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The Coming of Jesus: Revelation Fulfilled?

...is time. Eusebius, in mentioning this in his Church History (III, ch. 18), phrases this as: “almost in our own generation”. This potentially changes the way in which you could read Irenaeus’ statement, as it could be understood as saying: ‘almost in our day (the generation towards the end of Domitian’s reign), the revelation was seen.’ The part about Domitian’s reign could just be a way to further clarify the time Irenaeus was living in, rather than specifying the time when John saw the revelation, which was only seen “almost in [their] day” – but not quite in their time! This would then reconcile better with Irenaeus also referring to “...

Creedal Christians: The Nicene Creed

...Council, Eusebius of Cæsarea (who you may know as the author of Ecclesiastical History) was in attendance and wrote a letter covering the events to send back to his Diocese explaining the formation of the creed and why and how they came up with it. You can read his letter here, or you can also read the letter of Athanasius who was also present at the council as a secretary to the Bishop of Alexandria, here. It’s also often said that Nicholas of Myra (also known as Saint Nicholas – yes, that St. Nick) attended and actually slapped Arius across the face(!), but that is most likely an exaggeration at best, or an urban legend. If you do read the canons of the...

The Coming of Jesus: The Olivet Discourse – Part 2

...daea…" Eusebius, Church History 3, 5, 3 For when the city was about to be taken and destroyed by the Romans, it was revealed in advance to all the disciples by an angel of God that they should remove from the city, as it was going to be completely destroyed. They sojourned as emigrants in Pella, the city above mentioned in Transjordania. And this city is said to be of the Decapolis." Epiphanius, On Weights and Measures 15 So you see, these were not warnings for some far off future event in our lifetimes, but were a very real warning made my Jesus to very real people who were going to live through this terrible time roughly 40 years later (from their...

Who is the New Jerusalem?

...rks. – Eusebius, Church History, Book 3, ch. 20.6   This seems to be in keeping with what Paul wrote, when he said “flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God" in 1 Cor 15:50.   The words of Jesus worth bearing in mind.   The similarities between the epistles, when they write about the Kingdom, and the New Jerusalem continue even when speaking of those who won’t enter it! The continuity across the Scriptures is a testimony unto itself at times, it really is quite amazing if one takes the time to look. 1 Corinthians 6:9-10Do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived! Fornicators, idolate...

Understanding The New Testament: Inspiration, Canonisation, And Historical Context

...though. Eusebius, who wrote Church History (~325), used the Greek term “antilegomena” to refer to the group of disputed writings. He uses this word in two places when speaking about these texts: It is not indeed right to overlook the fact that some have rejected the Epistle to the Hebrews, saying that it is disputed [αντιλέγεσθαι] by the Church of Rome, on the ground that it was not written by Paul. (3.3.5) Among the disputed writings [των αντιλεγομένων], which are nevertheless recognized by many, are extant the so-called epistle of James and that of Jude, also the second epistle of Peter, and those that are called the second...

Does Easter Have Pagan Origins?

...church.–Eusebius, Church History, Book V, Chapter 24 Despite their differences in how they celebrated Easter, they both agreed that it ultimately didn’t matter because at the end of the day, they were both celebrating the risen Lord! Sadly, this peace didn’t last, and the tensions grew until the Roman custom was eventually set as the “right” way to observe the feast. Constantine wrote a letter after Nicea to send to all those who couldn’t attend, so they would know the decision about when to celebrate. It almost begins with good intentions so “that it would be convenient that all should keep the feast on one day” since “what could be more be...