Ecclesiastical History by Eusebius of Caesarea

Although his exact origin is unknown (his birth is estimated to be around 255 AD), the first references we have of him place him in Caesarea (hence the nickname added to his name), engaged in pastoral duties. He was a man who loved books, and one of his main objectives was to expand and enrich the important library that Origen had founded in this city, which already had nearly 30,000 volumes!, and which was placed under his care.

Eusebius wrote numerous books on apologetics, doctrine, and biblical geography – such as his famous "Onomasticon", in which he provides an ordered list of the main places in Palestine and identifies them. But his magnum opus was the well-known Ecclesiastical History, which established him as the first Christian historian. Most of the patristic documents – chronicles and apologetic works, written during the first 250 years of the Church's existence to try to defend against imperial persecutions and contain the advance of nascent heresies – would have been lost amidst the adverse situation in which Christian communities struggled to survive, had it not been for Eusebius, who dedicated himself to recounting them and writing an ordered account of the events of the Early Church, from the time of Christ to the time of Constantine.

Eusebius himself explains the plan and purpose of his work with these words: "I have proposed to record the successions of the holy apostles from our Savior to our days; how many and how great were the events that took place according to the history of the Church and who were distinguished in its government and direction in the most notable communities... I will add to all this the incidents that befell the entire Jewish people from the moment of their plot against our Savior, and also of the pagans who fought against the divine word, as well as the greatness of those who in their time suffered martyrdom. Therefore, I will begin this work starting from the dispensation of our Savior and Lord Jesus, the Christ of God... for whoever intends to write the origins of ecclesiastical history will need to begin with the first dispensation of Christ himself, since from Him we have the honor of receiving His name... so, we ask God for His guidance and the help of the Lord's power... since up to the present moment we are the first to undertake this labor as if trying to follow a deserted and untrodden path..."

It is impressive to think that these words were written by Eusebius barely three centuries after the death of Christ, at a time when the blood of martyrs was still fresh in imperial circuses and prisons.

There were already Spanish versions of Eusebius's Ecclesiastical History, of Catholic origin. However, from an evangelical perspective, the important aspect of the CLIE edition is that it is a translation made and commented on from a distinctly evangelical viewpoint. The hundreds of explanatory notes and appendices – by translator George Grayling and editor Samuel Vila – are almost as valuable as Eusebius's text itself. In fact, many of them openly challenge and criticize, from an evangelical perspective, some of Eusebius's own statements; while others clarify many concepts, providing a much broader historical perspective. For the evangelical reader, reading the notes is as important as reading the text.

This edition of Eusebius's Ecclesiastical History, including the explanatory notes to the text, is, in reality, a continuation of The Acts of the Apostles. An essential work of history that – if not all believers, then at least every pastor – should read and possess in their pastoral library.