Eusebius - History of the First Church Term Paper

Eusebius - History of the First Church - Term Paper Example Nothing is known of the parents of Eusebius, though, it is clear from his works that he must have received an extensive education in philosophy, biblical and theological sciences. He was greatly admired and cherished as a man and regarded as one who was very influential over his colleagues. At one time he was Presbyter of the Church, though it is difficult to narrow down an exact date for this. Eusebius was born C. 260 and lived through May of 339. He was baptized and ordained at Caesarea where Pamphilus gave him the name ‘Eusebius Pamphili’, meaning â€Å"son or servant of Pamphilus† (Eusebius Of Caesarea). It is possible that Eusebius was imprisoned for some time by Roman authorities as he was taunted years later for having escaped through some acts of submission though this is verified. He began to write the Ecclesiastical History during the Roman prosecutions and it was revised several times between 312 and 324. He described this work as a full and complete documented history of the Christian Church in which he used many paraphrasing and quotes from outside sources. This allowed earlier portions of work to be preserved which adds significant historical value. Eusebius’ role in the doctrinal debates and disputes within the Catholic Church during the fourth century included issues regarding the nature of Jesus Christ, enquiring as to the possibility that he had always existed in some form prior to human. Eusebius knew nothing of the Western Church and his strength was not in being a historian. Eusebius became the Bishop of Caesarea in 313 and in 318 became involved in controversy stemming from the views of a Priest from Alexander who taught subordination of the son to the father, and Eusebius, accordingly, soon became a leading supporter of Arius. Eusebius’ style was one that â€Å"weaved short entries into a broader scheme† (Ferguson), though some considered