ZONARAS, IONNAS

ZONARAS, IONNAS, commentator on Canon Law, theologian, historian (?-ca. 1159). While both a theologian and historian, Zonaras is best known for his commentaries on the Church’s Canon Law (q.v.). After distinguished service in the imperial administration, he retired to a monastery and wrote an eighteen-volume universal history. He was one of a generation that produced the most influential canonists of the Byzantine era, including Theodore Balsamon (qq.v.). Unlike the latter, however, Zonaras favored the bureaucratic tradition of the Empire over the personal and seigneurial reign of the Comnene dynasty. He was, with Balsamon, a firm upholder of hierarchical authority within the Church. His commentaries on Canon Law are still consulted.