John Malalas, Chronicle 15.18
https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/243
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 this passage, John conflates two Samaritan revolts, one in 484 C.E. under
Zeno concentrated at Neapolis and one in 556 C.E. under Justinian concentrated at Caesarea
Maritima. His testimony is repeated in the Easter Chronicle (ca. 630 C.E.)
and in the historical excerpts on political plots by Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus (ca.
930-955 C.E.).
Text
Ἐπὶ δὲ τῆς Ζήνωνος
βασιλείας πρόφασιν λαβόντες οἱ ἐκ τοῦ ἔθνους τῶν Σαμαρειτῶν ἐτυράννήσαν καὶ ἔστεψαν
λῄσταρχον ὀνόματι Ἰουστασὰν Σαμαρείτην· καὶ εἰσῆλθεν ἐν Καισαρείᾳ καὶ
ἐθεώρησεν ἱππικὸν καὶ ἐφόνευσε πολλοὺς {χριστιανοὺς} ἡγεμονεύοντος τῆς πρώτης Παλαιστίνης
Πορφυρίου. ὁ δὲ αὐτὸς Ἰουστασὰς ἔκαυσε τὸν ἅγιον Προκόπιον ἐπὶ Τιμοθέου ἐπισκόπου
Καισαρείας. καὶ ἐλθὼν ὁ δοὺξ Παλαιστίνης Ἀσκληπιάδης μετὰ τῆς αὐτοῦ
βοηθείας καὶ ὁ λῃστοδιώκτης Ῥήγης ὁ ἀξιωματικὸς Καισαρείας μετὰ τῶν
Ἀρκαδιακῶν, ὁρμήσαντες κατ’ αὐτοῦ συνέβαλον αὐτῷ καὶ παρέλαβον αὐτόν· καὶ ἀπεκεφάλισαν τὸν
αὐτὸν Ἰουστασάν, καὶ ἐπέμφθη ἡ κεφαλὴ αὐτοῦ μετὰ τοῦ διαδήματος τῷ βασιλεῖ Ζήνωνι. καὶ
εὐθέως ὁ βασιλεὺς Ζήνων ἐποίησε τὴν συναγωγὴν αὐτῶν τὴν οὖσαν εἰς τὸ Γαργαζὶ ὄρος εὐκτήριον
οἶκον τῆς ἁγίας θεοτόκου Μαρίας, ἀνανεώσας καὶ τὸν ἅγιον Προκόπιον, ποιήσας διάταξιν μὴ
στρατεύεσθαι Σαμαρείτην, δημεύσας καὶ τοὺς εὐπόρους αὐτῶν· καὶ ἐγένετο φόβος καὶ
εἰρήνη.
1
Textual Note
Ed. Thurn 2000Textual Note
Thurn’s text of this passage follows the parallel passage at Constantine VII Porphygenitus, Plots 162.22-36 where it diverges from the text of the Codex Barrocianus 182 (Oxford, 12th century).Discussion Note
The noun χριστιανοὺς (“Christians”) appears in the Cod. Barroc. but not the medieval Slavonic translations or the parallel passages at Const. Porphyr. or the Eastern Chronicle 603.19-604.13; Thurn off-sets it thus with { }.Translation
During his reign (sc. Zeno), the Samaritans rebelled in Palestine
and crowned a bandit chief, the Samaritan named Justasas. He entered Caesarea, watched a chariot race, and killed many Christians.
Porphyrios was then governor of Palestine. Justasas burned (the Church of) St. Procopius
when Timothy was bishop of Caesarea. Asklepiades, dux of
Palestine, came with his forces and the bandit-hunter Rheges, who was a dignitary of Caesarea, along with the Arcadiakoi. Setting out against him,
they engaged with him and captured him. They beheaded Justasas, and the head with his
crown were sent to the emperor Zeno. Immediately the emperor Zeno made their synagoge on
Mount Garizim into a house of prayer for Mary, Holy Mother of God. He also renovated
(the Church of) St. Procopius, issued an edict that a Samaritan could not hold a
military post, and confiscated the property of their wealthy. There was fear and peace.
2
Translation Note
Adapted from Jeffreys et al. 2017Discussion Note
J. L. Rife adapted the translation by Jeffreys, Jeffreys, and Scott in places to follow Thurn’s text.Works 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: 15.8, p: 305-306.
- 2 Jerome, Lives of Illustrious Men: Machine Readable Text, ed. Philip Schaff (Grand Rapids, MI: Christian Classics Ethereal Library, 1993), bk: 15.8, p: 212.
How to Cite This Entry
Joseph L. Rife, “John Malalas, Chronicle 15.18,” in Caesarea Maritima: A Collection of Testimonia, entry published June 30, 2023, https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/243.
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Bibliography:
Joseph L. Rife, “John Malalas, Chronicle 15.18.” 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/243.About this Entry
Entry Title: John Malalas, Chronicle 15.18
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 15.18”
- Joseph L. Rife, entry contributor, “John Malalas, Chronicle 15.18”
Additional Credit:
- TEI encoding by William L. Potter
- Electronic text added by Joseph L. Rife
- Testimonia identified by Joseph L. Rife