George Syncellus, Chronographic Selection 637.6-637.18
https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/355
Context
George Syncellus (“cellmate”), whose career spanned the late 8th to
very early 9th centuries, was a Palestinian monk before his appointment as the assistant
to Tarasius, Patriarch of Contantinople. Apparently facing hostility from the emperor
Nicephorus I, he retired to monastic solitude in ca. 808, where he devoted himself to
writing his Chronographic Selection (Ἐκλογὴ Χρονογραφίας). This work was
a universal history in the form of a synchronic tabulation by year, following the
chronographic models of the Late Antique Near East and Egypt that were rooted in the
works of Sextus Julius Africanus and Eusebius of Caesarea. In his entry under the Year
of the World 5553 (53 C.E.), George summarized Jewish affairs, including Paul’s two
appearances before Nero in Rome, the second upon delivery from Caesarea by the governor
Festus.
Text
Σημειωτέον ἐκ τῶν ἀποστολικῶν ῥητῶν ὅτι δεύτερον ὁ θεῖος Παῦλος παρέστη
τῷ Καίσαρι ἐν Ῥώμῃ. καὶ τὸ μὲν πρῶτον ὁ Νέρων ἠπιώτερόν πως διακείμενος κατὰ τοῦ
Χριστιανῶν δόγματος, ἀκούσας αὐτοῦ τὴν ἀπολογίαν ἀπέλυσεν, οἰκονομοῦντος τοῦ πνεύματος
τελειωθῆναι τοῖς πᾶσι δι’ αὐτοῦ τὸ κήρυγμα, ὡς αὐτός φησιν ἐν τῇ πρὸς Τιμόθεον βʹ
ἐπιστολῇ, ὅτε δὴ καὶ τὸν Λουκᾶν γράφει συνεῖναι, ὃς τὰς τῶν ἀποστόλων πράξεις εἰς ταύτην
περιέγραψε τὴν πρώτην ἀπολογίαν τοῦ Παύλου ἐλθεῖν, καὶ συνῆν αὐτῷ, ὡς ἔοικε, σιωπήσας
τὸν περὶ τοῦ μαρτυρίου αὐτοῦ λόγον, καθ’ ὃν οὐ παρῆν, δηλονότι τὸ δεύτερον τοῦ μακαρίου
Παύλου ἐξ οἰκείας αἰτήσεως ἀναπεμφθέντος ἀπὸ Καισαρείας τῆς
Παλαιστίνης ὑπὸ Φίστου πρὸς Νέρωνα καὶ τὸ δεύτερον παραστάντος αὐτῷ καὶ
τελειωθέντος τῷ δι’ αἵματος μαρτυρίῳ.1
Textual Note
Ed. Dindorf 1829 [cited by page-line]Textual Note
Minor corr. J. L. Rife with ref. to Mosshammer 1984Translation
It must be noted from the reports of the apostle that the divine
Paul appeared before Caesar a second time in Rome. The first time Nero, somewhat more
temperate in his attitude to Christian doctrine, heard his defense and released him. For
the Spirit had arranged that the preaching to all people should be accomplished through
him, as he himself states in the Second Epistle to Timothy. Indeed, he
writes that Luke was with him, whose Acts of the Apostles covers the
period extending to Paul’s first defense. And Luke, so it seems, was with him. But he
has no account to offer of Paul’s martyrdom, at which he was not present. This obviously
took place when the blessed Paul at this own request was sent up a second time to Nero
by Festus from Caesarea Palestinae, and, after appearing before
him a second time, was perfected by martyrdom through blood.2
Translation Note
Adapted from Adler and Tuffin 2002 with ref. to Dindorf 1829Works Cited
- 1 George Syncellus, Georgius Syncellus et Nicephorus Cp. I, ed. Wilhelm Dindorfius, vol. 1, 2 vols., Corpus Scriptorum Historiae Byzantinae (Bonn: Weber, 1829), p: 637.6-637.18.
- 2 George Syncellus, The Chronography of George Synkellos: A Byzantine Chronicle of Universal History from the Creation, trans. William Adler and Paul Tuffin (Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, 2002), p: 487-488.
Additional Bibliography
- Origen, Der Brief des Origenes an Gregorios Thaumaturgos [Letter to Gregory the Miracle-Worker], in Des Gregorios Thaumaturgos Dankrede an Origenes, ed. Paul Koetschau, Sammlung ausgewählter kirchen- und dogmengeschichtlicher Quellenschriften 9 (Freiburg & Leipzig: Mohr, 1894), 40–44, p: 410.14-410.25.
How to Cite This Entry
Joseph L. Rife, “George Syncellus, Chronographic Selection 637.6-637.18,” in Caesarea Maritima: A Collection of Testimonia, entry published June 30, 2023, https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/355.
Show full citation information...
Bibliography:
Joseph L. Rife, “George Syncellus, Chronographic Selection 637.6-637.18.” 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/355.About this Entry
Entry Title: George Syncellus, Chronographic Selection 637.6-637.18
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, “George Syncellus, Chronographic Selection 637.6-637.18”
- Joseph L. Rife, entry contributor, “George Syncellus, Chronographic Selection 637.6-637.18”
Additional Credit:
- TEI encoding by Joseph L. Rife
- URNs and other metadata added by Joseph L. Rife
- Electronic text added by Joseph L. Rife
- Testimonia identified by Joseph L. Rife