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Philippe Blaudeau

such an exemplary comportment in the Justinian context is of real importance, but as
is often the case with Malalas, of complicated access.
First, did Malalas’Justinian die while perpetrating the worst aggression against
faith, while promulgating an edict supporting aphtartodocetism as written at the very
end of the book,31 or so to speak, without any penance, on the edge of death, to gain
him salvation? No need to underline that the passage comes from Theophanes.32 Let’s
have a look at some of its main features. The information of God acting in time may
be congruent here even if the divine intervention normally sustains the emperor’s
initiative. What is less convincing is the insistence on the impious fault. The most pro-
bable, as also concluded elsewhere in this volume, remains that Theophanes didn’t find
it in Malalas but took it from an epitome of ecclesiastical history.33 On the contrary,
we have a very interesting passage where Justinian confesses his sins in 532. It can be
deduced that in such a situation he is not wearing the diadem. The texts are imprecise
on this point, although usually Malalas gives a lot of information about it as its alleged
first appearance, its pearls,34 and explicitly mentions it when an emperor decides to

μου επιστρέφει ού μετά Λύτρων ούδέ μετά δώρων, είπεν κύριος ό θεός σαβαώθ.’ Ό δε
βασιλεύς Κύρος άκούσας ταύτα έπεσε προς τούς πόδας τού Δανιήλ λέγων ‘ζή κύριος ό
θεός σου, εγώ άπολύσω εκ τής έμής γής τον ’Ισραήλ, ΐνα Λατρεύσωσι τώ θεώ αύτών εν Ι-
ερουσαλήμ. ’” (The prophet Daniel came into the presence of Kyros, emperor of the Persians who said
to him: “Tell me if I shall conquer Kroisos, emperor of the Lydian”. Daniel hesitated and the emperor
became angry with him, threw him into a den of lions. When Kyros learnt that he had not been harmed
by the beasts, he took him out and fell down before him, saying “I have wronged you, but pray to your
god and tell me if I can withstand that grasping and arrogant Kroisos since he has subjugated me the
whole earth and yet is not satisfied”. Daniel prayed and said to him “you will conquer Kroisos and take
him prisoner. For the God who made all visible things has said concerning you through the prophet
Isaiah “Thus says the Lord to Kyros, my anointed whose right hand I have held so that peoples may
submit before him: I shall break the might of emperors... He will build my city and he will return my
captive people, not for a ransom and not for gifts’, said the Lord God of Sabaoth”. When the emperor
Kyros heard this, he fell at Daniel’s feet saying, “As the Lord your God lives, I will release Israel from
my land so that they may worship their god in Jerusalem. Chronicle of Malalas, trans. E. Jeffreys et alii,
pp. 82-83).
31 Malalas, Chronographia XVIII152: “Τώ δ’αύτώ έτει Ιουστινιανός ό βασιλεύς τό περί φθαρτού
καί άφθάρτου κινήσας δόγμα καί ϊδικτον πανταχού καταπέμψας άλλότριον τής εύσεβεί-
ας, θεού προφθάσαντος, έτελεύτησε μηνί Νοεμβρίω ιδ' τής έχομένης ιδ' ίνδικτιώνος,
βασιλεύσας έτη λη' μήνας C ήμέρας ιγ'. καί γίνεται τούτου διάδοχος ό άνεψιός αύτού
Ιουστίνος ό κουροπαλάτης. “ (In the same year, the emperor Justinian, after raising the doctrine of
corruptibility and incorruptibility and issuing an edict to all places that was contrary to piety, with God
acting in time, died on 14th November of the following 14th indiction, having reigned 38 years, 7 months
and 13 days. His successor was his nephew Justin, the curopalates, Chronicle of Malalas, trans. E. Jeffreys
et alii, p. 306-307).
32 Theophanes, Chronographia AM 6057, ed. De Boor, p. 240-241.
33 See V. Drecoll in this very volume.
34 Malalas, Chronographia XII30 (Aurelian’s diadem adorned with a star); XIII 8 (Constantine, the first to
wear a diadem incrusted with pearls and gems); XV 8 (the Samaritan usurper Justasas’ head, with the
diadem, sent to Zeno); Malalas, Chronographia XVIII 35 (the Samaritan usurper Julian’s head, with the
diadem, sent to Justinian). On the apparition of the imperial diadem, see P. Maraval, Constantin, p. 197.