MALALAS, John (Syriac Malalā = 'Rhetor'). - In the 6th century he wrote a Chronography that had great influence on Byzantine historiography.

Only one manuscript of it exists in Greek (Oxon. Baroccianus gr. no. 182), and it is also mutilated, but it can to a certain extent be supplemented by means of the Slavonic translation, the Laterculus imperatorum Malalianus and the Excerpta Constantini. The work of G. M. was excerpted by the Paschal Chronicle, by John Damascene, George Hamartolus, John of Nikiu and others. The author was a Monophysite; some identify him with John III Scholasticus, patriarch of Constantinople (563-74). Of particular interest are his notices on the city of Antioch.

Bibliography3 works

BIBL.: The edition of L. Dindorf in the Corpus scriptorum historica Byzantium, Bonn 1831 (reproduction in PG 97, 99) is insufficient. A critical text of books IX-XII by A. Schenk von Staufenberg, Die römische Kaisergeschichte bei M., Stuttgart 1931, with an important commentary. Cf. also: M. Spinka, in collaboration with J. Downey, Chron. of John M., VIII-XVIII. Translated from the Church Slavonic, Chicago 1940. On the author and his work, see Krumbacher, p. 325 ff.; K. Wolf, Johannes M., in Pauly-Wissowa, IX, II (1916), p. 1793 ff.; W. Weber, Studien zur Chronik des M., in Festgabe für A. Deismann, Tübingen 1927, pp. 20-60.

Erik Peterson

@incollection{ec6_giovanni_malalas_siriaco_malal, author = {Peterson, Erik}, title = {Giovanni Malalas (Siriaco MalalĀ = «Retore»)}, booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica}, volume = {VI}, pages = {569}, note = {Cited by column}, publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico}, address = {Città del Vaticano}, year = {1951}, url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/giovanni-malalas-siriaco-malala-retore} }

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Malalas, John

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