John of Ephesus (or of Asia) (Greek: Ίωάννης ό Έφέσιος, Classical Syriac: ܝܘܚܢܢ ܕܐܦܣܘܣ, c. 507 – c. 588 AD) was a leader of the early Syriac Orthodox Church in the sixth century and one of the earliest and the most important historians to write in Syriac. John of Ephesus was a bishop, but John was more important than other bishops and what sets him apart from most others is the fact that he was a historian and a writer. He was also a political man and would often follow his own path. John was seen as a great writer and covered important aspects of events in history, and one of these important events was the plague, and John has one of the only first-hand accounts of the plague. He was also alive in what has been called the worst year in history, 536.