The 4th Tusculan fragment and the anti-Nestorian polemic

This paper offers some considerations relating to a short passage of one of the so-called Tusculan fragments (Crypt. gr. 54; 6th-7th century AD) in comparison to the main Malalian textual tradition (Baroccianus gr. 182 = Ba). The fragments, indeed, are usually interpreted as an ancient source of Malalas’ Chronography. Without delving into the debatable authorial aspect, we consider the text in relation to contextual and semantic peculiarities, also considering the relation with later sources. The fourth Tusculan fragment, with its reference to the Synod of Ephesus of 431 AD, differs from Ba and presents a clearer anti-Nestorian position. While Ba gives the impression of major caution, the fragments reflect the climate of friction and debate which characterized the Justinian age, when the fragments were probably produced.