editions of Ecclesiastical History by Eusebius

Steven Avery

Administrator
Eusebius--the Church History: A New Translation with Commentary (1999)
Paul L. Maier
https://books.google.com/books?id=KgpGs1wdle4C&pg=PA18
https://books.google.com/books?id=LIgMFJdXwagC&pg=PA18

Unlike my Josephus—The Essential Works (Kregel Publications, 1994), which is necessarily a condensation of the vast writings of the Jewish historian, this volume is a full translation of Eusebius’s Church History. It is based on the standard critical edition of the original Greek text of Eusebius published by the great German scholar Eduard Schwartz (in Die griechischen christlichen Schriftsteller [ Leipzig: Hinrichs’sche Buchhandlung, 1897]). This text, which has superseded earlier versions, is most conveniently available in the Loeb Classical Library (Cambridge: Harvard University Press; and London: Heinemann, 1926, 1932), with English translations by Kirsopp Lake (vol. 1) and J. E. L. Oulton (vol. 2). Other prominent English translations include a rather dated version by Christian Frederick Cruse from 1850 (reprint ed.; Grand Rapids: Baker, 1991); a text with excellent commentary by A. C. McGiffert from 1890, reprinted in The Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, volume 1 (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1952); and the best recent translation: G. A. Williamson, Eusebius—The History of the Church from Christ to Constantine (London: Penguin, 1965; rev. ed., Andrew Louth, 1989).

A new edition, translation, and brief commentary on Eusebius, however, seems indicated for several reasons. The first is to make Eusebius clearer and more readable. His Greek, as Williamson points out, is quite difficult: “The first sentence of Book I is 166 words long, and we have to plough through 153 of them before we reach the one and only main verb. Sometimes there is no main verb at all, or the sentence is an anacoluthon, beginning in one way and ending in another” (xxxvii).

A word-for-word translation would be almost unreadable, and yet Eusebius must survive his translation intact. The problem of trying to remain faithful to an original text while rendering it readable in another language is one that has always beset translators. As someone has said (wickedly and in sexist days), “A translation is very much like a woman: if it is beautiful, it is not faithful; if it is faithful, it is not beautiful.”

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The Cruse editions seem to be fully online.
McGiffert possibly, in CCEL and Schaff editions.

And I would see if Roger Pearse has anything on the editions ... also could put the question in Patristics for Protestants .. also could take one issue with which you are familiar and see how it is handled (e.g. Dionysius of Alexandria on Revelation grammar.) There is one or two other good Facebook forums,. so far I have not compared editions McGiffert did the Schaff edition

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Steven Avery

Administrator
Christian Frederic Cruse - (1794-1865)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Frederic_Crusé

1833 - http://books.google.com/books?id=W59UAAAAYAAJ
1833 - http://books.google.com/books?id=Fl2j7WvquuwC
1836 - http://books.google.com/books?id=DFgRAAAAYAAJ
1838 - http://books.google.com/books?id=y0NXAvqCWFoC
1847 - http://books.google.com/books?id=58kCAAAAQAAJ with Life of Christ by Valesius
1850 - http://books.google.com/books?id=xqU8AAAAYAAJ
1856 - https://archive.org/details/ecclesiasticalhi00euse/page/n8 10th edition
1894 - https://books.google.com/books?id=ik9FAAAAYAAJ

p. 201
1894 - https://www.google.com/books/editio...Eusebius_P/ik9FAAAAYAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA201

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Arthur Cushman McGiffert
(1890) - http://books.google.com/books?id=taagmnUcsD8C

Eusebius, Bishop of Caesarea: The Ecclesiastical History and The Martyrs of Palestine (Vol. 1)
Lawlor and Oulton
https://archive.org/details/SPCKEusebius1

G. A. Williamson -
(1989) - http://books.google.com/books?id=mlB6DLyNOL0C

Eusebiana - Essays
Hugh Jackson Lawlor (1912)
https://archive.org/details/eusebianaessays00lawluoft
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Hugh Jackson Lawlor (1860-1938)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackson_Lawlor

Arthur Cushman McGiffert (1861-1933)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Cushman_McGiffert

Kirsopp Lake (1872-1946)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirsopp_Lake

John Ernest Leonard Oulton, D.D. (1886 - 1957)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Oulton

Andrew Louth
https://www.dur.ac.uk/theology.religion/staff/profile/?id=670

Paul L. Maier (b. 1930)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_L._Maier

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John Jortin -
(1805) Remarks on Ecclesiastical History - Vol 1 of 3
http://books.google.com/books?id=dA4QAAAAYAAJ

3 Volumes - General, goes beyond Eusebius
https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/008622557

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