John Zonaras

John Zonaras

Byzantine chronicler and canonist, lived from the latter part of the eleventh to about the middle of the twelfth century. Under Emperor Alexis Comnenus he was commander of the imperial body-guard and first secretary of the imperial chancery. Later he became a monk at Hagia Glykeria (one of the Princes' Islands now know as Niandro). Here he wrote his compendium of history: Epitome ton istorion, superior in form and contents to most other Byzantine chronicles, and extensively used during the Middle Ages. It is a chronicle of the world from its creation to the accession of John Comnenus in 1118, and is of especial value for its excerpts form the lost books of Dio Cassius. It was edited by Pinder and Buttner-Wobst (3 vols., Bonn, 1841-97) and by Lindorf (6 vols., Leipzig, 1868-75). Another important work of his is a commentary on the canons of the Apostles, and of various oriental synods, and on the canonical letters of the Fathers of the third and four centuries. A complete edition of his works is found in P. G., CXXIV-CXXV and CXXXVII-CXXXVIII.

KRUMBACHER, Gesch. der byzantin. Literatur (Munich, 1897), 370-6; HEINEMANN, Quaestiones Zonareae (Dresden, 1895); BROISSEVEN, PATZIG, and PRACHTER in Byzant. Zeitschrift (Leipzig, 1895-7).

MICHAEL OTT