The Concise Chronicle of George the Monk

By Craig A. Gibson

This book provides the first English translation of the Concise Chronicle, written by George the Monk in the late ninth century, which treats Mediterranean and Middle Eastern world history from Adam to the end of the Second Iconoclasm (842 CE). George's aim was to write a history of God's providential care for his chosen peoples, first the Jews and then orthodox Christians, in the context of other ancient peoples with whom they interacted. His chronicle contains stories of people rewarded for their complete obedience to God and punished for their disobedience, of victories over pagans and heretics (including the resolution of major theological issues by the seven ecumenical councils), of natural disasters and strange portents, and of the trials and triumphs of those who faced persecution for their faith. Short stories abound: the healing of Constantine, a loyal dog that avenged his murdered master, a deathly ill traveller who was baptized in sand, a fornicating almsgiver forever trapped between heaven and hell. Events of secular political and military history are discussed throughout the chronicle, but they are subordinated to George's larger agenda of celebrating and strengthening the orthodox Christian faith.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1807812243
• ISBN13: 9781807812249
• Release Date: June 2027
• Publisher: Liverpool University Press
• Length: 560 Pages