The Paschal Chronicle records that the church of the Holy *Apostles (S02422) in Constantinople was consecrated (or reconsecrated?) in 370. Written in Greek at Constantinople, c. 630.
Evidence ID
E07987
Type of Evidence
Literary - Other narrative texts (including Histories)
Paschal Chronicle, s.a. 370
Ἐπὶ τούτων τῶν ὑπάτων καθιερώθη ἡ ἐκκλησία τῶv ἁγίων Ἀποστόλων ἐν Κωνσταντινουπόλει μηνὶ ξανθικῷ πρὸ πέντε ἰδῶν ἀπριλίων.
'In the time of these consuls the church of the Holy Apostles in Constantinople was consecrated in the month Xanthicus, five days before the Ides of April [9 April].'
Text: Dindorf 1832, 559.
Translation: Whitby and Whitby 1989, 48.
Liturgical Activities
Ceremony of dedication
Cult PlacesCult building - independent (church)
Source
The Chronicon Paschale (paschal or Easter chronicle) is a chronicle compiled at Constantinople in the first half of the 7th century. It covers events from the creation of the world up to the anonymous author's own time. The Chronicle probably concluded with the year 630 (see Whitby and Whitby 1989, xi), though the surviving text breaks off slightly earlier, in the entry for 628. The traditional name for the Chronicle originates from its introductory section, which discusses methods for calculating the date of Easter. The Chronicle survives thanks to a single manuscript, Vatican, Gr. 1941 (10th c.), on which all other surviving manuscripts depend. The only critical edition remains that of Ludwig Dindorf (1832).The chronicler uses multiple chronological systems to date events: Olympiads, consular years, indictions, and years from the Ascension, as well as using Roman, Greek, and sometimes Egyptian dates (see Whitby and Whitby 1989, x). Numerous literary sources are utilised for the period before the author's own time, including well-known historical sources such as Eusebius and John Malalas. We have not included entries for material in the Paschal Chronicle which simply reproduces material in earlier sources already entered in our database.
Discussion
It is generally assumed that since the church of the Holy Apostles was founded by Constantine, this entry must refer to a rededication after rebuilding or refurbishment (e.g. Janin 1969, 42, suggested it had been damaged in an earthquake). However, it has been suggested that when constructed by Constantine, the building was not actually a church but only a mausoleum, and that this entry therefore records its actual dedication as a church: see Whitby and Whitby 1989, 48, n. 146, and 34, n. 108.Bibliography
Edition:Dindorf, L., Chronicon Paschale (Bonn, 1832).
Translation:
Whitby, M., and Whitby, M., Chronicon Paschale 284-628 AD (Translated Texts for Historians 7; Liverpool, 1989).
Further reading:
Janin, R., La géographie ecclésiastique de l'empire byzantin. I: Les églises et les monastères de la ville de Constantinople. (2nd ed.; Paris, 1969).
Record Created By
David Lambert
Date of Entry
04/09/2020
| ID | Name | Name in Source | Identity | S02422 | All Apostles | οἱ ἁγίοι ἀποστόλοι | Certain |
|---|
Please quote this record referring to its author, database name, number, and, if possible, stable URL:
David Lambert, Cult of Saints, E07987 - http://csla.history.ox.ac.uk/record.php?recid=E07987