Book 2 — Chapter 8 — The Famine under Claudius
During the reign of Claudius, a severe famine affects many regions. Eusebius connects the event with the prophecy of Agabus in Acts and with the collection sent from Antioch to the brothers and sisters in Yehudah through Barnabas and Paulos. Yosephus also records famine in the days of Queen Helena of Adiabene and describes how she imported grain from Mitsrayim and figs from Cyprus for those suffering in Yerushalayim. Eusebius brings the two records together, using external history to illuminate the Acts chronology. The chapter also preserves an early picture of interregional economic solidarity among the assemblies: communities outside Yehudah send material relief toward the land from which the proclamation first emerged.