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E05720: John Malalas in his Chronographia mentions a pilgrimage of the emperor Theodosius II to the shrine of *John (Apostle and Evangelist, S00042) in Ephesus (western Asia Minor) shortly before his death in 450; there he received a revelation of the name of his successor. Written in Greek at Antioch (Syria) or Constantinople, in the mid-6th c.
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posted on 2018-06-13, 00:00 authored by erizosJohn Malalas, Chronographia, 14.26-27
26 (…) Ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς Θεοδόσιος μαθών, ὅτι κατὰ γνώμην Εὐδοξίας τῆς αὐτοῦ θυγατρὸς προεδόθη ἡ Ῥώμη ἐλυπήθη πρὸς αὐτὴν καὶ εἴασεν αὐτὴν ἐν τῇ Ἀφρικῇ παρὰ Ζινζιρίχῳ μηδὲν αὐτῷ δηλώσας, ἀλλὰ ποιήσας πρόκενσον ἐξῆλθεν ἀπὸ Κωνσταντινουπόλεως εἰς Ἔφεσον, πόλιν τῆς Ἀσίας· καὶ ηὔξατο εἰς τὸν ἅγιον Ἰωάννην τὸν θεολόγον αἰτῶν αὐτόν, τίς ἄρα μετ’ αὐτὸν βασιλεύει, καὶ ἐν ὁράματι ἔμαθεν· καὶ ἦλθεν ἐν Κωνσταντινουπόλει.
27 μετὰ δὲ ὀλίγον καιρὸν ἐξῆλθεν ἱππασθῆναι· καὶ ἐν τῷ ἱππάζεσθαι αὐτὸν συνέπεσεν ἐκ τοῦ ἵππου· καὶ πληγεὶς τὸν σφόνδυλον αὐτοῦ εἰσῆλθε λεκτικίῳ. καὶ καλέσας τὴν ἀδελφὴν αὐτοῦ τὴν δέσποιναν Πουλχερίαν εἶπεν αὐτῇ διὰ Μαρκιανὸν τὸν ἔχοντα μετ’ αὐτὸν βασιλεῦσαι. καὶ μεταστειλάμενος Μαρκιανὸν τὸν ἀπὸ τριβούνων εἶπεν αὐτῷ ἐπὶ Ἄσπαρος καὶ τῶν συγκλητικῶν πάντων, ὅτι· ‘ἐφάνη μοι, ὅτι σὲ δεῖ γενέσθαι βασιλέα μετ’ ἐμέ.’ καὶ μεθ’ ἡμέρας δύο τελευτᾷ ὁ αὐτὸς Θεοδόσιος, ὢν ἐνιαυτῶν ναʹ.
’26. (…) The emperor Theodosius learnt that it was at the instigation of his own daughter, Eudoxia, that Rome had been betrayed. He was displeased with her and let her stay in Africa with Geiseric, without communicating with him. But he made a processus from Constantinople to Ephesos, a city in Asia. There he prayed to St John the Theologian, asking who would reign after him. He received the answer in a vision and returned to Constantinople.
27. A short time later he went out riding, and while riding he fell from his horse and injured his spine, so that he was brought back on a litter. Calling his sister the lady Pulcheria, he spoke to her about Marcian, who was to reign after him. He summoned Marcian, the ex-tribune, and said to him in the presence of Aspar and all the senators, "It was revealed to me that you must become emperor after me." Two days later Theodosius died, at the age of 51.’
Text: Thurn 2000. Translation Jeffreys, Jeffreys, and Scott 1986.
26 (…) Ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς Θεοδόσιος μαθών, ὅτι κατὰ γνώμην Εὐδοξίας τῆς αὐτοῦ θυγατρὸς προεδόθη ἡ Ῥώμη ἐλυπήθη πρὸς αὐτὴν καὶ εἴασεν αὐτὴν ἐν τῇ Ἀφρικῇ παρὰ Ζινζιρίχῳ μηδὲν αὐτῷ δηλώσας, ἀλλὰ ποιήσας πρόκενσον ἐξῆλθεν ἀπὸ Κωνσταντινουπόλεως εἰς Ἔφεσον, πόλιν τῆς Ἀσίας· καὶ ηὔξατο εἰς τὸν ἅγιον Ἰωάννην τὸν θεολόγον αἰτῶν αὐτόν, τίς ἄρα μετ’ αὐτὸν βασιλεύει, καὶ ἐν ὁράματι ἔμαθεν· καὶ ἦλθεν ἐν Κωνσταντινουπόλει.
27 μετὰ δὲ ὀλίγον καιρὸν ἐξῆλθεν ἱππασθῆναι· καὶ ἐν τῷ ἱππάζεσθαι αὐτὸν συνέπεσεν ἐκ τοῦ ἵππου· καὶ πληγεὶς τὸν σφόνδυλον αὐτοῦ εἰσῆλθε λεκτικίῳ. καὶ καλέσας τὴν ἀδελφὴν αὐτοῦ τὴν δέσποιναν Πουλχερίαν εἶπεν αὐτῇ διὰ Μαρκιανὸν τὸν ἔχοντα μετ’ αὐτὸν βασιλεῦσαι. καὶ μεταστειλάμενος Μαρκιανὸν τὸν ἀπὸ τριβούνων εἶπεν αὐτῷ ἐπὶ Ἄσπαρος καὶ τῶν συγκλητικῶν πάντων, ὅτι· ‘ἐφάνη μοι, ὅτι σὲ δεῖ γενέσθαι βασιλέα μετ’ ἐμέ.’ καὶ μεθ’ ἡμέρας δύο τελευτᾷ ὁ αὐτὸς Θεοδόσιος, ὢν ἐνιαυτῶν ναʹ.
’26. (…) The emperor Theodosius learnt that it was at the instigation of his own daughter, Eudoxia, that Rome had been betrayed. He was displeased with her and let her stay in Africa with Geiseric, without communicating with him. But he made a processus from Constantinople to Ephesos, a city in Asia. There he prayed to St John the Theologian, asking who would reign after him. He received the answer in a vision and returned to Constantinople.
27. A short time later he went out riding, and while riding he fell from his horse and injured his spine, so that he was brought back on a litter. Calling his sister the lady Pulcheria, he spoke to her about Marcian, who was to reign after him. He summoned Marcian, the ex-tribune, and said to him in the presence of Aspar and all the senators, "It was revealed to me that you must become emperor after me." Two days later Theodosius died, at the age of 51.’
Text: Thurn 2000. Translation Jeffreys, Jeffreys, and Scott 1986.