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De xii gemmis

OF OUR FATHER AMONG THE SAINTS EPIPHANIUS, Bishop of Cyprus, to Diodorus, bishop of Tyre, concerning the 12 stones that were in the

vestments of Aaron, a book.

PROLOGUE 1.1 The first stone is the sardius, the Babylonian, so-called; it is fiery

in appearance and blood-red, resembling the sardine fish when it is salted; for which reason it is called sardius, taking its name from its appearance. It is found in Babylon near Assyria. The stone is translucent; it has a therapeutic power, which physicians use for swellings and other wounds made by iron. There is also another, the sardonyx, which is called molochas; it is a softener of fatty tumors, it happens to be of the same appearance, being pale green, and it is much heavier around the beginning of spring, when the beginning of the Passions is.

1.2 The topaz stone, red in appearance, more than the carbuncle; it is found in Topazos, a city of India, by those who once quarried stones there, in the heart of another stone which the quarrymen, seeing that it was bright, and showing it as alabaster, sold to some people for a small price. The Thebans brought it to the queen of that time; and she, having taken it, placed it in her diadem in the middle of her forehead. The stone has the following test: when rubbed on a physician's whetstone, it does not produce a juice that is red according to its color, but milky; and it fills as many bowls as the one who rubs it wishes, and it is not diminished from its former weight at all. This juice from it is also useful for diseases of the eyes; and when drunk, it counteracts dropsy and those wasting away from sea-grape.

1.3 The smaragdus stone. This is also called prasinus; it is also green in appearance, and there is some difference among them; for some call them Neronian, and others Domitian. The Neronian is sharp, very green in appearance, transparent and glittering. They are called Neronian or Domitian for the following reason, that they say Nero or Domitian put oil in suitable vessels, and from the verdigris over time the oil becomes green, and from this the rock, being saturated, blooms more exceedingly in color. But others say that a certain Nero, a craftsman of the ancient pearl-setters, or rather, stone-workers, discovered the most essential quality of the smaragdus, and from this it is called Neronian, while others say Domitian. But there are also other smaragdi, the first in Judaea, very similar to the Neronian, and the other in Ethiopia, which is said to be found in the river Phison. Phison is what is called the Indus by the Greeks, but the Ganges by the barbarians. They say that the carbuncle is also found in it; for there, says Moses, is the carbuncle and the prase stone. The power, they say, of the stone, that is of the smaragdus, is for mirroring the face. It is also said by the myth-makers to be prophetic.

1.4 The carbuncle stone. This has a sharp, crimson appearance. It is found in Carthage of Libya, which is called Africa. Others say that this stone is found in this way: it is not spotted during the day, but at night from afar, like a torch, or a sparkling coal, and as it shines from a distance, from this, those who search for it, recognizing it, easily find it; and when carried it is impossible to conceal, for in whatever garments its brilliance is hidden

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De xii gemmis

ΤΟΥ ΕΝ ΑΓΙΟΙΣ ΠΑΤΡΟΣ ΗΜΩΝ ΕΠΙΦΑΝΙΟΥ Ἐπισκόπου Κύπρου πρὸς ∆ιόδωρον ἐπίσκοπον Τύρου περὶ τῶν ιβʹ λίθων τῶν ὄντων ἐν τοῖς

στολισμοῖς τοῦ Ἀαρὼν βιβλίον.

ΠΡΟΛΟΓΟΣ 1.1 Πρῶτος λίθος σάρδιος ὁ Βαβυλώνιος οὕτω καλούμενος· ἔστι δὲ πυρωπὸς

τῷ εἴδει καὶ αἱματοειδής, σαρδίῳ τῷ ἰχθύι τεταριχευμένῳ ἐοικώς· διὸ καὶ σαρδίος λέγεται ἀπὸ τοῦ εἴδους λαβὼν τὸ ἐπώνυμον. Ἐν Βαβυλῶνι δὲ τῇ πρὸς Ἀσσυρίαν γίνεται. Ἔστι δὲ διαυγὴς ὁ λίθος· δυνάμεως δέ ἐστι θεραπευτικῆς, ᾧ κέχρηνται οἱ ἰατροὶ πρὸς οἰδήματα καὶ ἄλλας πληγὰς ὑπὸ σιδήρου γιγνομένας. Ἔστι δὲ καὶ ἄλλος σαρδόνυξ ὃς καλεῖται μολοχάς· μαλακτικὸς δέ ἐστι στεατωμάτων, τῆς δὲ αὐτῆς ἰδέας τυγχάνει ὑποχλωρίζων, ἐμβριθέστατος δὲ μᾶλλον παρὰ τὴν ἀρχὴν τοῦ ἔαρος, ὅτε ἡ ἀρχὴ τῶν Παθῶν.

1.2 Λίθος τοπάζιον, ἐρυθρὸς τῷ εἴδει ὑπὲρ τὸν ἄνθρακα· γίνεται δὲ ἐν Τοπάζῃ, πόλει τῆς Ἰνδίας, ὑπὸ τῶν ἐκεῖσέ ποτε λίθους λατομούντων, ἐν καρδίᾳ ἑτέρου λίθου ὃν οἱ λατομοῦντες θεασάμενοι φαιδρόν, καὶ ὑποδείξαντες ἀλάβαστρόν τισιν ἀπέδοντο ὀλίγου τιμήματος. Θηβαῖοι δὲ προσήνεγκαν τῇ κατ' ἐκεῖνον καιρὸν βασιλίσσῃ· ἡ δὲ λαβοῦσα ἐν τῷ αὑτῆς διαδήματι μέσον τοῦ μετώπου περιέθετο. Ἔχει δὲ ὁ λίθος δοκιμὴν τοιάνδε· τριβόμενος ἐν ἰατρικῇ ἀκόνῃ οὐκ ἐρυθρὸν ἀποδίδωσι κατὰ τὸ χρῶμα τὸν χυλόν, ἀλλὰ γαλακτώδη· ἐμπίπλησι δὲ κρατῆρας ὅσους ἂν θέλῃ ὁ ἀποτρίβων, καὶ τοῦ προτέρου σταθμοῦ οὐκ ἐλαττοῦται οὐδ' ὅλως. Χρησιμεύει δὲ καὶ ὁ ἐξ αὐτοῦ οὗτος χυλὸς πρὸς πάθος ὀφθαλμῶν· καὶ πινόμενος δὲ ἀντιπαθεῖ πρὸς ὕδρωπας καὶ τοῖς ἀπὸ σταφυλῆς θαλασσίας μαραινομένοις.

1.3 Λίθος σμάραγδος.Οὗτος καλεῖται καὶ πράσινος· ἔστι δὲ καὶ χλωρὸς τῷ εἴδει, καὶ διαφορά τις ἐν αὐτοῖς· τινὲς μὲν γὰρ αὐτοὺς νερωνιανοὺς καλοῦσιν, ἄλλοι δὲ δομετιανούς. Καὶ ὁ μὲν νερωνιανὸς πικρός ἐστι, τῷ εἴδει σφόδρα χλωρίζων, διειδὴς δὲ καὶ στίλβων. Καλεῖσθαι δὲ νερωνιανὸν εἴτ' οὖν δομετιανὸν διὰ τοιαύτην αἰτίαν, ὅτι φασὶν ἔλαιον Νέρωνα εἴτε ∆ομετιανὸν ἐν σκεύεσι βαλεῖν ἱκανοῖς, καὶ ἐκ τοῦ ἰοῦ τῷ χρόνῳ χλωραίνεσθαι τὸ ἔλαιον, καὶ ἐκ τούτου τὴν πέτραν ποτιζομένην περισσοτέρως ἐξανθεῖν τῇ χροιᾷ. Ἄλλοι δέ φασι Νέρωνά τινα τεχνίτην τῶν παλαιῶν πιναροποιῶν, εἴτ' οὖν λιθουργῶν ἐφευρεῖν τὸ ἀναγκαιότατον τοῦ σμαράγδου, καὶ ἐκ τούτου νερωνιανὸν καλεῖσθαι, οἱ δὲ δομετιανόν. Ἀλλὰ καὶ ἄλλοι εἰσὶ σμάραγδοι, ὁ μὲν πρῶτος ἐν τῇ Ἰουδαίᾳ πάνυ ἐοικὼς τῷ νερωνιανῷ, ὁ δὲ ἕτερος ἐν τῇ Αἰθιοπείᾳ, ὃν καὶ ἐν τῷ Φεισσῶνι ποταμῷ λέγεται γεγενῆσθαι. Φεισσὼν δέ ἐστιν ὁ παρὰ τοῖς Ἕλλησιν Ἰνδὸς καλούμενος, παρὰ τοῖς βαρβάροις δὲ Γάγγης. Λέγουσι δὲ καὶ τὸν ἄνθρακα ἐν αὐτῷ γίνεσθαι· ἐκεῖ γάρ, φησὶν ὁ Μωϋσῆς, ὁ ἄνθραξ καὶ ὁ λίθος ὁ πράσινος. Ἡ δὲ δύναμις, φασί, τοῦ λίθου, δηλαδὴ τοῦ σμαράγδου πρὸς τὸ ἐνοπτρίζεσθαι πρόσωπον. Λέγεται δὲ καὶ παρὰ τοῖς μυθοποιοῖς προγνωστικὸς εἶναι.

1.4 Λίθος ἄνθραξ. Οὗτος εἶδος ὀξὺ φοινίσσον ἔχει. Γίνεται δὲ ἐν Καρχηδόνι τῆς Λιβύης, ἥτις Ἀφρικὴ καλεῖται. Ἕτεροι δέ φασι τὸν λίθον τοῦτον οὕτως εὑρίσκεσθαι,οὐκ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ κατοπτευόμενον, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὴν νύκτα πόρρωθεν δίκην λαμπάδος, ἢ ἄνθρακος σπινθηρίζοντος, καὶ ὡς μακρόθεν φαίνοντος, κἀκ τούτου ἐπιγινώσκοντες οἱ τοῦτον ἀνερευνῶντες ῥαδίως εὑρίσκουσιν αὐτόν· βασταζόμενον δὲ ἀδύνατον διαλαθεῖν, ὁποίοις γὰρ ἂν ἱματίοις κατακρυβῇ ἡ ἀνταύγεια αὐτοῦ