[1][2] The chronicle is preserved in a single copy in the 8th- or 9th-century manuscript codex Sinai syr.
It has also been suggested that the longer original was written in the late 6th century and the epitomized and extended with a brief record of imperial reigns down to 641.
[6] It offers a Chalcedonian account of the ecumenical councils and contains denunciations of the errors of Arius and Nestorius.
[8] The acts of the poorly known council of 571 are lost and the Melkite Chronicle provides information not found elsewhere.
[5][9] Its most detailed coverage concerns Philoxenus of Mabbugh, Severus of Antioch and, to a lesser extent, Timothy Aelurus, all of whom are accused of error and lust for power.