Description
Eusebius of Caesarea (c. 260–340 ce) is the first historian of the Christian church, and his Ecclesiastical History continues to be the principal source for the history of Christianity from the earliest period to Eusebius’ own day. As modern scholars inform, history is always an interpretation of the past, and not the past itself. With this maxim in mind, the seminar turns to an investigation of how Eusebius shaped early Christian history. What did he emphasize and what did he also de-emphasize with regard to that history? In that Eusebius has had such a large influence and indeed monopoly on the history of early Christianity, an investigation of Eusebian methods is important. By making apparent the fissures in his history, we pave a way for the inclusion of alternate voices and issues of the period. Discussion with David DeVore and Elizabeth Penland.
