Eusebius—“Father Bilong Church History”?
LONG year 325 C.E., Roman Emperor Constantine kolem kam evri bishop bilong hem long Nicaea. Goal bilong hem: for finisim datfala raoa abaotem hu nao God and hu nao Son bilong hem. Wanfala long olketa man hia hem Eusebius from Ceasarea, wea long datfala taem pipol ting long hem olsem savveman wea winim evri narawan. Eusebius studyim gud olketa Scripture and hem barava defendim datfala Christian teaching wea sei God hem wanfala nomoa.
Olsem Encyclopædia Britannica talem, long datfala Council bilong Nicaea, “Constantine nao chairman, and hem leadim evri samting wea olketa stori raonem, and hem nao wan wea talem . . . datfala important idea wea storyim hu nao Christ and God long datfala biliv wea council hia talem, ‘hao Christ hem semsem olsem Father’ . . . From olketa fraetem emperor, planti bishop saenem agreement nomata olketa no want for duim. Diswan showimaot olketa agree witim datfala niu biliv. Only tufala bishop nomoa no saen.” Waswe, Eusebius nao wanfala wea no saen for agree long datwan? Wanem leson nao iumi savve lanem from stand bilong hem? Bae iumi storyim Eusebius—olketa mark bilong hem, and olketa samting hem duim.
Olketa Important Raeting Bilong Hem
Luk olsem Eusebius hem born long Palestine long samting olsem 260 C.E. Taem hem young yet, hem kaban witim Pamphilus, wanfala overseer bilong church long Caesarea. Hem joinim Bible skul bilong Pamphilus and hem kamap wanfala barava gud student. Hem mekius long barava naesfala library bilong Pamphilus. Eusebius study gud, especially abaotem Bible. Hem kamap wanfala loyal fren tu bilong Pamphilus, dastawe hem kolem hemseleva “Eusebius son bilong Pamphilus.”
Eusebius hem sei olsem abaotem olketa goal bilong hem: “Goal bilong mi hem for recordim olketa wea kamap bihaenem olketa holy Aposol and tu olketa samting wea happen start from taem bilong Man Wea Sevem iumi kam kasem distaem; for talem hao nao planti samting wea important happen long history bilong church; and for storyim olketa wea kontrolem and leadim church long olketa parish wea moa important, and olketa wea long each genereson talemaot word bilong God thru long toktok or long raeting.”
Pipol tinghae long Eusebius bikos long wanfala raeting bilong hem wea olketa barava respectim wea garem title History of the Christian Church. Pipol ting long tenfala volume bilong diswan wea olketa pablisim long 324 C.E. olsem wanfala history bilong church wea important winim eni narawan wea hem raetem long taem bifor kam. From diswan nao, pipol ting long Eusebius olsem father bilong history bilong church.
Eusebius raetem tu Chronicle, wea hem tufala volume. First volume hem abaotem olketa main samting wea happen long history bilong world. Long mek-foa century, diswan kamap main buk wea pipol iusim for faendem olketa date bilong samting wea happen long world. Mek-tu volume garem olketa date bilong olketa samting wea happen long history. Eusebius listim nem bilong olketa king bilong olketa nation long tufala list wea start long top bilong olketa page go kasem botom.
Eusebius duim nara tufala history raeting, wea garem title Martyrs of Palestine and Life of Constantine. First wan hia hem deal witim olketa year start long 303 go kasem 310 C.E. and hem storyim olketa wea dae for faith long olketa year hia. From hem stap long datfala taem, Eusebius hem lukim olketa samting hia. Mek-tu raeting wea olketa pablisim long fofala buk bihaen Emperor Constantine hem dae long 337 C.E., garem olketa important information saed long history. Main reason hem raetem disfala history hem for praisem olketa wea hem raet abaotem.
Insaed olketa raeting bilong Eusebius for defendim Christian Wei hem wanfala ansa long Hierocles—wanfala governor bilong Rome wea stap long sem taem olsem hem. Taem Hierocles hem raet againstim olketa Christian, Eusebius raet for defendim olketa. And tu, for saportim wei wea God nao muvim olketa man for raetem olketa Scripture, hem raetem 35 buk, wea olketa distaem sei hem important winim eni nara raeting olsem. Firstfala 15 long olketa buk hia trae for defendim wei wea olketa Christian acceptim olketa holy raeting bilong olketa Hebrew. Nara 20 givim pruv hao olketa Christian stret taem olketa acceptim olketa niu law and principle winim olketa bilong olketa Jew. Evriwan long olketa buk hia barava defendim Christian Wei followim wei wea Eusebius minim datwan.
Eusebius laef for samting olsem 80 year (c.260-c.340 C.E.), and hem raetem moa samting winim planti nara man long datfala taem. Olketa raeting bilong hem storyim olketa samting wea happen insaed first thrifala century go kasem taem bilong Emperor Constantine. Taem hem gogo for olo, hem joinim waka bilong hem olsem man for raet witim waka bilong hem olsem bishop bilong Caesarea. Nomata staka pipol savve long hem olsem man for raetem history, Eusebius hem man for defendim religion bilong hem, wakem olketa map, duim preaching, talem tingting bilong hem long eni samting saed long religion, and explainim olketa lotu raeting tu.
Tufala Reason Bilong Hem for Raet
Why nao Eusebius duim olketa barava bigfala project olsem? Bikos hem bilivim hao hem stap long wanfala taem wea evri samting hem change for followim niu wei. Hem ting dat olketa big samting happen insaed olketa genereson bifor, and samwan mas raetem record bilong olketa samting hia for olketa genereson long future.
Eusebius garem nara purpose—for olsem man for defendim samting hem bilivim. Hem bilivim hao Christian Wei hem from God. Bat samfala againstim disfala idea. Eusebius hem raet: “Hem purpose bilong mi tu for talem nem bilong olketa man, haomas man and haomas taem olketa hia olsem raf wild dog barava mekem mistek wea spoelem flock bilong Christ, from olketa laek tumas for talem niu samting and laea for talemaot hao olketa nao olketa wea faendem savve.”
Waswe, Eusebius ting long hemseleva olsem Christian? Yes, from hem storyim Christ olsem “Man for Sevem iumi.” Hem sei: “Hem goal bilong mi . . . for talem moa olketa nogud samting wea stretawe happen long Nation bilong olketa Jew from olketa againstim Man wea Sevem iumi, and for recordim olketa wei and taem wea olketa Gentile attakim word bilong God, and for storyim fasin bilong olketa wea saportim word bilong God nomata olketa safa and dae for diswan, and tu, toktok bilong olketa wea talemaot hao olketa loyal, and kaenfala help wea Man for Sevem iumi hem givim long evriwan hia.”
Bigfala Research wea Hem Duim
Namba bilong olketa buk wea Eusebius hem readim and iusim olsem reference hem big tumas. Thru long olketa raeting bilong Eusebius nomoa iumi garem chance for savve long olketa important man bilong first thrifala century bilong Common Era. Olketa interesting story wea givim information abaotem olketa important muvment stap long olketa raeting bilong hem nomoa. Hem kasem information hia from olketa buk wea no stap distaem.
Eusebius waka hard and barava careful taem hem kasem olketa information. Luk olsem hem careful for luksavve long olketa report wea man fit for trustim and no fit for trustim. Nomata olsem, hem mekem samfala mistek. Samfala taem, hem explainim rong and no minim tu olketa man and samting olketa duim. Samfala taem hem talem olketa rong date. Eusebius no savve raet long stael wei tu. Nomata olsem, pipol barava tinghae long olketa raeting bilong hem.
Waswe, Hem Lovem Truth?
Eusebius hem wari abaotem disfala kwestin wea long datfala taem olketa no disaedem yet abaotem hu nao Father and hu nao Son. Waswe, Father hem stap bifor long Son, wea hem nao Eusebius hem bilivim? Or waswe, Father and Son bin stap tugeta olowe? Hem ask olsem, “sapos tufala stap tugeta olowe, hao nao bae Father hem Father and Son hem Son?” Hem iusim tu olketa scripture from Bible for saportim samting wea hem bilivim, olsem John 14:28, wea talem hao ‘Father hem winim Jesus,’ and John 17:3, wea storyim Jesus olsem datwan wea only tru God “sendem kam.” Eusebius point go long Colossians 1:15 and John 1:1, taem hem talem hao datfala Logos, wea minim datfala Word, hem nao “image bilong God wea iumi no savve lukim”—Son bilong God.
Bat, sapraesing samting nao, long end bilong datfala Council bilong Nicaea, Eusebius saportim olketa wea sei God and Christ semsem nomoa. Nomata hem biliv hao God and Christ no stap tugeta olowe and no semsem, hem agree witim emperor.
Wanfala Leson for Lanem
Why nao Eusebius letem hevi bilong olketa long Council bilong Nicaea mekem hem saportim wanfala teaching wea no agree witim Bible? Waswe, hem garem olketa goal saed long politik? Why nao hem ting for attendim datfala council? Nomata olketa kolem kam evri bishop, only 300 nomoa attend. Waswe, maet Eusebius wari nogud hem lusim wei for garem big nem long community? And, why nao Emperor Constantine barava tinghae long hem? Eusebius sidaon barava raet saed bilong emperor long datfala council.
Hem klia hao Eusebius ting nating long wei wea Jesus sei olketa follower bilong Hem mas “no part bilong world.” (John 17:16; 18:36) Disaepol James hem ask olsem, “Pipol for duim adultery, waswe, iufala no savve hao wei for fren witim world hem wei for enemy witim God?” (James 4:4) And kaonsel bilong Paul hem barava fitim: “No join tugeta witim pipol wea no biliv”! (2 Corinthians 6:14) Iumi mas go ahed for stap separate from world taem iumi “worshipim [Father] witim spirit and truth.”—John 4:24.
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Fresco painting wea showim council bilong Nicaea
[Credit Line]
Scala/Art Resource, NY
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Courtesy of Special Collections Library, University of Michigan