John of Biclaro

John of Biclaro ( John Biclarensis, † ca 620 ) was a late antique bishop and chronicler.

John was ( perhaps 540) born in Lusitania in the Visigothic kingdom. At a young age he went to Constantinople, Opel, where he was a thorough training in the field of Latin and probably Greek literature given. About 576 he returned to Hispania, where he quickly became a Catholic in conflict with the Arian Visigoths Leovigild, Johannes even briefly exiled to Barcelona. Approximately 586 John founded the monastery Biclaro ( Biclarum ) and the Department was 590/591, he was appointed Bishop of Girona. He is attested in this function even in the early 7th century.

John wrote the beginning of his activity as abbot a Latin chronicle, which was intended as a continuation of the Chronicle of Victor of Tunnuna whose text had brought from Constantinople John Opel to Hispania. The Chronicle of John includes the time from 567 to 591 you are after the years of reign ( Eastern ) Roman Empire and the Visigothic kings divided. It is noteworthy that John, although he was persecuted under Leovigild, is expressed in the chronicle not lightly of the king, but striving for neutrality was recognizable. The focus of the Chronicle are both the processes in the Eastern Roman Empire as well as ( to a lesser extent ) the events in Hispania. It provides, despite some errors, an important source for the history of Western Goth represents and offers also for the history of Ostrom some important information. Basically remarkable is next to that of John as well as his acting in the Merovingian kingdom contemporary Gregory of Tours still Romanum understood as a subject of the emperor and as a member of the Empire and was trying to teach his readers about the events in the east of the Mediterranean.

Isidore of Seville reported by other works, which is said to have written John, but none received it.

Editions and translations

• St. John Abbatis Biclarensis Chronica. In: Theodor Mommsen (ed.): Auctores antiquissimi 11: Chronica minora SAEC. IV V VI. VII (II). Berlin 1894 ( Monumenta Historica Germaniae, digitized )
• Kenneth Baxter Wolf, Conquerors and Chronic coupler of Early Medieval Spain. 2nd edition. Liverpool University Press, Liverpool 1999, ISBN 0-853-23554-6 (Translated Texts for Historians 9 ), pp. 57 ff [ English translation of the Chronicle ]