John of Epiphania, secretary to Gregory, Patriarch of Antioch, witnessed the end of the 572-591 Roman-Persian war, with the flight of the Sasanian King of Kings Khusro II in Syria and his subsequent restoration to the throne by Emperor Maurice. His Histories, later used by Theophylact Simocatta, have been lost. Only the first pages survive, preserved in a Vatican manuscript (Vat. gr. 1065).
This volume offers the first comprehensive study on John. Based on careful re-examination of the manuscript tradition, it presents a critical text that improves on C. B. Hase's (1812). John's chronology, biography, and ties with Gregory, are reassessed. Situating the Histories within the "classicizing" tradition, the study analyzes its method, perspective, and style, and traces its reception through the works of Evagrius, Theophylact, and Anna Comnena. Alongside exegetical and linguistic annotations, the commentary integrates evidence from a wide range of sources, offering critical insights into the diplomacy, prosopography, and military history of the war under Justin II and Tiberius.
This book will be of interest to students of Greek historiography, Byzantine and Sasanian history, the circulation of books, and the fate of "submerged" authors.
