Creative Chronography in Early Christianity: John Malalas on the Deaths of King Cyrus of Persia
In: Vigiliae ChristianaeSearch for other papers by Christian T. Djurslev in
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Abstract
In this article, I use John Malalas’ account of Cyrus’ two deaths – which he claimed was based on Pythagoras of Samos and Julius Africanus – as a case study for historiographical creativity in early Christian chronography. First, I detect that one of Cyrus’ deaths is calqued on Xerxes’ death in the Greek historian, Ctesias of Cnidus, and thus an original interpretation of the event. Second, I place this death story in the greater context of Malalas’ account, showing the great extent to which Malalas, or his source, has rewritten the story of Cyrus. Third, I test the death story’s attribution to Julius Africanus, which I argue is false, based on the high level of chronographic accuracy required for Africanus’ Chronographiae. Fourth and finally, I examine how Malalas was using Africanus’ authority to authenticate the dubious death story of Cyrus.
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Creative Chronography in Early Christianity: John Malalas on the Deaths of King Cyrus of Persia
In: Vigiliae ChristianaeSearch for other papers by Christian T. Djurslev in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Abstract
In this article, I use John Malalas’ account of Cyrus’ two deaths – which he claimed was based on Pythagoras of Samos and Julius Africanus – as a case study for historiographical creativity in early Christian chronography. First, I detect that one of Cyrus’ deaths is calqued on Xerxes’ death in the Greek historian, Ctesias of Cnidus, and thus an original interpretation of the event. Second, I place this death story in the greater context of Malalas’ account, showing the great extent to which Malalas, or his source, has rewritten the story of Cyrus. Third, I test the death story’s attribution to Julius Africanus, which I argue is false, based on the high level of chronographic accuracy required for Africanus’ Chronographiae. Fourth and finally, I examine how Malalas was using Africanus’ authority to authenticate the dubious death story of Cyrus.
| All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 1146 | 1146 | 568 |
| Full Text Views | 24 | 24 | 5 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 101 | 101 | 7 |
