Ecclesiastical History by St. Eusebius - a must read.

[Xavier]

After the Holy Bible, which gives us the history of God's works anong man from Creation to the Redemption during around 5200 years, one of the most important books to read next is the ten volume history of the first 3 Christian centuries documented wonderfully by St. Eusebius; by many great proofs he establishes the solid edifice of Christian truth against pagans and Jews; he documents the lives of the holy Apostles, their heroic martyrdoms, the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D., the persecutions under heathenism, the conversion of Constantine the Great followed by the supreme triumph of Christianity over paganism; in time, all Europe would be evangelized for Christ by missionaries sent from Rome; like St. Patrick to Ireland and St. Augustine of Canterbury to England, sent from Rome by Pope St. Gregory the Great. Thus began some of the major events of the first quarter or 500 years of Christian history.

P.S. A must read also for certain "kung fu" types who claim "Constantine started Christianity" to know the actual history of his conversion, as documented with unimpeachable evidence by a contemporary of his.

http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/2501.htm