1001Philosophers

Eusebius of Caesarea c. 260 AD – c. 340 AD

Eusebius of Caesarea was a Greek Christian bishop, scholar, and historian and the principal author of the first surviving general history of the Christian Church. After the persecutions and the conversion of Constantine, he played a leading role at the Council of Nicaea and remained a close adviser to the emperor. His ten-volume Ecclesiastical History preserves much of what we know of the first three Christian centuries, while the Preparation for the Gospel and Demonstration of the Gospel offer a sustained intellectual case for Christian truth. He is the principal source for the lost philosophical writings of Numenius, Porphyry, and many others.

Key facts

Nationality
Greek-Roman
Era
Ancient
Movements
Christian

Selected quotes

  • Attributed to Eusebius of Caesarea:

    “History is the record of God's providence in the world.”

  • Attributed to Eusebius of Caesarea:

    “The truth of the Gospel is older than the world.”

  • Attributed to Eusebius of Caesarea:

    “Christianity is the fulfillment of the philosophical search of the nations.”

  • Attributed to Eusebius of Caesarea:

    “Religion is best preserved in writing.”

  • Attributed to Eusebius of Caesarea:

    “The blood of the martyrs witnesses to the truth of the faith.”