John Phocas

John Phocas (Φοκάς), a Cretan monk and priest, son of Matthaeus, who became a monk in Patmos, had served in the army of the emperor Manuel Comnenus (who reigned A.D. 1143-80) in Asia Minor, and afterwards visited (A.D. 1185) Syria and Palestine, is noted for a short geographical account which he wrote of those countries, entitled ῎Εκφρασις ἐν συνόψει τῶν ὰπ᾿ Α᾿ντιοχείας μέχρις ῾Ιεροσολύμων κάστρων καὶ χωρῶν Συριας και Φοινίκης καὶ τῶν κατὰ Παλαιστινην ἁγίωντορων, Compemidiaria Descriptio Castrorum et Urbium (sic in Allat. vers.) ab Urbe Antiochia usque Hierosolymam, necnon Syrioe Phenicioe, et in Paloestina Sacrorum Locorum, which was transcribed by his son (for he was married before he became a priest), and finally published by Allatius, with a Latin version, in his Σύμμικτα, 1, 1-46. The Latin version is also given in the Acta Sanctorum of the Bollandists, Maii 2, ad init. See Allatius, Σύμμικτα, Proefatiuncula; Fabricius, Bibl. Gr. 4, 662; 8, 99. — Smith, Dict. Gr. and Rom. Biog. 2, 601.