Joseph Genesios

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Joseph Genesios ( Middle Greek Ἰωσὴφ Γενέσιος ) was a Byzantine historian who lived in the first half of the 10th century.

life and work

Little is known of Joseph Genesios himself; it is doubtful that this is the real name of the historian. Ferdinand Hirsch suspected the son of Constantine the Armenian behind Genesios, while Carl de Boor was his grandson. However, both explanations are unlikely; ultimately the author remains unknown.

On behalf of the Byzantine emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogennetos , he wrote an imperial history ( Basileiai ) of the 9th century (from 813 to 886), which was shaped by iconoclastic emperors. It begins with Leo V, the Armenian , and leads to Basil I , the grandfather of Constantine VII and founder of the Macedonian dynasty. The text is sometimes biased - some people are transfigured, others, especially Leon, are portrayed negatively; nevertheless the description is overall more objective than in Theophanes Continuatus . Several lost works served as sources. Genesios based his presentation on the ancient classics, although stylistically this was not always successful.

Johannes Skylitzes mentions Genesios in the foreword of his Synopsis Historion and criticizes his tendentious presentation of history.

Translations

  • Joseph Genesios: Byzantium on the eve of a new greatness . Byzantine historians 18. Translated, introduced and explained by Anni Lesmüller-Werner. Vienna 1989 (German translation with introduction and notes).
  • Genesios: On the Reigns of the Emperors . Byzantina Australiensia 11. Translated and commented by Anthony Kaldellis. Canberra 1998 (English translation with introduction and notes).

literature

  • Alexios G. Savvides, Benjamin Hendrickx (Eds.): Encyclopaedic Prosopographical Lexicon of Byzantine History and Civilization . Vol. 3: Faber Felix - Juwayni, Al- . Brepols Publishers, Turnhout 2012, ISBN 978-2-503-53243-1 , pp. 73-74.
  • Warren Treadgold : The Middle Byzantine Historians . Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke 2013, pp. 180ff.

Remarks

  1. ↑ See introduction by Anni Lesmüller-Werner, in: Byzanz am Vorabend neue Größe , pp. 13f.
  2. ^ Introduction by Anni Lesmüller-Werner, in: Byzanz on the eve of a new size , p. 15.
personal data
SURNAME Joseph Genesios
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Byzantine historian
DATE OF BIRTH 10th century
DATE OF DEATH 10th century