«Ἐπιτομὴ Ἱστοριῶν» by John Zonaras. Thefirst Christian emperors: from Constantine I the Great (306–337) to Jovian(363–364) (Part 2)

Abstract

John Zonaras, a Byzantine historian and canonist of the twelfth century, left behind a significant historiographical legacy in the form of his «Ἐπιτομὴ ἱστοριῶν» in eighteen books, covering the period from the creation of the world to the accession to the throne of Emperor John Komnenos (1118). The first six books are devoted to biblical history, the next six to Roman history, and the final six to the history of the Christian empire. John Zonaras was largely based on the works of such ancient authors as Josephus and Dio Cassius.

In the “Roman” chapters, Zonaras focuses on periods when the Roman Empire faced internal and external challenges. The focus of this work is on the reigns of the Roman emperors from Alexander Severus to Justin I, including the period from 235 to 285. AD became known as the “crisis of the third century”, when the empire entered a period of significant political and social instability. Zonaras also draws attention to the many “parallel emperors” - usurpers who attempted to seize power in various provinces. «Ἐπιτομὴ ἱστοριῶν» focuses on the difficulties the empire faced and how they affected the population.

With the coming to power of Diocletian and the transition from the princi-pate to the dominate, a new era began: the emperor carried out reforms aimed at strengthening administrative control and restoring the economy. He divided the empire into zones of competence of two Augusti and two Caesars (the so-called tetrarchy), which, in his opinion, should have contributed to more efficient management. However, despite the successful reforms, Diocletian’s reign also saw severe persecution of Christians, also noted by Zonaras.

Constantine I the Great made Christianity a permitted religion according to the Edict of Milan, and in fact began the process of giving it the status of a state religion, which ended with the Edict of Thessalonians “Cunctos populos” on February 27, 380, which made Nicene Christianity the state religion of the Roman Empire.

Zonaras describes Constantine as a commander and reformer. Through an analysis of the actions and policies of the emperors, Zonaras takes readers through a panorama of Roman history, demonstrating how the empire faced challenges and changes over the centuries, and how these changes shaped the oikoumene.

The second part of the published translation covers the events from the revolt of Constantius II against Flavius Magnus Magnentius to the end of the reign of Jovian (the preceding events were described in the first part of the translation).

Translated from the edition: Ioannes Zonaras. Corpus Scriptorum Historiae Byzantinae. Bonnae: Impensis Ed. Weberi, 1897. Vol. 3. Lib. XIII.1–XIV.5. P. 1–151.

For citation: Khvalkov E. A. «Ἐπιτομὴ Ἱστοριῶν» by John Zonaras. The first Christian emperors: from Constantine I the Great (306–337) to Jovian (363–364) (Part 2) DOI: 10.51216/2687‑072Х_2025_2_226–247. EDN: VBPNSI // Theological Collection of Tambov Theological Seminary. 2025, no. 2 (31). P. 226–247. (In Russian)