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De mensibus Macedonicis

John of Damascus · khazarzar

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JSON Dossier
machine-draft · no human review 2 passages · 493 words

Work dossier · summary and historical context

Summary

De mensibus Macedonicis is a short calendrical treatise attributed to John of Damascus (c. 675–749), listing the Macedonian months with their corresponding Julian dates and dietary rules. The work survives in Greek manuscripts, often alongside other computistical and astronomical texts. Its exact date is unknown, and its authenticity is uncertain. The text reflects Byzantine interest in reconciling local Macedonian calendars with the Roman Julian system for liturgical purposes. The modern digital edition by khazarzar lacks critical apparatus, making it impossible to verify the base manuscript or editorial choices.

De mensibus Macedonicis illustrates the Byzantine effort to integrate local calendrical traditions into the Christian liturgical framework. It provides evidence for the persistence of the Macedonian calendar in late antique and medieval Greek-speaking communities. The work also highlights John of Damascus's broader encyclopedic interests beyond theology, though its uncertain authenticity cautions against overattribution.

Historical context

The work is attributed to John of Damascus, a Greek monk and theologian active in the Umayyad Caliphate, primarily at the Monastery of Mar Saba near Jerusalem. John is best known for his dogmatic works, such as the Fount of Knowledge, but he also wrote on computus and natural philosophy. De mensibus Macedonicis belongs to a Byzantine tradition of calendrical compendia that sought to harmonize local month names (here, the Macedonian calendar, still used in parts of the eastern Mediterranean) with the Julian calendar for ecclesiastical dating. The text likely circulated in monastic or scholarly circles concerned with liturgical timekeeping. Its survival in manuscripts alongside other computistical works suggests it was used for practical calculation, though its influence was limited compared to John's major theological writings. The khazarzar edition is a modern transcription without manuscript stemma or textual variants, so the work's textual history remains obscure.

Apparatus · what the pipeline recorded

Annotation and terms

11 commentary units 6 background2 structure2 caution1 term 0 derived notes 3 open questions 2 narrative
What the kinds mean

Pipeline notes

  • coverageNo English translation could be identified: a language model asked twice could not name one, though it could not rule one out either. That is not proof that none exists — translations in dissertations, recent books and other modern languages are easily missed.
  • limitThe English is a machine draft produced passage by passage from the transcribed Coptic; no human has verified it. The commentary is model-written and cites only keys the pipeline could resolve.
  • registerRegister: other in ancient Greek; the English keeps the liturgical formulae and the vocatives rather than normalising them.
  • structurePassages: 2 narrative.
  • sourceSource edition: khazarzar — Migne PG text (public domain); khazarzar host and the digitising project state no licence for this layer

Term index

CopticRenderingCountFirst
no glossary terms recorded
khazarzar-john-of-damascus-de-mensibus-macedonicis:1 · narrativehigh
Source
̓Ιωάννου τοῦ Δαμασκηνοῦ, περὶ τῶν Μακεδόνων μηνῶν, ἐκ τῆς ἐκκλησιαστικῆς παραδόσεως. Φασὶ γὰρ οἱ Ἕλληνες εἶναι δώδεκα ζώδια ἐξ ἀστέρων ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ, ἐναντίαν κίνησιν ἔχοντα τῷ τε ἡλίῳ, καὶ τῇ σελήνῃ, καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις πέντε πλανήταις, καὶ διὰ δώδεκα ζωδίων παρέρχεσθαι τοὺς ἑπτά. Τῶν δὲ ἑπτὰ πλανητῶν τὰ ὀνόματα εἰσὶ ταῦτα· Ἥλιος, Σελήνη, Ζεὺς, Ἑρμῆς, Ἄρης, Ἀφροδίτη, Κρόνος. Πλανήτας δὲ καλοῦσιν αὐτοὺς διὰ τὸ ἐναντίαν αὐτοὺς τοῦ οὐρανοῦ κινεῖσθαι κίνησιν. Εἶναι δὲ καθ' ἑκάστην ζώνην τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἕνα τῶν ἑπτὰ πλανητῶν· ἕνα μὲν ἐν τῇ πρώτῃ καὶ ἀνωτέρᾳ τὸν Κρόνον· ἐν δὲ τῇ δευτέρᾳ τὸν Δία· ἐν τῇ τρίτῃ τὸν Ἄρεα· ἐν δὲ τῇ τετάρτῃ τὸν Ἥλιον· ἐν δὲ τῇ πέμπτῃ τὴν Ἀφροδίτην· ἐν δὲ τῇ ἕκτῃ τὸν Ἑρμῆν· ἐν δὲ τῇ ἑβδόμῃ καὶ κατωτέρᾳ τὴν Σελήνην. Ὁ μὲν οὖν Ἥλιος καθ' ἕκαστον ζώδιον ἀποτελεῖ μῆνα ἕνα, καὶ διὰ τῶν δώδεκα μηνῶν τὰ δώδεκα ζώδια διέρχεται. Τῶν δὲ δώδεκα ζωδίων τὰ ὀνόματα εἰσὶ ταῦτα, καὶ οἱ τούτων μῆνες· αʹ, Κριός· μηνὶ Μαρτίῳ καʹ δέχεται τὸν ἥλιον· βʹ, Ταῦρος· μηνὶ Ἀπριλλίῳ κγʹ· γʹ, Δίδυμος Μαΐῳ κδʹ· δʹ, Καρκίνος Ἰουνίῳ κδʹ· εʹ, Λέων Ἰουλίῳ κεʹ· ϛʹ, Παρθένος, Αὐγούστῳ κεʹ. ζʹ, Ζυγὸς Σεπτεμβρίῳ κεʹ· ηʹ, Σκορπίος, Ὀκτωβρίῳ. κεʹ· θʹ, Τοξότης, Νοεμβρίῳ κεʹ· ιʹ, Αἰγόκερως, Δεκεμβρίῳ κεʹ· ιαʹ, Ὑδροχόος, Ἰαννουαρίῳ κʹ· ιβʹ, Ἰχθῦς, Φευβρουαρίῳ κʹ. Ἡ δὲ Σελήνη καθ' ἕκαστον μῆνα τὰ ιβʹ ζώδια διέρχεται, καὶ κατωτέρα παροῦσα, καὶ ταχύτερον ταῦτα διοδεύουσα· ὡς ἐὰν ποιήσῃς πόλον ἔνδον ἄλλου πόλου, ὁ ἔνδον πόλος μικρότερος εὑρεθήσεται.
English
Of John of Damascus, on the Macedonian months, from the ecclesiastical tradition. For the Greeks say there are twelve zodiac signs made of stars in the sky, having a motion opposite to the sun, the moon, and the other five planets, and the seven pass through the twelve zodiac signs. The names of the seven planets are these: Sun, Moon, Zeus, Hermes, Ares, Aphrodite, Kronos. They call them planets because they move in a motion opposite to that of the sky. And in each zone of the sky there is one of the seven planets: one in the first and highest zone, Kronos; in the second, Zeus; in the third, Ares; in the fourth, the Sun; in the fifth, Aphrodite; in the sixth, Hermes; in the seventh and lowest, the Moon. Now the Sun completes one month in each zodiac sign, and passes through the twelve zodiac signs in twelve months. The names of the twelve zodiac signs and their months are these: 1, Aries; receives the sun on March 21; 2, Taurus; April 23; 3, Gemini; May 24; 4, Cancer; June 24; 5, Leo; July 25; 6, Virgo; August 25; 7, Libra; September 25; 8, Scorpius; October 25; 9, Sagittarius; November 25; 10, Capricorn; December 25; 11, Aquarius; January 20; 12, Pisces; February 20. The moon passes through the twelve zodiac signs each month, being lower and traversing them more quickly; so that if you make a sphere inside another sphere, the inner sphere will be found smaller.
khazarzar-john-of-damascus-de-mensibus-macedonicis:2 · narrativehigh
Source
Οὕτω καὶ ὁ δρόμος τῆς Σελήνης κατωτέρας οὔσης ὀλιγότερός ἐστιν, καὶ ἀνύεται τάχιον. Περὶ διαφόρων μηνῶν. Μῆνες κατὰ Ῥωμαίους. αʹ. Μάρτιος λαʹ· Γλυκοφάγει, γλυκοπότει. βʹ. Ἀπρίλλιος λʹ· Ῥαφάνης μὴ φάγῃς. γʹ. Μάϊος λαʹ· Ποδοκέφαλα μὴ φάγῃς. δʹ. Ἰούνιος λαʹ· Πίνε ὕδωρ ὀλίγον. εʹ. Ἰούλιος λαʹ· Ἀπέχου ἀφροδισίων. ϛʹ. Αὔγουστος λαʹ· Ὠμὰ λάχανα μὴ φάγῃς. ζʹ. Σεπτέμβριος λʹ· Γάλα μὴ φάγῃς. ηʹ. Ὀκτώβριος λαʹ· Ἀπέχου ὀξυφαγίας. θʹ. Νοέμβριος λʹ· Ἀπέχου πολυλουσίας. ιʹ. Δεκέμβριος λαʹ· Κράμβην μὴ φάγῃς. ιαʹ. Ἰαννουάριος λαʹ· Ὥρᾳ ιβʹ πίνε ἄκρατον ὀλίγον. ιβʹ. Φευβρουάριος κηʹ· Σεύτλου μὴ φάγῃς. Μῆνες κατὰ Ἰουδαίους. αʹ. Νισάν. βʹ. Ἰάρ· γʹ. Σιουάν. δʹ. Θαμούζ. εʹ. Ἄβ. ϛʹ. Ἀλούλ. ζʹ. Θεσρή. ηʹ. Μαρσουάν. θʹ. Χασλεύ. ιʹ. Τιβήθ. ιαʹ. Σαβάτ. ιβʹ. Ἀδάρ. Μῆνες κατὰ Μακεδόνας. αʹ. Ταῦρος. βʹ. Δίδυμος· γʹ. Καρκῖνος. δʹ. Λέων. εʹ. Παρθένος. ϛʹ Ζυγός. ζʹ. Σκορπίος. ηʹ. Τοξότης. θʹ. Αἰγόκερως. ιʹ. Ὑδροχόος. ιαʹ. Ἰχθῦς. ιβʹ. Κριός. Μῆνες κατὰ Ἕλληνας. αʹ. Ξανθικός. βʹ. Ἀρτεμίσιος. γʹ. Δαίσιος. δʹ. Πάνεμος. εʹ. Λῷος. ϛʹ. Γορπιαῖος. ζʹ. Ὑπερβερεταῖος. ηʹ. Δῖος. θʹ. Ἀπηλλαῖος. ιʹ. Αὐδυναῖος. ιαʹ. Περίτιος. ιβʹ. Δύστρος. Μῆνες κατὰ Αἰγυπτίους. αʹ. Φαρμουθί. βʹ. Παχών. γʹ. Παυνί. δʹ. Ἐπιφί. εʹ. Μεσωρί. ϛʹ. Θώθ. ζʹ. Φαωφί. ηʹ. Ἀθύρ. θʹ. Χοιάκ. ιʹ. Τυβί. ιαʹ. Μεχείρ. ιβʹ. Φαμενώθ.
English
Thus also the course of the Moon, being lower, is shorter and is completed more quickly. On the different months. Months according to the Romans. 1. March, 31 days: Eat sweet things, drink sweet things. 2. April, 30 days: Do not eat radish. 3. May, 31 days: Do not eat foot-heads. 4. June, 31 days: Drink little water. 5. July, 31 days: Abstain from sexual acts. 6. August, 31 days: Do not eat raw vegetables. 7. September, 30 days: Do not eat milk. 8. October, 31 days: Abstain from sour foods. 9. November, 30 days: Abstain from frequent bathing. 10. December, 31 days: Do not eat cabbage. 11. January, 31 days: At the twelfth hour drink a little unmixed wine. 12. February, 28 days: Do not eat beet. Months according to the Jews. 1. Nisan. 2. Iyar. 3. Sivan. 4. Tammuz. 5. Av. 6. Elul. 7. Tishrei. 8. Marcheshvan. 9. Kislev. 10. Tevet. 11. Shevat. 12. Adar. Months according to the Macedonians. 1. Taurus. 2. Didymus. 3. Carcinus. 4. Leo. 5. Parthenos. 6. Zygos. 7. Scorpios. 8. Toxotes. 9. Aigokeros. 10. Hydrochoos. 11. Ichthys. 12. Krios. Months according to the Greeks. 1. Xanthikos. 2. Artemisios. 3. Daisios. 4. Panemos. 5. Loios. 6. Gorpiaios. 7. Hyperberetaios. 8. Dios. 9. Apellaios. 10. Audynaios. 11. Peritios. 12. Dystros. Months according to the Egyptians. 1. Pharmouthi. 2. Pachon. 3. Pauni. 4. Epiphi. 5. Mesori. 6. Thoth. 7. Phaophi. 8. Athyr. 9. Choiak. 10. Tybi. 11. Mecheir. 12. Phamenoth.
Citation. Tergwame, “De mensibus Macedonicis”, khazarzar-john-of-damascus-de-mensibus-macedonicis:1, machine-draft, 2026. https://naxiai.com/christian/works/khazarzar-john-of-damascus-de-mensibus-macedonicis#s1
Colophon. Source: khazarzar · licence: Migne PG text (public domain); khazarzar host and the digitising project state no licence for this layer · model: deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash:floor · provider: Relace · cost: $0.0016 · generated 2026-11-15.