Page:Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire vol 5 (1897).djvu/517

 APPENDIX ADDITIONAL NOTES BY THE EDITOR 1. AUTHORITIES Greek (and Other) Sources Fob the later part of his history Menander (for whom see above, vol. iv. Appen- dix 1, p. 518) had access to the direct knowledge of contemporaries who were concerned in the political events. For the earlier years he possibly used Theo- PHANES of Byzantium, who related in ten Books the events from a.d. 566 to 581.1 Some extracts from Theophanes have been preserved by Photius (MUUer, F. H. G. iv. 270; Dindorf, Hist. Grsec. Min. vol. i.). Johannes of Epiphania (see Evagrius, 5, 24) also wrote a history which over- lapped with those of Theophanes and Menander. Beginning with a.d. 572 it came down to a.d. 598, and was chiefly concerned with Persian affairs, on which Johannes was well informed, being acquainted with Chosroes II. and other influ- ential Persians, and knowing the geography of the countries in which the wars were waged. One long fragment of Bk. 1 has come down (Miiller, F. H. G. iv. 272 sqq. ; Dindorf, Hist. Gra3C. Min. vol. i. ), but it is probable that we have much material derived from him in Theophylactus Simocatta, Bks. 4 and 5 ; and his work was also used by Evagrius (B. 6). John of Ephesus (or of Asia, as he is also styled) was born about a.d. 505 at Amida, and brought up by Maron the Sty lite in the Monophysitic faith. He came to Constantinople in a.d. 535, and in the following year was appointed bishop of the Monoph3'sites (Bishop " of Ephesus," or " of Asia "). He enjoyed the favour of the Emperor and Empress ; and Justinian assigned him the mission of convert- ing to Christianity the pagans who were stiU numerous in Asia, Phrygia, Lydia, and' Caria ; and afterwards (a.d. 546) he was appointed to suppress idolatry in Constantinople itself. ^ It is remarkable that the orthodox Emperor should have committed this work to a Mouophysite ; the circumstance illustrates the policy of the Emperor and the influence of Theodora. John founded a Syrian monas- tery near Sycae and the Golden Horn ; but he was deposed from his dignity of Abbot by the Patriarch John of Sirmium in the reign of Justin II., and im- prisoned (a.d. 571). He survived the year 585. His Ecclesiastical Histor}-, written in Syriac, began with the age of Julius Csesar and came down to the reign of Maurice. It was divided into three parts (each of six Books), of which the first is lost. Of the second, large fragments are preserved in the chronicle of Diony- sius of Tellmahre (who was Monophysite Patriarch of Antioch from 818 to 845 1 So Krumbacher, Gesch. der byz. Litt., ed. 2, p. 244; but I feel uncertain as to this con- jecture. Theophanes and Menander must have been writing their books very much about the same time. It seems likely that Menander derived his account of the negotiations of the peace with Persia in a.d. 562 from a written relation by the ambassador Peter the Patrician (so too Krumbacher, p. 239). _ 2 John calls himself "idol breaker," and "teacher of the heathen". We learn of his mission from his own work, Eccles. Hist. B. ii. 44 and iii. 36, 37. He had the administration of all the revenues of the Monophysites in Constantinople and everywhere else (B. V. i). (495)