Malalas

Jean Malalas (in Greek old Ἰωάννης Μαλάλας /Iôánnês Malálas), born towards 490 a. J. - C. and died towards 578 a. J. - C. is the author of oldest the preserved Byzantine Chronique : the Chronographia ( Χρονογραφία ). He exerted a very great influence on the chronicles Byzantine but so Slavic and Eastern, like on the Western annalistic tradition.

The only biographical information that one has of him must result from its name and its work: there he is probably of Syrian ascent ( Malalas means “rhetor” in Syriaque), originating in Antioche, and had to work in the administration before coming to Constantinople, probably in years 530 or shortly after 540.

The city of Antioche indeed holds an important place in its work, a world history in 18 pounds, which goes from the biblical time until the reign of Justinien I {{er}}: only the Greek Manuscrit preserved stops in 565, but the Slavic translation of the X {{E}} - 11th century is more complete. The account was perhaps wide until in 574 later on: the last book which describes the reign of Justinien shows less interest for the capital and contains less allusions to sympathies monophysites than the beginning; it thus appears as grafted on the book, either by the author himself with a latter date, or by someone else. The identification of Jean Malalas to the patriarch of Constantinople Jean III Scholastique (565 - 577) from now on is rejected.

Written in a popular language, perhaps for a public itself popular, this chronicle has historical value of source only for the 6th century century. The part devoted to the reign of Justinien appears to reflect the imperial propaganda of the time. For the older parts, the author takes care to quote his sources, although much appears of second hand. Its influence was considerable, because the work was translated in particular into slavon ecclesiastical and géorgien.

Editions

Ioannes Malales, Chronographia , Corpus Fontium Historiae Byzantinæ, Berolinensis Series, H. Thurn (ED.), Berlin, 2000 (rééd.).

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