This text is found in the tenth- century Codex Vaticanus Graecus 1941. The early leaves of the manuscript, where one would normally find the author's name and title, have been lost. The modern title, “Paschal Chronicle” (from the Latin, “Chronicon Paschale”), derives from the author's interest in the correct dating of Easter. We know nothing about the author. Some scholars have speculated that the author was a member of the clergy, while others suggest that he was a layman working in imperial administration.

The Paschal Chronicle is both a universal history from the Creation until 628, as well as an extended argument about the proper calculation of the dates of liturgical feasts. The author is concerned with demonstrating that the liturgical cycle used in Constantinople employs the correct dates for both the moveable feasts, such as Easter, and the fixed feasts, such as Annunciation on March 15 or the Presentation in the Temple on February 2. The determination of the passage of time, as reckoned by both history and the movements of the stars, served to establish definitively the proper dates of liturgical celebrations. The enumeration of years plays a role in the author's efforts to establish a definitive chronology of human history. Each year is listed separately. Some key events of secular history are briefly described under the headings of the years so that the text also serves as a universal chronicle.

The Paschal Chronicle opens with a discussion of the proper method for correctly reckoning the date of Easter in accordance with solar and lunar cycles. Thereafter, the chronicle is a record of the passage of time, listing every year even if the author noted no significant events. Each year of Abraham's life is numbered and listed separately, including the first seventy five when he was in Chaldea and not yet playing a role in sacred history.