5 - Sources of the Laterculus

Summary

The Laterculus is dependent for about half its length on Malalas's Chronographia;, these sections are literal translation. In the rest of the Laterculus, all the authorities named are Greek or biblical, with the exception of Ephrem. Malalas himself in the course of book 10 acknowledged dependence on the Greek historians Clemens, Theophilus, Timotheus and Eusebius; and these names are carried over into the Latin text, although no further material of any kind is drawn from them. There are references to dates secundum Gregus (ch. 2) and secundum Athineos (ch. 8). We also have biblical references, ‘sicut euangelista testatur’ (ch. 2) and ‘ut Lucas euangelista narrat’ (ch. 8). The two authorities mentioned by name are ‘beams Epyfanius Cyprius episcopus’ (ch. 7) and Ephrem: ‘et haec quidem etiam sanctus Ephrem commemorat similiter’ (ch. 19). In general, the ideas and to some extent the language of the sections of the Laterculus which are not based directly on Malalas's Chronographia can be connected with Greek and Syriac writers of the Antiochene school, as I will suggest below. The author's thought in the section of this work which is independent of Malalas is subtle and far-ranging. His simple expository phrases may wear their learning lightly, but his knowledge of the Greek patristic tradition was deep and extensive, as was his knowledge of the Bible. In addition, he was well versed in the Latin poetry of Proba (and perhaps Vergil) and Caelius Sedulius.