“Saint” Severus, John Chrysostom, and the Dating of the Zacynthian Catena

This article reconsiders the date of the Zacynthian catena by examining its attributional formulae for John Chrysostom and Severus of Antioch. In Codex Zacynthius, scholia attributed to John consistently identify him by episcopal title rather than by the sobriquet “Chrysostom.” A survey of extant Greek and Latin witnesses suggests that the written use of the Chrysostom moniker becomes prominent only after 553 CE, whereas earlier sources more often employ titular designations. Comparison with later Lukan and Johannine catena manuscripts indicates that older attributions were frequently updated in transmission toward the more familiar sobriquet. The presence in Zacynthius of scholia attributed to “Saint” Severus of Antioch further sharpens the chronological problem and may point to a stage of compilation close to the mid-sixth century. Taken together, these features suggest that the underlying catena was most plausibly compiled between 538 and 553 CE.