Zacharias Rhetor

Zacharias of Mytilene ( with the nickname Scholasticus or rhetorician; * to 465 in Gaza; † after 536 ) was a late antique bishop and church historian.

The Life of Zacharias of Mytilene may only be reconstructed from a few scattered statements in contemporary sources, some of which contain contradictory material ( as is in some Syrian authors instead Mytilene Melitene ). Zacharias was born near the city of Gaza, where there was a significant rhetoricians in Late Antiquity. In their environment probably was his first training before he went to 485 to Alexandria in Egypt, and there for two years studying philosophy. In Alexandria, he became embroiled in clashes between Christians and pagans (see Horapollon ). He met Severus, Patriarch of Antioch, the later significant. Zacharias was baptized and went to 487 to Beirut to study at the local university law degree. In Beirut Zacharias remained until 491, but he also undertook, in search of religious orientation, several trips through Palestine and led in Beirut a fairly ascetic life. He eventually moved to Constantinople Opel and worked there a long time as a lawyer. The the moderate Miaphysitismus zuneigende Zacharias had probably always toyed with the idea to enter the convent. He enjoyed apparently good contacts with the imperial court, which he probably owed ​​his appointment as Bishop of Mytilene ( Lesbos ). His successor dortiger is attested in 553, but Zacharias took any part in the Synod of Constantinople in 536 Opel.

Zacharias has several scripts written in ancient Greek, including a well end of the 5th century, wrote church history. The work contains valuable material was dedicated to the dignitaries Eupraxios and described the years 451 to 491, among others to Evagrius Scholasticus served for his church history at Zacharias. The original is lost, but has remained a shortened Syrian revision, by a monk miaphysitischen (Pseudo- Zacharias ) was processed from Amida to 569 in the twelve-volume compilation of church history (Volumes 3-6 ). Zechariah also wrote three biographies miaphysitischer clergyman, whom he had met personally: About the above Severus, about Peter the Iberian as well as the Egyptian monk Isaiah the younger; they are different well- preserved. Furthermore, Zacharias wrote several polemical works, perhaps against the philosopher Ammonius Hermeiou or against the Manichaeans.

Editions and translations

• Marc- Antoine Kugener (ed.): Vie de Sévère par Zacharie le Scholastique ( Patrologia Orientalis =, Vol 2). Paris 1903.
• Ernest Walter Brooks ( ed.): Historia ecclesiastica Zachariae rhetorical vulgo adscripta. Louvain 1924.
• Maria Minniti Colonna (ed.): Zacaria Scholastic: ammonio. Naples 1973 ( critical edition with Italian translation and commentary ).
• Geoffrey B. Greatrex (ed.): The Chronicle of Pseudo- Zachariah Rhetor: Church and War in Late Antiquity ( Translated Texts for Historians = ). Liverpool University Press, Liverpool, 2011 (English translation with introduction and commentary ).