The Chronica Maiora of Isidore of Seville

The two redactions

Mommsen, in his Monumenta Germaniae Historica, believed the two redactions of the Chronica Maiora were the result of modifications made by copyists. In 2003, José Carlos Martín demonstrated that Jacques Fontaine’s assertion that there were indeed two versions. The former author dated one version from 615/616 during king Sisebut’s reign, and the other longer one from 626 under king Swinthila. His epitome, the Chronica Minora in the Etymologiae, derives from the later version.

Fig. 1. Excerpt from the two redactions of Chronica Maiora. Koon S., Wood J., 2008.

Date of Christ’s birth derived from the Chronica Maiora

It is evident that the AM date (anno mundi, years since creation) associated with each ruler represents the end of the emperor’s reign:
Octavian Augustus 5210 = 5154 + 56,
Tiberius 5233 = 5210 + 23,
Gaius Caligula 5237 = 5233 + 4.
Following the statement of the end date and length of rule there follows a description of the events that occurred under their emperorship.
As Augustus’s reign started in 5154 and chap. 237 tells us Christ was born in the 42nd year of his reign, it follows this was the year 5195. This indicates the generally accepted view that Isidore dated creation to 5210 BCE is incorrect as that would imply he dated Christ’s birth to 5211 AM.
Further evidence supporting this analysis is the comment in chap. 239 that states Christ was crucified in the year 5228. His birth in 5195 would be in agreement with a belief held in medieval times that he was 33 years old when he died.

Alternative date for Christ’s birth derived from the Chronica Maiora

Fig. 2. compares the historical dates of the start and end of the period of rule of rule of the emperors listed by Isidore with the AM dates he associated with the end of their emperorships.

Fig. 2. Emperors in the Chronica Maiora.

Below is a graph that compares the values of the last two columns in the above table. As can be seen, there is a high degree of correlation between the two variables.

Fig. 3. Isidore’s dating of the Roman rulers’ reigns. Click image to enlarge.

Inserting the value 1 in the regression line equation at the top right of the above graph, it can be seen that he was dating 1 CE as 5199 AM, in line with Eusebius and Jerome. Using this date together with make the crucifixion date of 5228 translates to 30 CE. This would be close to the date suggested by Lactantius, namely during the consulate of the twins Fufius and Rubellius:

Afterwards they had tetrarchs until the time of Herod, who was in the reign of Tiberius Caesar; in whose fifteenth year, in the consulship of the two Gemini, on the 23d of March, the Jews crucified Christ.

Institutiones Divinae 4.10.

Cornwall and Devon on the Gough map

Although most of the surviving elements of Tintagel castle, built by Richard Earl of Cornwall, in the 1230s are today on the mainland it is interesting that the Gough map locates it on the island, see image below.
[Click image to enlarge]

Detail from facsimile of Gough Map, Ordnance Survey .

Perhaps, this was because the main part of the castle, the Great Hall, was located there.

Tintagel castle Great Hall, English Heritage.

That fell into ruin by 1337 which perhaps lends support to the suggestion that the map’s prototype dates from c. 1280.

The map labels Totnes as Dertesmour and refers to Brutus’s landing there. Motland appears to refer to Looe Island. A label by it is now indecipherable but may well have been referring to the legend that Joseph of Arimathea and the child Christ landed there. Celly is the Isles of Scilly.

Looe island.