John Malalas, Chronicle 15.18
created: This entry is taken from Chronicle 15.18 written by John Malalas in 530-532 C.E.
edition published: 2023-06-30-05:00
language: grc; grc
availability: Except for materials quoted from other sources, this entry is copyright 2023 by the contributors (Joseph L. Rife, et al.) and the Caesarea City and Port Exploration Project. It is licensed under the Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license. Some texts quoted in this entry may be in the public domain in the United States. No copyright is asserted for these quotations. Some texts quoted in this entry may have copyright restrictions and are reused under Section 107 of the Copyright Act of (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0)

https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/243

Caesarea Maritima is indirectly attested at John Malalas, Chronicle 15.18. This passage was written ca. 530-532 C.E. possibly in Antioch on the Orontes. 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.).

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.

[Ed. Thurn 2000] [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).][^1]

[^1: 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 { }.]

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.

[Adapted from Jeffreys et al. 2017] [J. L. Rife adapted the translation by Jeffreys, Jeffreys, and Scott in places to follow Thurn’s text.]

Works Cited

[...] 15.8 305-306
[...] 15.8 212

[Constantine Porphyrogenitus, Plots 162.22-36

Easter Chronicle 603.19-604.13]

[Garizim, Mount (Gargarides, Gargazi)

Palestine]

[Arcadiakoi

Asclepiades

Christians

Justasas

Mary, Mother of God

Porphyrios, governor

Rheges

Samaritans

St. Procopius

Timothy, bishop

Zeno, emperor]

[Christianity

Death and Burial

Entertainment

Geography

Government and Law

Judaism

Military

Roman History

Urban Topography]