Essential reading for reconstructing early Christianity, the writings of Eusebius of Caesarea (ca. 260--340 C.E.) have held a central place for historians of early Christianity. Eusebius's Ecclesiastical History frequently stands on the scholar's shelf alongside the writings of Josephus or Philo of Alexandria. While apologists like Irenaeus and Origen have stood squarely in the spotlight, Eusebius has remained in the shadows. Kofsky contends that the value of Eusebius's own apologetic and theological writings has been neglected. He corrects this deficit and invites us to see Eusebius as a...

Dealing with the subject of apologetics and polemics against the pagans in Eusebius of Caesarea (c. 260-340), this volume discusses his response to the vigorous political, cultural and religious campaign launched against Christianity in his time. The first part of the book examines the background for Eusebius' apologetic enterprise and his early apologetic writings. The second and main part of the study analyzes major topics in Eusebius' great two-part apologetic work, the Praeparatio Evangelica and the Demonstratio Evangelica, such as the concept of Christian prehistory,...