John Malalas, Chronicle 18.119
https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/244
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 recounts the Samaritan uprising in 556 C.E. under
Justinian concentrated at Caesarea Maritima. His testimony was repeated by Theophanes the
Confessor in his chronicle (810-814 C.E.), by the major Syriac historians (end of the 8th
and late 12th centuries), and by Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus in his historical excerpts
on political plots (ca. 930-955 C.E.).
Text
Μηνὶ Ἰουλίῳ
ἰνδικτιῶνος δʹ στασιάσαντες οἱ Σαμαρεῖται καὶ οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι ἐν Καισαρείᾳ
Παλαιστίνης, ποιήσαντες τὸ ἓν εἰς ἀλλήλους ὡς ἐν τάξει μερικῶν ἐπῆλθον τοῖς
χριστιανοῖς τῆς αὐτῆς πόλεως καὶ πολλοὺς κατέσφαξαν τῶν χριστιανῶν. ἐπῆλθον δὲ καὶ ἐπόρθησαν
τὰς ἐκκλησίας. καὶ τοῦ ἄρχοντος τῆς αὐτῆς πόλεως ἐξελθόντος πρὸς βοήθειαν τῶν χριστιανῶν
ἐπῆλθον οἱ αὐτοὶ Σαμαρεῖται, κἀκεῖνον κατέσφαξαν ἐν τῷ πραιτωρίῳ, καὶ τὰ πράγματα αὐτοῦ
πάντα καθήρπασαν. ἡ δὲ γυνὴ τοῦ αὐτοῦ ἄρχοντος Στεφάνου, ἀνελθοῦσα ἐν Κωνσταντινουπόλει,
προσῆλθε τῷ αὐτῷ βασιλεῖ. καὶ ἀκούσας ὁ βασιλεὺς τὰ γεγονότα ὑπὸ τῶν Σαμαρειτῶν καὶ
θυμωθείς, ἐκέλευσε τῷ ὄντι τότε ἄρχοντι τῆς ἀνατολῆς Ἀμαντίῳ ἐκζητῆσαι τὰ γενόμενα καὶ τὸν
φόνον τοῦ αὐτοῦ Στεφάνου. ὅστις Ἀμάντιος δεξάμενος ἀποκρίσεις βασιλικὰς καὶ ἀπελθὼν ἐν
Καισαρείᾳ, καὶ ἀναζητήσας τοὺς πεποιηκότας τοὺς φόνους καὶ εὑρών,
τοὺς μὲν ἐφούρκισεν, ἑτέρους δὲ ἀπεκεφάλισε καὶ ἄλλους ἐδεξιοκόπησε καί τινας ἐδήμευσε· καὶ
ἐγένετο φόβος μέγας ἐν τῇ πόλει Καισαρείας καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἀνατολικοῖς
μέρεσι.
1
Textual Note
Ed. Thurn 2000Textual Note
Thurn’s text of this passage gives the reading of Codex Boccianus 182 at Oxford (12th century), which varies throughout from the parallel passage at Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus, Plots 173.13-29.Translation
In the month of July
of the fourth indication, the Samaritans and Jews in Caesarea
Palestinae staged a revolt. Combining into a faction, they attacked the
Christians of the city and killed many of them. They attacked and plundered the churches.
And when the leader of the city went out to help the Christians, the Samaritans attacked
him, killed him in the Praetorium, and plundered all his possessions. The wife of the leader
Stephanos went up to Constantinople and approached the emperor. When he heard what had been
done by the Samaritans, he was incensed and ordered Amantios, the leader of the East at that
time, to investigate the events, including the murder of Stephanos. After receiving imperial
messages and departing for Caesarea, Amantios searched for and found
those who had committed the murders. He hanged some, beheaded others, cut off the right
hands of others, and confiscated the property of others. And there was great fear in the
city of Caesarea and the eastern regions.
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: 18.119, p: 417-418.
- 2 Jerome, Lives of Illustrious Men: Machine Readable Text, ed. Philip Schaff (Grand Rapids, MI: Christian Classics Ethereal Library, 1993), bk: 18.119, p: 294-295.
How to Cite This Entry
Joseph L. Rife, “John Malalas, Chronicle 18.119,” in Caesarea Maritima: A Collection of Testimonia, entry published June 30, 2023, https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/244.
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Bibliography:
Joseph L. Rife, “John Malalas, Chronicle 18.119.” 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/244.About this Entry
Entry Title: John Malalas, Chronicle 18.119
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 18.119”
- Joseph L. Rife, entry contributor, “John Malalas, Chronicle 18.119”
Additional Credit:
- TEI encoding by William L. Potter
- Electronic text added by Joseph L. Rife
- Testimonia identified by Joseph L. Rife