The primary goal of the project is to develop a historical-philological commentary on the Chronicle of John Malalas. This commentary is intended to serve as a working tool that facilitates access to the work and enables a well-founded scholarly examination of it.

The project focuses on the last books of the chronicle (beginning with Book 18), as they deal with contemporary history. In this context, in addition to the text’s value as a source for this period (i.e., the years 491–565), particular attention will be given to the author’s attitude toward the individual emperors, as well as his manner of presenting key historical events, the weight he assigns to the events recounted, and the significance of the Chronicle within the broader context of 6th-century historiography.

The Chronicle of John Malalas will thus be examined and described, on the one hand, using the historical-philological tools of traditional source criticism as well as within the framework of text-context analysis, with a focus on the author, the work, its genre, the use of topoi, sources, etc.; on the other hand, the aim will be to situate the work within a broader perspective—in the overall context of memorial culture in the Eastern Roman Empire of the 6th century and beyond—in order to gain new insights not only into the work itself but also into the society of which it is an integral part.

Well into the 1980s, Johannes Malalas’s chronicle was regarded by much of the scholarly community as a work of poor literary quality written by an uneducated monk. Even after it had been proven that the link between monasticism and a lack of education was a false conclusion, Malalas’s chronicle continued to be neglected or was appreciated only in isolated aspects, without a well-founded overall assessment having been presented.

The works of the Australian Malalas Team represent a milestone in Malalas research; in addition to an English translation, the team published a seminal anthology in 1990. In addition to an overview of the author and his work, this volume includes further studies that have provided important impetus for research on Malalas.

John Malalas and His Chronicle

Very little is known about John Malalas as a person. He was likely born around 490 AD in Antioch, Syria (now Antakya, Turkey) or its vicinity. Contrary to some scholarly opinions, he was most likely not a monk but served in the imperial administration. It is also rather doubtful that John Malalas leaned toward Miaphysitism, as has been inferred on various occasions from his work.

His 18-volume chronicle is the oldest surviving example of a Byzantine universal chronicle and thus offers unique insights into the early phase of a literary genre that was of central importance to the Byzantine Middle Ages. This work is of great relevance to modern scholarship for several reasons: First, the last three books, which cover the period the author himself experienced, constitute an important source for the history of the 6th century. However, their particular relevance for ancient history research has only gradually been recognized in recent years; since then, Malalas’s Chronicle has established itself as a fundamental contemporary reference work. It also provides numerous insights into aspects relevant to the history of culture and mentalities that cannot be gleaned from other surviving sources—especially classical secular historiography. Furthermore, the chronicle is of great value for questions concerning the origins and development of Christian historiography as well as, more generally, the Christian culture of remembrance in late antiquity. Finally, the work also yields important insights into how a Christian author in the 6th-century Eastern Roman Empire conceived of the past.

The Universal History begins with Adam and the creation of the world and breaks off shortly before the death of Emperor Justinian (565). Whether this event represented—or was intended to represent—the work’s original endpoint is a matter of debate. Books 1–6 contain biblical history, into which Malalas has woven historical and mythological traditions concerning ancient Near Eastern and Greek history. Book 7 deals with early Roman history; Book 8 is devoted to Alexander the Great and Hellenistic history; and Book 9 covers the events leading up to the Principate of Augustus. The middle section of the work (beginning with Book 10) marks a distinct turning point, with the simultaneous events of the Incarnation of Christ and the reign of Augustus. Books 10–12 cover the imperial period up to Diocletian (284–305), while the following two books cover late antique history from Constantine (306–337) to Leo II (474). Up to this point, Malalas’s chronicle is based on written sources, most likely primarily on earlier chronicles that are now lost. Beginning with Book 15, each book deals with the reign of a single emperor: Book 15 covers the reign of Zeno (474–491), Book 16 that of Anastasius (491–518), Book 17 that of Justin I (518–527), and finally the particularly extensive Book 18, which covers the reign of Justinian (527–565). For these books, Malalas was also able to rely on oral accounts and firsthand observation, as he explicitly emphasizes.

When considering the transmission of the Malalas Chronicle, a distinction must be made between Book 1 and Books 2–18. The primary source for the latter is the Codex Bodleianus Baroccianus 182 from the 11th/12th century, a manuscript that, unfortunately, suffers from significant damage and losses. For example, Book 1, parts of Books 5 and 18, and the conclusion of the work beginning in the year 563 are missing. Furthermore, it is now clear that the Baroccianus does not contain the original text (the so-called “original Malalas”), but rather a later revised version that has been, in some cases—particularly in Books 17–18—significantly abridged.

To fill these gaps, authors who still used the “Ur-Malalas” (or versions closely related to it) must be examined, in particular John of Ephesus, Eudoxius, the Chronicon Paschale, John of Nikiu, the Chronicle of Theophanes, and the excerpts by Constantine VII Porphyrogennetos. In addition, there is the Laterculus Malalianus, as well as a Slavic translation from the 10th/11th century—which is itself incomplete—and the so-called Fragmenta Tusculana —excerpts from the text that were likely composed as early as the 6th century or at the beginning of the 7th century, that is, close to Malalas’s time. The first book of the chronicle has been preserved in two 10th-century manuscripts, though these are also in a version that was revised at a later date.