Author Archives: Tom

Living memory

Posted on May 4, 2012 by Tom

Several months ago Roger Pearse blogged about “living memory” and how far back it might extend. It is easy to think that an event that occurred long ago only now exists in historical documents, but frequently witnesses of an important … Continue reading →

Posted in Historiography | 4 Comments

Papias fragment from the Syriac version of the Ecclesiastical History of Eusebius

Posted on October 28, 2011 by Tom

The Syriac version of the Ecclesiastical History of Eusebius contains an interesting variant when Eusebius quotes the words of Papias. This was pointed out long ago in this article, but I wanted to see what the Syriac said for myself … Continue reading →

Posted in Papias | 2 Comments

Papias-Syriac fragments translated

Posted on October 27, 2011 by Tom

I translated two Syriac testimonies concerning Papias which are found in the writings of John of Dara. I also updated my page on Papias accordingly. Therefore, at this Apollonarius the heretic, with his companions, abandoned the glorious illumination of the … Continue reading →

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Update

Posted on October 22, 2011 by Tom

Though I have not been blogging lately, I have been very busy. Several months ago I finished translating 39 scholia on the Apocalypse. These are anonymous notes on the Apocalypse in Greek which are found in only one manuscript. Scholars … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

The Wonderful TLG Gets Better -Update-

Posted on February 26, 2011 by Tom

I use the Thesaurus Linguae Graecae database several times a week. It has by far the best database and software for morphologically analyzing Greek words and for performing word searches and morphological searches on words.  Its breadth of content is … Continue reading →

Posted in Linguistics | Leave a comment

Papias: 11 New Fragments Found

Posted on January 16, 2011 by Tom

I added 11 new fragments of Papias to my website.  Two are from John of Dara which I gratefully found in the 3rd edition of “Apostolic Fathers: Texts and English translations” by Michael Holmes (2007), one I found preserved in … Continue reading →

Posted in Papias | 3 Comments

Julius Africanus and Christmas as December 25

Posted on January 2, 2011 by Tom

A question has come in about Christmas and Julius Africanus.  Africanus (wrote 221/222AD) is a fascinating figure, whose work the Chronographia has been lost except for fragments and testimonies from later authors.  An excellent edition has recently been released in … Continue reading →

Posted in Christmas, Julius Africanus | 3 Comments

Cyprian, Christmas, and the birth of the Sun

Posted on December 31, 2010 by Tom

Occasionally I find that people attempt to quote Cyprian as supporting the idea that Jesus was born on the same day that the Sun was born, typically linking this with December 25 and the Festival of the Birth of Sol … Continue reading →

Posted in Christmas, Cyprian | Leave a comment

Antiochus of Athens and the Birth of the Sun-update

Posted on December 28, 2010 by Tom

Roger Pearse responded to my post on Sol Invictus, and made some very good points. Aurelian did institite games of the sun (agones solis) in October. The calendar of Philocalus does not give any Christian festivals, so I think we … Continue reading →

Posted in Christmas | 4 Comments

Sol Invictus evidently not a precursor to Christmas

Posted on December 21, 2010 by Tom

I have found the full Latin of the inscription which Roll (“Toward the Origins of Christmas”) implies states that Emperor Aurelian set up a feast for Sol Invictus on December 25 in 274AD.  The Latin inscription can be found here … Continue reading →

Posted in Christmas | 6 Comments