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he changed to gentleness, feasting and showing kindness with gifts. Then a barbarian man, supposing him to be wealthy, plotted to capture him; and having prepared a noose, leaning on his shield, as he was accustomed to do when speaking to the enemy, he raised his right hand and was about to hurl the rope at him, so as to drag him to himself and his countrymen. But at the very attempt, his outstretched hand was bound in the air, and the barbarian was not released from the invisible bonds until, at the entreaty of the others on his behalf, Theotimus 7.26. supplicated God. They say that he remained long-haired, in the same fashion which he adopted when he began to practice philosophy, and his diet was simple, and he set no fixed time for meals, but only when he was hungry or thirsty; for it was the part of a philosopher, I think, to yield to these things for need, not for indulgence. 7.27.1 About this time, Epiphanius was bishop of the metropolis of the Cyprians. Not only did his conduct render him conspicuous for his virtues, but also the wonderful works which God performed through him, both during his life and after his death, in honor of the man. For after he died, something that did not happen while he was alive, it is said that even to this day demons are driven out and certain healings 7.27.2 occur at his tomb; and while he was alive, they attribute many marvels to him. Of those that have come down to us is the following: Being liberal to the needy, either those shipwrecked or otherwise unfortunate, when he had long since spent his own substance, he lavishly used the funds of the church when needed; and these were very great; for many from all parts, purposing to spend their wealth piously, both gave it to his church during their lifetime and bequeathed it at their death; for they were confident that, as a good steward and 7.27.3 beloved of God, he would spend their gifts according to their intention. They say, in fact, that once, when little money was left, the steward of the church became angry and blamed him for being a spendthrift; but that he did not on this account relax his generosity towards the needy. When everything was spent, someone came to the room where the steward was staying and gave him a bag containing many gold coins. Since neither the giver nor the sender was known, and it naturally seemed strange that a man should remain unknown while giving so much money, then 7.27.4 all concluded that the matter was divine. But another story is told about him, which I wish to relate, I learn that a similar miracle was worked by the divine Gregory, who long ago governed the church of Neocaesarea, and I am quite persuaded of it; but this is no reason to disbelieve that a similar thing was done by Epiphanius, since not only Peter the apostle raised the dead, but also John the evangelist in Ephesus and the daughters of Philip in Hierapolis, and it is possible to find many of the men beloved of God, both of old and now, 7.27.5 who have often performed the same works. What I am about to say is as follows. Two beggars, having watched Epiphanius going somewhere, and contriving to get something extra, one of them lay stretched out on the ground, pretending to be dead, while the other stood by weeping, as if mourning the death of a companion and at the same time bewailing his poverty, because 7.27.6 he could not even bury him. Epiphanius prayed that the one lying there might be at rest, and having given what was necessary for the funeral, he said to the one weeping, "Take care of the burial, and stop crying, my child; for he will not rise now; but what has happened, 7.27.7 which is inevitable and utterly determined, you must bear nobly." And having said such things, he passed by. When no one was in sight, the one who was standing kicked the one lying down with his foot, and at the same time praised him for how very cleverly he had feigned death, "Get yourself up," he said, "and let us spend the day in luxury from the fruits of your labors." But when he lay there in the same way and neither heard him shouting nor felt him shaking with all his might, he ran and overtook the priest, confessed their trick, and weeping and tearing his hair, he begged for his companion to be raised up. 7.27.8 But Epiphanius advised him not to take what had happened hard and sent the man away; for not

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εἰς ἡμερότητα μετέβαλλεν ἑστιῶν τε καὶ δώροις φιλοφρονούμενος. ἐντεῦθεν δὲ βάρβαρος ἀνὴρ ὑπολαβὼν εὔπορον εἶναι ἐπεβούλευσεν αὐτὸν ἑλεῖν· καὶ βρόχον παρασκευάσας, ἀσπίδι ἐπερειδόμενος, ὥσπερ εἰώθει τοῖς πολεμίοις διαλεγόμενος, ἀνασχὼν τὴν δεξιὰν ἀκοντίζειν ἐπ' αὐτὸν τὸ σχοινίον ἔμελλεν ὡς πρὸς ἑαυτὸν καὶ τοὺς ὁμοφύλους ἑλκύσων. ἅμα δὲ τῇ ἐπιχειρήσει ἀνατεταμένη ἡ χεὶρ πρὸς τὸν ἀέρα δέδετο, καὶ οὐ πρότερον ὁ βάρβαρος τῶν ἀοράτων ἠφείθη δεσμῶν, εἰ μὴ τῶν ἄλλων ἀντιβολούντων ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ τὸν 7.26. θεὸν ἱκέτευσε Θεότιμος. φασὶ δὲ κομήτην αὐτὸν διαμεῖναι καθ' ὃ σχῆμα φιλοσοφεῖν ἀρξάμενος ἐπετήδευσε, λιτὸν δὲ τὴν δίαιταν, τροφῆς δὲ οὐ τὸν αὐτόν, ἀλλ' ἐν τῷ πεινῆν ἢ διψῆν τὸν καιρὸν ὁρίσαι· φιλοσόφου γὰρ ἦν, οἶμαι, καὶ τούτοις πρὸς χρείαν, οὐ διὰ ῥᾳστώνην εἴκειν. 7.27.1 Περὶ δὲ τοῦτον τὸν χρόνον καὶ ᾿Επιφάνιος τὴν Κυπρίων ἐπεσκόπει μητρόπολιν. ὃν οὐ μόνον τὰ περὶ τὴν πολιτείαν ἐπίσημον ἐπ' ἀρεταῖς ἀπέδειξεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὅσα παράδοξα ζῶντος αὐτοῦ καὶ μετὰ τελευτὴν τιμῶν τὸν ἄνδρα ὁ θεὸς ἐπετέλεσεν. ἀποθανόντι γάρ, ὃ μὴ περιόντι ὑπῆρξε, λόγος ἐπὶ τῷ τάφῳ αὐτοῦ εἰσέτι νῦν δαίμονας ἀπελαύνεσθαι καὶ ἰάσεις τινὰς 7.27.2 γίνεσθαι· ἐν ᾧ δὲ ζῶν ἐτύγχανε, πολλὰ θαυμάσια αὐτῷ ἀνατιθέασι. τῶν γε μὴν εἰς ἡμᾶς ἐλθόντων ἐκεῖνο· μεταδοτικὸς ὢν περὶ δεομένους ἢ ναυαγίοις ἢ ἄλλως δυστυχήσαντας, ἐπειδὴ πάλαι τὴν οὐσίαν ἀνάλωσε, εἰς δέον ἐσπάθα τοῖς τῆς ἐκκλησίας χρήμασιν· πλεῖστα δὲ ἦν· πάντοθεν γὰρ πολλοὶ τὸν πλοῦτον εὐσεβῶς ἀναλίσκειν προθέμενοι καὶ ζῶντες τῇ ὑπ' αὐτὸν ἐκκλησίᾳ παρεῖχον καὶ τελευτῶντες κατελίμπανον· ἐθάρρουν γὰρ ὡς οἰκονομικὸς καὶ 7.27.3 θεοφιλὴς ὢν κατὰ γνώμην αὐτοῖς ἀναλώσει τὰ δῶρα. φασὶ γοῦν ποτε ὀλίγων ἔτι λειπομένων χρημάτων χαλεπῆναι τῆς ἐκκλησίας τὸν οἰκονόμον καὶ ὡς δαπανηρὸν αὐτὸν μέμψασθαι· τὸν δὲ μηδ' οὕτως καθυφεῖναι περὶ τοὺς ἐνδεεῖς φιλοτιμούμενον. ἐπεὶ δὲ πάντα ἀνάλωτο, ἐπιστάς τις τῷ δωματίῳ οὗ διῆγεν ὁ οἰκονόμος βαλάντιον πολλῶν χρυσῶν νομισμάτων ἔδωκεν. ὡς δὲ οὔτε ὁ δοὺς ἢ ὁ πεπομφὼς δῆλος ἦν, ἐδόκει δὲ παράδοξον εἰκότως ἐπὶ δόσει τοσούτων χρημάτων ἄνθρωπον ἄγνωστον ἑαυτὸν παρέχειν, τότε 7.27.4 δὴ πάντες θεῖον εἶναι τὸ πρᾶγμα συνέβαλον. ἀλλ' οἷον ἕτερον περὶ αὐτοῦ λέγεται καὶ ἀφηγήσασθαι βούλομαι, πυνθάνομαι τεθαυματουργῆσθαι Γρηγορίῳ τῷ θεσπεσίῳ, ὃς πάλαι τὴν Νεοκαισαρείας ἐπετρόπευσε, καὶ μάλα πείθομαι· ἀλλ' οὐ παρὰ τοῦτο ἀπιστητέον ὅμοιον καὶ ᾿Επιφανίῳ εἰργάσθαι, ἐπεὶ οὐδὲ μόνος Πέτρος ὁ ἀπόστολος ἤγειρε νεκρόν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ᾿Ιωάννης ὁ εὐαγγελιστὴς ἐν ᾿Εφέσῳ καὶ αἱ Φιλίππου θυγατέρες ἐν ῾Ιεραπόλει, καὶ τὰ αὐτὰ πολλάκις ἐξειργασμένους εὑρεῖν ἔστιν πολλοὺς τῶν πάλαι καὶ νῦν 7.27.5 θεοφιλῶν ἀνθρώπων. ἔστι δὲ τοιόνδε ὃ μέλλω λέγειν. ἐπιτηρήσαντες δύο τινὲς πτωχοὶ ἀπιόντα που τὸν ᾿Επιφάνιον, πλέον τι κομίσασθαι πραγματευόμενοι, ὁ μὲν ἐφαπλώσας ἑαυτὸν τῷ ἐδάφει ἔκειτο δῆθεν νεκρός, ὁ δὲ παρεστὼς ἔκλαιεν, οἷά γε ὁμοῦ συνήθους θάνατον ὀδυρόμενος καὶ ὅτι 7.27.6 μηδὲ θάπτειν αὐτὸν δύναιτο τὴν πενίαν καταμεμφόμενος. ὁ δὲ ᾿Επιφάνιος ἐν ἀναπαύσει εἶναι τὸν κείμενον ηὔξατο, καὶ τὰ πρὸς τὴν κηδείαν ἐπιτήδεια δεδωκώς «ἐπιμελοῦ», φησὶ τῷ δακρύοντι, «τῆς ταφῆς, καὶ παύου κλαίων, ὦ τέκνον· οὐ γὰρ ἀναστήσεται νῦν· τὸ δὲ ἐπὶ τῷ συμβεβηκότι 7.27.7 ἀπαραίτητον καὶ παντελῶς ἀποκείμενον δεῖ φέρειν γενναίως.» καὶ ὁ μὲν τοιάδε εἰπὼν παρῆλθεν. ὡς δὲ οὐδεὶς ἐφαίνετο, τῷ ποδὶ κινήσας τὸν κείμενον ὁ ἑστώς, ἅμα τε ἐπαινῶν ὡς μάλα σοφῶς τεθνάναι ἐμιμήσατο, «ἔγειρε σαυτόν», ἔφη, «καὶ τὴν ἡμέραν ἐκ τῶν σῶν πόνων ἐν τρυφῇ διάξωμεν.» ἐπεὶ δὲ ὁμοίως ἔκειτο καὶ οὐδὲν μᾶλλον οὔτε βοῶντος ἤκουεν οὔτε παντὶ σθένει κινοῦντος ᾐσθάνετο, δρομαῖος καταλαβὼν τὸν ἱερέα τὴν σφῶν τέχνην κατεμήνυεν, κλάων τε καὶ τὰς τρίχας τίλλων ἐδεῖτο τὸν ἑταῖρον ἐξανίστασθαι. 7.27.8 ὁ δὲ ᾿Επιφάνιος μὴ χαλεπῶς φέρειν τὸ συμβὰν παραινέσας ἀπέπεμψε τὸν ἄνθρωπον· οὐ