John Malalas, Chronicle 10.2
https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/134
Context
John Malalas, a moniker probably derived from Aramaic
malolo meaning “orator”, was an educated Syrian who moved from
Antioch to Constantinople early in the reign of Justinian I. His only known work is a
historical chronicle in 18 books, apparently composed in two editions, spanning from
early times probably to the death of Justinian, with a distinct focus on events in the
eastern Mediterranean. In his long passage on the activities of Augustus in the East,
John discusses the chronology of the birth of Christ and cites Eusebius of Caesarea as a
learned authority.
Text
τῇ δὲ ἕκτῃ ἡμέρᾳ, ὡς προεῖπεν ἡ γραφή, ἔπλασεν ὁ θεὸς τὸν ἄνθρωπον, καὶ
ὑπέπεσε τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ ὁ ἄνθρωπος· ὡς δῆλον εἶναι ὅτι οὕτω καὶ τῇ ἕκτῃ ἡμέρᾳ τῆς χιλιάδος
ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἐφάνη ὁ δεσπότης ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς ὁ Χριστός, καὶ ἔσωσε τὸν ἄνθρωπον διὰ τοῦ
σταυροῦ καὶ τῆς ἀναστάσεως· ἅτινα συνεγράψατο Κλήμης, Θεόφιλος, καὶ Τιμόθεος, οἱ σοφοὶ
χρονογράφοι, ὁμοφωνήσαντες. ὁ δὲ θεοφιλέστατος χρονογράφος Εὐσέβιος ὁ Παμφίλου ὁ
γενόμενος ἐπίσκοπος Καισαρείας Παλαιστίνης τῇ μὲν ἕκτῃ χιλιάδι
τῶν ἐνιαυτῶν λέγει καὶ αὐτὸς φανῆναι τὸν ὅλων σωτῆρα καὶ κύριον Ἰησοῦν Χριστόν, κατὰ τὸν
ἀριθμὸν τῶν ἓξ ἡμερῶν τῆς πλάσεως τοῦ Ἀδάμ …
1
Textual Note
Ed. Thurn 2000Translation
It was on the sixth day, as Scripture says, that God created man and
man fell into sin. So it is clear that thus on the millenium’s sixth day our Lord Jesus
Christ appeared on earth and saved man through the cross and resurrection. These things
the learned chroniclers Clement, Theophilus, and Timotheus recorded in agreement. The
chronicler, Eusebius Pamphili, most dear to God, who became bishop of
Caesarea of Palestine, also says that the Lord Jesus Christ,
the Savior of all, appeared in the sixth millenium, corresponding to the number of the
six days of Adam’s creation.
2
Translation Note
Adapted from Jeffreys et al. 2017Works Cited
- 1 John Malalas, Ioannis Malalae Chronographia, ed. Johannes Thurn, repr. 2012, Corpus Fontium Historiae Byzantinae 35 (Berlin and New York: Walter de Gruyter, 2000), bk: 10.2.
- 2 Jerome, Lives of Illustrious Men: Machine Readable Text, ed. Philip Schaff (Grand Rapids, MI: Christian Classics Ethereal Library, 1993), bk: 10.2, p: 173-174.
How to Cite This Entry
Joseph L. Rife, “John Malalas, Chronicle 10.2,” in Caesarea Maritima: A Collection of Testimonia, entry published June 30, 2023, https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/134.
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Bibliography:
Joseph L. Rife, “John Malalas, Chronicle 10.2.” In Caesarea Maritima: A Collection of Testimonia, edited by Joseph L. Rife., edited by Joseph L. Rife. Caesarea City and Port Exploration Project, 2023. Entry published June 30, 2023. https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/134.About this Entry
Entry Title: John Malalas, Chronicle 10.2
Authorial and Editorial Responsibility:
- Joseph L. Rife, general editor, Vanderbilt University
- Joseph L. Rife, editor, Caesarea Maritima: A Collection of Testimonia
- David A. Michelson, Daniel L. Schwartz, and William L. Potter, technical editor, “John Malalas, Chronicle 10.2”
- Joseph L. Rife, entry contributor, “John Malalas, Chronicle 10.2”
Additional Credit:
- TEI encoding by William L. Potter
- Electronic text added by Joseph L. Rife
- Testimonia identified by Joseph L. Rife