Panodorus of Alexandria

Panodorus of Alexandria (also Panodoros of Alexandria ) was a late antique monk who lived in Egypt as a contemporary of Theophilus of Alexandria in the late fourth and early fifth centuries AD and wrote a now-lost world chronicle in Greek.

Panodorus seems to have used several good sources in his chronicle. We owe most of the information to Georgios Synkellos , a Byzantine chronicler who, in the early 9th century, used Panodorus as an important source for his own world chronicle. Synkellos speaks respectfully of Panodorus, whom he describes as knowledgeable and considers him to be the literary successor of Sextus Iulius Africanus and Eusebius of Caesarea .

With his chronography, Panodorus tried to harmonize the traditions of the Egyptians and Chaldeans with the biblical mentions chronologically . He came to the conclusion that there was a period of 5,904 years between the biblical Adam and 412 AD, the year of death of Theophilus of Alexandria. Synkellos mentions that Panodorus, although a Christian, also consulted the pagan profane historians and thus considered political history accordingly. Furthermore, Panodorus apparently criticized some chroniclers, such as the above-mentioned Eusebius.

literature

• William Adler: Time immemorial: archaic history and its sources in Christian chronography from Julius Africanus to George Syncellus . Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection. Washington / DC 1989.
• Heinrich Gelzer : Sextus Iulius Africanus and the Byzantine chronography. Volume 2, Hinrichs, Leipzig 1885, pp. 189ff.