John Malalas as a source for John of Antioch’s Historia Chronike

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simply extracted his lemma from the volumes of the Excerpta Constantiniana. In this
case, he probably made use of the volume de virtutibus et vitiis.
Malalas’ text represents the key to solving the problem. In fact, the Codex Paris.
Suppl. gr. 682 from John Malalas’ Chronographia present the correct text (= Malalas,
Chronographia 114,1. 74 Thurn):
διά γάρ του ροπάλου τής καρτερικής ψυχής καί τής δοράς τής
θρασυτάτου σώφρονος λογισμού ένίκησε τό<ν> γήινον τής φαύλης
επιθυμίας άγώνα φιλοσοφήσας άχρι θανάτου.
As was already done by Th. Biittner-Wobst, the text of the Excerptum de Virtutibus 1
from John of Antioch should be integrated with the corresponding text of Malalas,
Chronographia 114. In fact, in this case, John of Antioch simply copied his main source,
which was none other than John Malalas. The manuscript that was available to the
excerptores Constantiniani was not correct. The excerptor Constantinianus decided to
write τον υιόν, so as to make the text comprehensible. Since the excerptor of Codex
Paris. 1630 saw the same manuscript, he left a white space after επιθυμίας probably
because he was unable to understand the word. The excerptor Constantinianus simply
omitted this undecipherable word. Therefore, following Malalas, the correct text of the
EVx should be:
διά γάρ τού ροπάλου τής καρτερικής ψυχής καί τής δοράς τού
θρασυτάτου καί σώφρονος λογισμού ένίκησε τό<ν> γήινον τής φαύλης
επιθυμίας άγώνα φιλοσοφήσας άχρι θανάτου.
2) Malalas' Chronology in John of Antioch
loannes Antiochenus, fr. 18 = Excerptum de Virtutibus 2 Biittner-Wobst (164,18-165,11).
Suda Lexicon Σ 253, Σερούχ derives from Excerptum de Virtutibus 2. An abridged
version of this text is present in Cod. Par. 1630, 237', 25-28.
The Excerptum de Virtutibus 2 from John of Antioch deals with Abraham’s sett-
lement in Palestine. Very significant is the presence of John Malalas’ chronological
structure at lines 8-9. The abrigded version in Cod. Par. 1630 offers a mistaken infor-
mation. In fact, the excerptor misunderstands the date in John of Antioch, ascribing
3475 to the period from the flood to Abraham. The Excerptum de Virtutibus 2, on the
contrary, shows the correct calculation, using Malalas (I 3 Thurn) as source (3475, from
Adam to the flood; 1403, from the flood to Abraham).23

23 According to these calculations, there are 2072 years between Adam and the flood. See above p. 291 for
the text. Sotiroudis, Untersuchungen, pp. 44-45, also excludes this text according to stylistic and linguis-
tic criteria. Mariev follows his choice.