Ecclesiastical History of Zacharias Rhetor

The Ecclesiastical History of Zacharias Rhetor or the Syriac chronicle known as that of Zachariah of Mitylene is a 6th-century manuscript, the work of Zacharias Rhetor, obtained by the British Museum on 11 November 1847. It was accessible in the British Museum Library and now in the Asian and African Studies Reading Room of the British Library at St Pancras, London.

The Ecclesiastical History... is a historical work in Syriac, which has been published by Dr. Land under the title of Zachariae Ep. Mitylenes aliorumque scripta historica Graece plerumque deperdita. This Chronicle bears no author's name, but is simply entitled, A volume of records of events which have happened in the world. Research has determined, nevertheless, that it is the work of Zacharias, a Monophysite Christian from sixth century; or at least an epitome of it

The first book discusses the book of Genesis and contains the tale of Joseph and Aseneth, the Acts of Pope Silvester and the narrative of the discovery of the relics of Stephen, Gamaliel, and Nicodemus, among other stories. From the second book onward contains the Acts of the Seven Sleepers and the historical narrative from the Synod of Constantinople in 448, to the capture of Rome in 536. The books two to six are almost entirely ecclesiastical, but the last books concern also secular matters, particularly on the relations between Rome and Persia.

It has been suggested by Professor Barrie Wilson and Simcha Jacobovici that the manuscript tells the tale of Jesus and Mary Magdalene under the pseudonyms of "Joseph" and "Aseneth". According to the text, the two were married and had two children. The encrypted tale is suggested to have been based on a lost gospel that escaped being destroyed during the time of the first Christian Emperor, Constantine.

These claims, however, have been contested by scholars. The text of Zacharias, tells the familiar story of Joseph and Aseneth. This tale is based on the life of the patriarch Joseph, son of Jacob. When Joseph was released from prison, he got married to Asenet, daughter of a priest of Heliopolis. The text itself is not a Gospel or a lost text as suggested by Wilson and Jacobovici; instead it is a well known text, discussed since the nineteenth century. The story of Joseph and Aseneth was composed to solve the problem of Joseph, a Hebrew patriarch, marrying a non-Israelite woman, therefore the tale was composed to clear up the problem. The love story of Joseph and Aseneth explains that Joseph’s wife, Aseneth, first converted to monotheism and belief in the Hebrew God before she married Joseph. The text of Zacharias adds to this an allegorical interpretation; Aseneth is the soul and Joseph is the Logos, the Son of God. In this twist on the old story Wilson and Jacobovici are based their interpretation. As Robert Cargill points out in his review:"The book’s methodology is highly problematic. Scholars won’t reject Mr. Jacobovici’s findings because of some “theological trauma” or a confessional, apologetic desire to preserve the Jesus described in the Bible... The problem is not a theological one, it is one of scholarship, methodology, and the (mis)use of evidence. Scholars won’t reject Mr. Jacobovici’s claims because they want to defend Christianity, scholars will reject Mr. Jacobovici’s speculations because he engages in circular reasoning, lacks evidence, breaks any number of rules of textual criticism, and engages in ...'speculation wrapped in hearsay couched in conspiracy masquerading as science ensconced in sensationalism slathered with misinformation'. .

Further reading

• Full text The Syriac Chronicle of Zacharias Rhetor in Early Church Fathers - Additional Texts. Edited by Roger Pearse.
• Ecclesiastical History of Zacharias Rhetor (British Library, Additional MS 17202) Full Text