SAL AMIS
394
SALAMIS
especially against the Ariaus and the Origcnists.
There arc two symbols at the end of the work: the
first, which is the shorter, is very iini)ortant in the
history of symbols, or professions of faith, being the
baptis'mal creed of the Church of Constantia. The
second is the personal work of Epiphanius, and is
intended to fortify the faithful against current
heresies. In the "*Ancoratus" Epiphanius confines
himself to a list of heresies. Some readers desired
to have a detailed work on this question, and Epi-
phanius composed (374-7) the "Panarion" or "Me-
dicine chest ", i. e. a stock of remedies to offset the
poisons of heresy. This work is divided into three
books comprising in all seven volumes and treating
eighty heresies. The first twenty heresies are prior
to Jesus Christ; the other sixty deal with Christian
doctrine. In reality the number eighty may be re-
duced to seventy-seven, for among the twenty
heresies prior to Christ only seventeen count. Three
are generic names, namely Hellenism, Samaritanism,
and Judaism. In the editions of the " Panarion " each
heresj' is numbered in order; hence it is customary to
quote the "Panarion" as follows: Epiphanius, Hier.
N (the number of the heresy). Necessarily much of
the information in this great compilation varies in
value. The "Panarion" reflects the character of
Epiphanius and his method of working. Sometimes
his ardour prevents him from inquiring (carefully into
the doctrines he oppo.ses. Thus, on his own avowal
(Hicr., Ixxi) he speaks of Apollinarianism on hearsay.
At Constantinople he had to acknowledge to the
Origenist monks whom he opposed that he was not
acquainted with either their school or their books,
and that he only spoke from hearsay (Sozomen,
"Hist, eccl.", Vlil, xl). There is, however, in the
"Panarion" much information not found elsewhere.
Chapters devoted only to the doctrinal refutation of
heresies are rare. As an ai)ologist Epiphanius ap-
peared generally weak to Photius.
The "Panarion" furnishes very valuable informa- tion concerning the religious history of the fourth century, either because the author confines himself to transcribing documents preserved by him alone or because he writes down his personal observations. With regard to Hieracas (Htpr., Ixvii), he makes known a verj^ curious Eg\'ptian sect by whom ascet- icism and intellectual work were equally esteemed. In connexion with the Meletians of Egypt (H»r., Ixviiij, he has preserved important fragments of con- temporary Egyptian history of this movement. With regard to Arianism (Ha-r., Ixix), if he gives an apoc- ryphal letter of Constantine, he transcribes two letters of Arius. He is the only one to give us any informa- tion concerning the Gothic sect of the Audians (Hsr., Ixx). He has made use of the lost report of the dis- cussion between Photius (Hair., Ixxi) and Basil of Ancyra. He has transcribed a very important letter from Bishop Marcellus of Ancyra (Ha;r., Ixxii) to Pope Julius and fragments of the treatise of Acacius of Ca'sarea against Marcellus. With regard to the Seiniarians (Ha^r., Ixxiii), he gives in the Acts of the Council of AncjTa (358) a letter from Basil of Ancyra and one from George of Laodicea, and the steno- grajjhic text of the singular sermon of Meletius at the time of his installation at Antioch. In the chapter dealing with the Anomeans (Ha;r., Ixxvi) he has preserved a monograph of jf^tius.
For the first three centuries Epiphanius was com-
telled to use the only literary sources. Some of these ave been preserved, such as the great anti-heretical work of St. Irenajus of Antioch, "Contra Hajreses". Other ancient sources utilized by him have been lost, which gives exceptional value to his work. Thus he made use of the "Syntagma" of Hippolytus. The precise determination of all his sources is matter of controversy. His information is especially valuable with regard to the Samaritans (H;er., x-xiii), the Jews
(Hser., xiii-xx), the Ebionites (Hair., xxx), and their
Gospel; with regard to the Gnostics Valentius (Ha>r.,
xxxi) and Ptolema^us (Hier., xxxiii), whose letter to
Flora he quotes; and with regard to the Scriptural
criticism of Marcion. The work ends with a long
exposition of the Catholic faith. A summary of
the "Penarion" is perhaps the work of Epiphanius.
A work entitled "Of Measures and Weights" (De
mensuribus et i^onderibus) has a more general in-
terest than might be imagined from the title. For
the time it is a real "Introduction " to Holy Scripture,
containing the history of Biblical texts and Sacred
archaeology. The treatise "On the Twelve Precious
Stones" is an explanation of the ornaments of the
high-priest's breastplate (Ex., xxviii, 17). Mention
must finally be made of two letters of Epiphanius
preserved in a Latin translation.
In theological matters Epiphanius teaches the doc- trine of the Catholic theologians of his time. In the vocabulary of Trinitarian theology he conforms to the language of the Greek Church. He speaks of three hyi>ostases in the Trinity, whereas the Latins and the Paulicians of Antioch speak of one hypostasis in three persons. At bottom it was a mere matter of words, but for some time it occasioned theological dissensions. Epiphanius clearly teaches that the Holy Ghost proceeds from the Father and the Son. The doctrine that the Holy Ghost proceeds from the Father only prevailed later in the Greek Church. This teaching cannot be traced to Epiphanius (Ancoratus, 8). With regard to the constitution of the Church, he is one of the most explicit of the Greek theologians concerning the primacy of St. Peter ("Ancoratus", 9; "Ha>r.", lix, 7). Two passages on the Eucharist are famous because they are among those which most clearly affirm the "Discipline of the Secret". The "Secret" was purely pedagogical and often neglected, consisting in grading the doctrinal initiation of catechumens and in not speaking before them of the Christian mysteries save in deliberately vague expressions. Hence the necessity of explaining the words of Epiphanius on the Eucharist ("Anco- ratus", 57; "Ha?r.", xlii, 61). In these two passages, instead of quoting the words of the institution of the Eucharist, the author gives these: "Hoc meum est, hoc." Epiphanius is one of the (-hief authorities of the fourth century for the devotion to the Blessed Virgin. He expresses himself on the subject in con- nexion with two heresies, of which one diminished, while the other exaggerated, this devotion ("Haer." Ixxviii, Ixxix). A circumstance of his life is well known in the history of images, namely the destruction of an image in the church of Bethel ("Letter to John of Jerusalem" in P. G., XLIII, 390).
His character is most clearly shown by the Origen- ist controversies, which demonstrated his disinter- ested zeal but also his quickness to suspect heresy, a good faith which was easily taken advantage of bv the > intriguing, and an ardour of conviction whicn caused him to forget the rules of canon law and to commit real abuses of power. He saw in Origen the chief cause of the heresies of his time, and especially of Arianism. He was particularly opposed to his allegorical method, his doctrines concerning the Son, in which he saw the subonliniition of the Son to the Father, his do(!trines concerning the pre-existence of souls and the resurrection ("Ancoratus", 54, ()2; "Ha^r.", Ixiv). He did not (confine himself to this condemnation of Origen. He reproached the monks and bishops of his time with accenting the Origenist errors. Thentte resulted at the end of his life the con- flict with John of Jerusalem and with St. John Chrysostom. Apart from the injustice of the con- troversy, he encroafthed on the jurisdiction of these bishops. He was made use of by Theophilus of Alexan<lria, the irreconcilable enemy of Chrysostom. The chief sources relative to this controversy are:
