John of Scythopolis
6th-century bishop / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
John Scythopolita (c. 536–550), also known as "the Scholasticus", bishop of Scythopolis in Palestine, where Beit She'an is today, was a Byzantine theologian and lawyer adhering to neo-Chalcedonian theology.[1]
He is famous for several works (lost) against Monophysite heresy: his major one is a treatise written ca. 530, defending the theory of "dioenergism",[2] against his contemporary Severus of Antioch. Another work attacked the heretic Eutyches, one of the founders of Monophysitism.
We have some data about him by Photius, learned bishop of Byzantium.[3]
Hans Urs von Balthasar suggested than John was the author of much of Maximus the Confessor's scholia.[4][5]
A recent theory by Byzantinist Carlo Maria Mazzucchi suggests that John of Scythopolis' was aware that the Corpus Dionysiacum was a forgery and that his awareness is revealed by his extensive marginal commentary—despite the fact that John's commentary apparently defends the originality of the Corpus.[6]