Ecclesiastical History

THE EPISTLE.##

“ they original: "rent" — completing a word from the previous page, likely 'affierent' or 'referrent' (would apply/refer) would even apply to Baronius Cesare Baronio (1538–1607), a Cardinal and historian whose Annales Ecclesiastici was the Catholic response to the Protestant Magdeburg Centuries. Despite his fame, he was often criticized for his lack of proficiency in Greek., since he always uses his [Christopherson's] version when citing Eusebius. Thus it happens that, as some follow others and do not examine the Greek sources, the errors of some first interpreter are spread immensely to very many writers who rely solely on the authority of those who came before. From this, it is easy to recognize how great is the necessity of the Greek language.” The same author in the same chapter, page 731, says

that he gladly notes the errors that occur in the version of Christopherson, lest readers be led into error by his translation. And indeed, as you see, many had noticed this evil itself and grieved over that public loss—that such useful books of Ecclesiastical Antiquity original: Antiquitatis Ecclesiasticæ were read so corrupted by the fault and negligence of both writers and interpreters. Some even tried to apply a remedy to the best of their ability, at least in certain places. But no one has appeared until now who would undertake a new edition and correction of Eusebius’s work; whether because most were deterred by the magnitude of the labor, or because they lacked a sufficient supply of manuscript copies, leisure, and the other resources necessary for this task. Until you, out of your zeal for the literary republic, undertook this work and entrusted me with the care and preparation of a new edition of Eusebius’s history; so that, with the faults and errors of previous editions removed, a smoother path might henceforth be paved for readers toward a most certain knowledge of Ecclesiastical affairs. For this reason, certainly all scholars owe you very much, whose convenience and utility you wished to consult through our labor. Moreover, besides these causes already mentioned which impelled you to a new edition of the Ecclesiastical History, there was also another, which I think should by no means be passed over: namely, that you strove to show gratitude to Eusebius, who deserved so well of you and of the Gallican Church The Roman Catholic Church in France, which maintained a degree of traditional autonomy from the Pope, a movement known as Gallicanism.. Certainly, there is no one among the ancient writers of the Church who wove so many praises of the Gallican Church, so many distinctions and ornaments, into his writings. For if you look at antiquity, which is the chief argument for nobility, he is the one who [records] Crescens, the disciple of the Apostle Paul Crescens is mentioned in 2 Timothy 4:10. Eusebius (interpreting the term 'Galatia') suggested he preached in Gaul (France), a point of great pride for French church history., in