Before and After Muhammad The First Millennium Refocused

62 | CHAPTER 3

First Millennium cultural traditions: Prophetic, scriptural, and exegetical phases

GREEK PHILOSOPHy

(ARISTOTELIANISM) CHRISTIANITy JUDAISM

536 Death of Sergius of
Reshʿaina, Syriac commentator
on Aristotle.

543, 553 Condemnation of

Origen.

560 Death of Simplicius, Aristo-
tle’s last comprehensive com-
mentator in Greek.
570 Death of John Philoponus,
last major Alexandrian Aristote-
lian, first major Christian
Aristotelian.
after 594 Death of Evagrius,
last of the Church historians
in direct succession from
Eusebius.

c. 630 Last Greek secular clas-
sicizing history (Theophylact
Simocatta) and chronicle
(Paschal chronicle).
636 Death of Isidore of Se-
ville, encyclopedist; conven-
tional closure of Latin patris-
tic age.

c. 650–700 Demise of Alexan-
drian schools.
680–81 Sixth Oecumenical
Council at Constantinople:
anathematization of John
Philoponus.

680–81 Sixth Oecumenical
Council at Constantinople:
condemnation of
Monotheletism.
685 Death of Ananias of Shi-
rak, Armenian encyclopedist.
708 Death of Jacob of Edessa,
Syriac Aristotelian and
chronicler.

740s Death of John of Da-
mascus; conventional closure
of Greek patristic age.