E05727: John Malalas in his Chronographia reports that, after the Samaritan revolt of Justasas in 484, the emperor Zeno (474-491) rebuilt the church of *Prokopios (martyr of Palestine, S00118) in Caesarea, and converted the Samaritan synagogue of Mount Gerizim into a church of *Mary (Mother of Christ, S00033); all in Plaestine. Written in Greek at Antioch (Syria) or Constantinople, in the mid-6th c.
‘During Zeno’s reign, the Samaritans rebelled in Palestine and crowned a bandit chief named Justasas, a Samaritan. He entered Caesarea, organised a chariot-race, and killed many Christians. Porphyrios was then governor of Palaestina Prima. Justasas also burned Saint Prokopios’, while Timotheos was bishop of Caesarea. There came the dux [military commander] of Palestine Asklepiades with his army, and also the lestodioktes [head of police] Rheges, commander of Caesarea, with the Arcadiaci. They attacked Justasas with their troops, had him arrested and taken captive. They beheaded Justasas and his head, along with his crown, was sent to the emperor Zeno. The emperor Zeno immediately turned their synagogue, which was on Mount Gerizim, into a church dedicated to Mary, the Holy Mother of God. He also repaired Saint Prokopios’, and issued an edict that no Samaritan could join the imperial service, having confiscated the property of the wealthy among them. Order and peace were restored.’
Text: Thurn 2000. Translation: E. Rizos.
History
Evidence ID
E05727
Saint Name
Prokopios from Scythopolis, martyr of Palestine : S00118
Mary, Mother of Christ : S00033
Cult Activities - Protagonists in Cult and Narratives
Foreigners (including Barbarians)
Monarchs and their family
Jews and Samaritans
Source
The Chronographia of John Malalas (c. 490–c. 570) is a Christian chronicle of universal history, from Adam to the death of Justinian I (565). It appears to have been composed in two parts, the earlier of which focuses on the history of Antioch and the East, ending in c. 528 or 532. The second part focuses on the urban history of Constantinople up to the death of Justinian. Malalas is likely to have pursued a career in the imperial administration at both Antioch and Constantinople, writing the two parts of his chronicle while living in these two cities.
Malalas was widely used as a source by Byzantine chroniclers and historians, including John of Ephesus, John of Antioch, Evagrius Scholasticus, the Paschal Chronicle, John of Nikiu, John of Damascus, Theophanes, George the Monk, pseudo-Symeon, Kedrenos, Zonaras, Theodore Skoutariotes, and Nikephoros Kallistou Xanthopoulos.
The text of the chronicle is preserved in a very fragmentary form, based on quotations in other sources (notably the Paschal Chronicle and Theophanes), and on a Slavonic translation which follows a more extensive version of the original text. It is believed that we now have about 90% of the text.
On the composition and manuscript tradition of the text, see Thurn 2000, and:
http://pinakes.irht.cnrs.fr/notices/oeuvre/1298/
Discussion
Zeno's building of a church of Mary on Mount Gerizim is also recounted by Procopius: see E04689.
Bibliography
Text:
Dindorf, L., Ioannis Malalae Chronographia (Corpus Scriptorum Historiae Byzantinae; Bonn, 1831).
Thurn, J., Ioannis Malalae Chronographia (Corpus Fontium Historiae Byzantinae 35; Berlin: Walter de Gruyter, 2000).
Translation:
Jeffreys, E., Jeffreys, M., and Scott, R., The Chronicle of John Malalas: A Translation (Sydney, 1986).
On Malalas:
Carrara, L., Meier, M., and Radtki-Jansen, C. (eds.), Die Weltchronik des Johannes Malalas. Quellenfragen (Malalas-Studien 2; Göttingen: Franz Steiner Verlag, 2017).
Jeffreys, E., Croke, B., and Scott, R. (eds.), Studies in John Malalas (Sydney, 1990).
Meier, M., Radtki-Jansen, C., and Schulz, F. (eds.), Die Weltchronik des Johannes Malalas: Autor, Werk, Überlieferung (Malalas-Studien 1; Göttingen: Franz Steiner Verlag, 2016).
Treadgold, W.T. The Early Byzantine Historians (Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2006), 235-256.