This week in Christian history: Anti-Catholic riots in England, ‘father of church history’ dies
Eusebius of Caesarea dies – May 30, 339
This week marks the anniversary of what is generally believed to be the date in which Eusebius of Caesarea, an early church bishop known as the “father of church history,” died.
Eusebius wrote multiple historical works, the two most prominent being “Chronicle” and “Church History.” With the latter, the fourth century bishop sought to document the history of Christianity, from the first generation of believers described in the New Testament book of Acts to his own time period.
“Although posterity suspected him of Arianism, Eusebius had made himself indispensable by his method of authorship; his comprehensive and careful excerpts from original sources saved his successors the painstaking labor of research,” explained the Christian Classics Ethereal Library.
“His time justly considered him its most learned man. A list of the sources he used for his church history would show what an amount of work had to be done to elaborate and sift the mass of material.”
