the events of the dormition of the virgin and her burial are dealt with in several known apocrypha: "tale of the dormition of the virgin" by pseudo-john the theologian (emerged in the mid-5th century or later), "de transitu virginis mariae" by pseudo-melito of sardis (5th century), the composition of pseudo-dionysius the areopagite, "according to john, archbishop of thessalonica." one of these apocrypha is placed in the "history of the church" by nikephoros kallistos xanthopoulos.