Epiphanius of Salamis, On the Life and Death of Prophets

carried on his tongue, and raised the dead, and was taken up to heaven in a whirlwind of fire.

6. Elisha the prophet. This one was from Abel-meholah from the land of Reuben. And concerning him a wondrous thing happened. For when he was born in Gilgal, the golden calf in Shiloh cried out loudly, so that it was heard in Jerusalem. And the priest said through the Urim, that a prophet was born today, who will take down the carved images and will smash the molten images. And God performed many wondrous things through the hand of Elisha; and having died, he was buried in Samaria in Sebaste. This one prophesied concerning the coming of the Lord. And the waters of Jericho, being barren, that is, salty, he healed, saying: Thus says the Lord. I heal these waters. And they were healed until this very day. And he raised the dead, and cleansed Naaman the Syrian, who was a leper, of his leprosy, and he made Gehazi his servant to become a leper. And being dead, he raised a dead man.

8 7. Isaiah the prophet; he was born in Jerusalem of the tribe of Judah; but he died under Manasseh the king of Judah, having been sawn in two and was placed under the oak of Rogel, near the crossing of the waters, which Hezekiah the king had destroyed by blocking them up. And God made the Siloam for the sake of the prophet, because before he died, being faint, he prayed to drink water; and immediately living water was sent to him from it. For this reason its name was called Siloam, which is interpreted 'sent'. And in the time of Hezekiah the king, before he made the cisterns and the pools, at the prayer of the prophet Isaiah a little water came forth, because the people were besieged by the foreigners and so that the city might not perish as having no water. For the enemies asked, from where do they drink? For they did not know. For, holding the city, they sat beside the Siloam; whenever, then, the Jews came, water came forth for them to draw and they drew water, but the foreigners did not find it. For the water fled. Wherefore even to this day it comes forth suddenly, so that the mystery might be shown. And since this happened through Isaiah, for the sake of his memory the 9 people buried him nearby carefully and with honor, so that through his prayers they might have the enjoyment of the water until the end. For an oracle was given to them concerning him. And the tomb of Isaiah the prophet is near the tomb of the kings, behind the tomb of the priests, in the part toward the south. For Solomon, building Jerusalem, made the tombs of the kings, which David had designed; and it is to the east of Zion, which has an entrance from Gibeon, at a distance of 20 stades from the city. And he made it winding, complex, and unnoticeable; and it remains unknown to the many until today.

8. Jeremiah the prophet was from Anathoth and in Tahpanhes of Egypt, having been stoned by the people, he died. He lies in the place of the dwelling of Pharaoh, because the Egyptians glorified him, having been benefited by him. For asps and the beasts of the waters, which the Egyptians call Nephoth, but the Greeks crocodiles, were killing them; and when the prophet Jeremiah prayed, the fury of the asps was stopped from that land, and likewise from the river 10 the ambush of the beasts. And as many as are faithful until today pray in that place, and taking of the dust, they heal the bite of asps and also put to flight the beasts of the water. This prophet gave a sign to the priests of Egypt, saying, that all their idols must be shaken and all the things made by hand must fall down; when a virgin in childbirth should arrive in Egypt with a God-like infant, which also happened to them. This prophet, before the capture of the temple, seized the ark of the law and all the things in it and made them to be swallowed up in a rock and said to the priests of the people and to the elders standing by: "1The Lord has departed from Sinai to the heavens and will come again in holy power. And this will be the sign of his coming, when all the nations will worship a piece of wood"2. And he said

γλώττῃ βαστάσας καὶ νεκροὺς ἐγείρας καὶ εἰς οὐρανὸν ἀναληφθεὶς ἐν λαίλαπι πυρός.

ς ʹ. Ἐλισσαῖος ὁ προφήτης. Οὗτος ἦν ἐξ Ἀβελμοὺθ ἐκ τῆς γῆς Ῥουβίμ. Καὶ ἐπὶ τούτῳ γέγονε τεράστιον. Ὅτι ἡνίκα ἐτέχθη ἐν Γαλγάλοις, ἡ δάμαλις ἡ χρυσὴ ἡ ἐν Σηλὼμ ὀξὺ ἐβόησεν, ὥστε ἀκουσθῆναι ἐν Ἱερουσαλήμ. Καὶ εἶπεν ὁ ἱερεὺς διὰ τῶν δήλων, ὅτι προφήτης ἐτέχθη σήμερον, ὃς καθελεῖ τὰ γλυπτὰ καὶ συνθλάσει τὰ χωνευτά. Πολλὰ δὲ τεράστια ἐποίησεν ὁ θεὸς διὰ χειρὸς Ἐλισσαίου· καὶ θανὼν ἐτάφη ἐν Σαμαρείᾳ ἐν Σεβαστοπόλει. Οὗτος ἐπροφήτευσε περὶ τῆς τοῦ κυρίου παρουσίας. Καὶ τὰ ὕδατα Ἰερηχὼ ἄτεκνα ὄντα ἤγουν ἁλμυρὰ ἰάσατο εἰπών· τάδε λέγει κύριος. Ἴαμαι τὰ ὕδατα ταῦτα. Καὶ ἰάθησαν ἕως τῆς σήμερον ἡμέρας. Καὶ νεκροὺς ἤγειρε καὶ λεπρὸν ὄντα Νεεμὰν τὸν Σύρον ἐκαθαίρισε τῆς λέπρας, καὶ τὸν Γιεζῆ τὸν ὑπηρέτην αὐτοῦ λεπρὸν ἐποίησε γενέσθαι. Καὶ νεκρὸς ὢν νεκρὸν ἤγειρεν.

8 ζʹ. Ἡσαΐας ὁ προφήτης· ἐγεννήθη μὲν ἐν Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἐκ φυλῆς Ἰούδα· θνήσκει δὲ ὑπὸ Μανασσῆ τοῦ βασιλέως Ἰούδα πρισθεὶς εἰς δύο καὶ ἐτέθη ὑποκάτω δρυὸς Ῥωγὴλ ἐχόμενα τῆς διαβάσεως τῶν ὑδάτων, ὧν ἀπώλεσεν Ἐζεκίας ὁ βασιλεὺς χώσας αὐτά. Ὁ δὲ θεὸς τὸν Σιλωὰμ διὰ τὸν προφήτην ἐποίησεν, ὅτι πρὸ τοῦ θανεῖν ὀλιγωρήσας προσηύξατο πιεῖν ὕδωρ· καὶ εὐθέως ἀπεστάλη αὐτῷ ἐξ αὐτοῦ ζῶν ὕδωρ. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἐκλήθη τὸ ὄνομα Σιλωάμ, ὃ ἑρμηνεύεται ἀπεσταλμένος. Καὶ ἐπὶ Ἐζεκίου τοῦ βασιλέως πρὸ τοῦ ποιῆσαι αὐτὸν τοὺς λάκκους καὶ τὰς κολυμβήθρας ἐπὶ εὐχῇ τοῦ προφήτου Ἡσαΐου μικρὸν ὕδωρ ἐξελήλυθεν, ὅτι ἦν ὁ λαὸς ἐν συγκλεισμῷ τῶν ἀλλοφύλων καὶ ἵνα μὴ διαφθαρῇ ἡ πόλις ὡς μὴ ἔχουσα ὕδωρ. Ἠρώτων γὰρ οἱ πολέμιοι πόθεν πίνουσιν; οὐ γὰρ ἤδεισαν. Ἔχοντες γὰρ τὴν πόλιν παρεκαθέζοντο τῷ Σιλωάμ· ὁπότε οὖν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι ἤρχοντο, ἀντλεῖν ἐξήρχετο αὐτοῖς ὕδωρ καὶ ὑδρεύοντο, οἱ δὲ ἀλλόφυλοι οὐχ εὕρισκον. Ἔφευγε γὰρ τὸ ὕδωρ. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἕως τῆς σήμερον αἰφνιδίως ἐξέρχεται, ἵνα δειχθῇ τὸ μυστήριον. Καὶ ἐπειδὴ διὰ τοῦ Ἡσαΐου τοῦτο γέγονε, μνήμης χάριν καὶ ὁ 9 λαὸς πλησίον αὐτὸν ἐπιμελῶς ἔθαψαν ἐνδόξως, ἵνα διὰ τῶν εὐχῶν αὐτοῦ ἕως τέλους ἔχουσι τὴν ἀπόλαυσιν τοῦ ὕδατος. Καὶ χρησμὸς γὰρ ἐδόθη αὐτοῖς περὶ αὐτοῦ. Ἔστι δὲ ὁ τάφος Ἡσαΐου τοῦ προφήτου ἐχόμενα τοῦ τάφου τῶν βασι- λέων ὀπίσω τοῦ τάφου τῶν ἱερέων ἐπὶ τὸ μέρος τὸ πρὸς νότον. Σολομῶν γὰρ οἰκοδομῶν τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἐποίησε τοὺς τάφους τῶν βασιλέων τοῦ ∆αυὶδ διαγράψαντος αὐτούς· ἔστι δὲ κατ' ἀνατολὰς τῆς Σιών, ἥ τις ἔχει εἴσοδον ἀπὸ Γαβαὼθ μήκοθεν τῆς πόλεως σταδίους κʹ. Καὶ ἐποίησε σκολιὰν συνθετὴν ἀνυπονόητον· καὶ ἔστιν ἕως σήμερον τοῖς πολλοῖς ἀγνοουμένη.

ηʹ. Ἱερεμίας ὁ προφήτης ἦν ἐξ Ἀναθὼθ καὶ ἐν Τάφναις Αἰγύπτου λιθοβοληθεὶς ὑπὸ τοῦ λαοῦ ἐτελεύτησε. Κεῖται δὲ ἐν τόπῳ τῆς οἰκήσεως Φαραώ, ὅτι οἱ Αἰγύπτιοι ἐδόξα- σαν αὐτὸν εὐεργετηθέντες ὑπ' αὐτοῦ. Ἀσπίδες γὰρ καὶ τῶν ὑδάτων οἱ θῆρες, οὓς καλοῦσιν οἱ Αἰγύπτιοι Νεφώθ, Ἕλ- ληνες δὲ κροκοδίλους, οἳ ἦσαν αὐτοὺς θανατοῦντες· καὶ εὐξαμένου τοῦ προφήτου Ἱερεμίου ἐκωλύθη ἐκ τῆς γῆς ἐκείνης ὁ θυμὸς τῶν ἀσπίδων καὶ ἐκ τοῦ ποταμοῦ ὡσαύτως 10 τὸ ἔνεδρον τῶν θηρίων. Καὶ ὅσοι εἰσὶ πιστοὶ ἕως σήμερον εὔχονται ἐν τῷ τόπῳ ἐκείνῳ, καὶ λαμβάνοντες τοῦ χοὸς δῆγμα ἀσπίδων θεραπεύουσιν καὶ αὐτὰ δὲ τὰ θηρία τοῦ ὕδατος φυγαδεύουσιν. Οὗτος ὁ προφήτης σημεῖον ἔδωκε τοῖς Αἰγύπτου ἱερεῦσιν λέγων, ὅτι δεῖ σεισθῆναι πάντα τὰ εἴδωλα αὐτῶν καὶ συμπεσεῖν τὰ χειροποίητα πάντα· ὅταν ἐπιβῇ ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ παρθένος λοχεύουσα σὺν βρέφει θεοει- δεῖ, ὅπερ καὶ ἐγένετο αὐτοῖς. Οὗτος ὁ προφήτης πρὸ τῆς ἁλώσεως τοῦ ναοῦ ἥρπασεν τὴν κιβωτὸν τοῦ νόμου καὶ τὰ ἐν αὐτῇ πάντα καὶ ἐποίησεν αὐτὰ καταποθῆναι ἐν πέτρᾳ καὶ εἶπε τοῖς ἱερεῦσι τοῦ λαοῦ καὶ τοῖς πρεσβυτέροις παρεστῶσιν· "1ἀπεδήμησε κύριος ἐκ Σινᾶ εἰς τοὺς οὐρανοὺς καὶ πάλιν ἐλεύσεται ἐν δυνάμει ἁγίᾳ. Καὶ τοῦτο σημεῖον ἔσται τῆς αὐτοῦ παρουσίας, ὅτε ξύλον πάντα τὰ ἔθνη προσκυνήσουσιν"2. Εἶπε δὲ