can imagine delving the dark archives with Eusebius, who preserved so many valuable snippets of history from too many works which are now lost to the world. A few of the more interesting revelations are:

*a letter written by Jesus Christ to the King of Armenia.
*the existence in Eusebius time of color portraits of Jesus, Peter and Paul, and a statue of Christ, all of which were made from life.
*The actions of Pope Victor in the late 100s, who excommunicated all the Eastern churches because of a disagreement over the date of Easter.
*An account of the continuing argument, at the time of this books composition around 324 AD, over the New Testament canon.
*The extrabiblical deeds of the Apostles.
*A full account of Montanus heresy, as well as many others.
*Transcriptions of early preaching.
*Descriptions of early worship and beliefs.
*The actual words of the Edict of Milan, which legalized Christianity in the Roman Empire.
*Accounts of how the Church dealt with the various persecutions.

Its an exciting and valuable book, both to the secular student of history- who should appreciate the illumination of a dark chapter- and to the Christian above all. If you are a Christian, the life of Christ was the central event in human existence, which should make the history of His Church of primary importance and interest to you. In fact, when it comes to understanding the true Gospel of Jesus, knowledge of the early history of the Church is often a prerequisite to properly interpreting Scripture.

In the first place, we all have an easy time agreeing on the authority of Scripture, but interpreting it has been a different story. When man has tried to interpret Scripture on the basis of Scripture alone, some 33,000 different denominations have been the result. Why not put it in context and study how the early church interpreted the teachings of Jesus and the Apostles? Who has a better understanding of the Gospel? The man in 2008 interpreting it for himself out of his King James Bible, or the people who actually learned it at the feet of Jesus or the Apostles? By reading the history of the early Church, we understand exactly what those first generations of Christians actually believed. It seems ludicrous to think that our detached, individualized Sola Scriptura interpretation is more reliable than their theology and praxis.

In the second place, as Eusebius history attests, as late as the 4th century the Church was still arguing about which books constituted the New Testament. The New Testament was not the rule of Faith for the early Christians since a New Testament per se (not to mention widespread literacy) didnt exist- it was the living faith of the Church, as passed down from generation to generation and kept pure by a clerical hierarchy, which constituted the authority of the faithful. Shouldnt the undisputed historical record of what that early Church believed be a more authoritative measure of the Faith than any modern interpretation based on Scripture alone? This is why historical Christianity has always wisely accounted Scripture and Tradition as two expressions (written and oral) of the same Gospel, which must of course always be in accord. An ancient test of doctrine was whether a certain belief had been held always, everywhere, and by all. By according authority only to Scripture, and denying it to the Faith as it was lived since the beginning, you run into some serious logical and theological problems.

Thats not to say that Eusebius or any extrabiblical history is infallible. For instance, I think the account of Jesus letter to the Armenian king should be taken with a grain of salt. However, when page after page of history speaks with one voice on a certain question -such as the early Churchs belief in Apostolic Succession or clerical hierarchy, shouldnt the honest Christian allow that fact to impact his belief? Thats why inquiring minds should be warned- Cardinal Newman had a pithy saying about being steeped in history: it forces honest Christians to reevaluate their belief systems. We should all know our roots, and Eusebius Ecclesiastical History is a great place to start understanding where we came from and how we got to where we are.

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