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Epistula ad Joannem Hierosolymitanum

A letter inscribed to John, bishop of Aelia.

To the most reverend brother, Pope John, Epiphanius, bishop, greetings in the Lord.

It was necessary for us, beloved, not to be carried away by the conceit of the clergy, but ... 282 ... for the divine scripture says: (Paul. ad. Cor. 10, 10) Do not grumble, as some of them grumbled and were destroyed by the destroyer (cf. 10:9 were destroyed by the serpents) ... ... and the God of peace will work with us according to his own love for mankind, so that Satan might be crushed under the feet of us Christians, and every evil pretext might be driven away, so that the bond of the unfeigned love and peace and right faith and truth of Christ might not be torn from us. But since I heard that some grumbled against us, that when we were passing through to the holy place of Bethel to assemble with your honor, as we came to the village called Anautha, we saw a lamp burning and, upon asking, learned that there was a church in the place, and entering to offer a prayer, we found at the door a dyed curtain on which was painted a man-like, idol-like figure, which they said perhaps was the image of Christ or of one of the saints—for I do not remember having seen it—and knowing that it is an abomination for such things to be in a church, I tore it and advised them to use it to clothe a poor man who had died, but those who grumbled said: "He ought to have exchanged the curtain from his own means before he tore it," although I had promised that in its place I would 283 send another, but I was slow in sending it because I was necessarily seeking one—for I was expecting one to be sent from Cyprus—so now I have sent what I have found. Deign, therefore, to order the presbyter of the parish to receive what has been sent from the reader, and I beseech you, command that such things not be hung in the churches; for it is fitting for your honor to be concerned about all things and to be scrupulous about what is advantageous for the church of God and for the peoples entrusted to you.

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Epistula ad Joannem Hierosolymitanum

Πρὸς Ἰωάννην τὸν Αἰλείας ἐπίσκοπον ἐπιγεγραμμένη ἐπιστολή.

Τῷ αἰδεσιμωτάτῳ ἀδελφῷ πάπᾳ Ἰωάννῃ Ἐπιφάνιος ἐπίσκοπος ἐν Κυρίῳ χαίρειν.

Ἔδει ἡμᾶς ἀγαπητὲ μὴ τῇ οἰήσει τῶν κλήρων φέρεσθαι, ἀλλὰ ... 282 ... φησὶ

γὰρ ἡ θεία γραφή· (Paul. ad. Cor. 10, 10) μηδὲ γογγύζετε καθάπερ τινὲς ἐγόγγυσαν καὶ ἀπώλοντο ὑπὸ τοῦ ὀλοθρευτοῦ (cf. 10, 9 ὑπὸ τῶν ὄφεων ἀπώλοντο) ... ... ὁ δὲ θεὸς τῆς εἰρήνης ποιήσει μεθ' ἡμῶν κατὰ τὴν αὑτοῦ φιλανθρωπίαν εἰς τὸ συντριβῆναι τὸν σατανᾶν ὑπὸ τοὺς πόδας ἡμῶν τῶν Χριστιανῶν καὶ ἀποδιωχθῆναι πᾶσαν πρόφασιν πονηρὰν εἰς τὸ μὴ σχισθῆναι τὸν σύνδεσμον ἐξ ἡμῶν τῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἀνυποκρίτου ἀγάπης καὶ εἰρήνης καὶ ὀρθῆς πίστεως καὶ ἀληθείας. Ἐπεὶ δὲ ἤκουσα ὅτι τινὲς ἐγόγγυσαν καθ' ἡμῶν, ὅτι ἐν τῷ διαβαίνειν ἡμᾶς ἐπὶ τὸν ἅγιον τόπον τῆς Βεθῆλ τοῦ συναγελασθῆναι τῇ σῇ τιμιότητι ὡς ἤλθομεν εἰς τὴν κώμην τὴν λεγομένην Ἀναυθά, θεασάμενοι λύχνον καιόμενον καὶ ἐρωτήσαντες ἔγνωμεν ἐκκλησίαν εἶναι ἐν τῷ τόπῳ, εἰσερχόμενοι δὲ τοῦ εὐχὴν ἐπιτελέσαι εὕρομεν βῆλον ἐν τῇ θύρᾳ βαπτὸν ἐν ᾧ ἐζωγράφητο ἀνδροείκελόν τι εἰδωλοειδές, ὃ ἔλεγον τάχα ὅτι Χριστοῦ ἦν τὸ ἐκτύπωμα ἢ ἑνὸς τῶν ἁγίων οὐ γὰρ μέμνημαι ἐγὼ θεασάμενος, καὶ εἰδὼς ὅτι μύσος ἐστὶν ἐν ἐκκλησίᾳ τοιαῦτα εἶναι, διέρρηξα αὐτὸ καὶ συνεβούλευσα ἀμφιάσαι ἐν αὐτῷ πένητα τελευτήσαντα, οἱ δὲ γογγύσαντες ἔλεγον· "ἔδει αὐτὸν ἀλλάξαι ἐκ τῶν ἰδίων τὸ βῆλον πρινὴ αὐτὸ σχίσῃ", καίτοιγε ἐμοῦ ὑποσχομένου ὅτι ἀντ' αὐτοῦ ἀπο 283 στελῶ ἕτερον, ἐβράδυνα δὲ τοῦ ἀποστεῖλαι διὰ τὸ ἀναγκαῖόν με ζητεῖν προσεδόκων γὰρ ἀπὸ Κύπρου ἀποστέλλεσθαι, νῦν οὖν ὅπερ εὗρον ἀπέστειλα. καταξίωσον οὖν κελεῦσαι τῷ πρεσβυτέρῳ τῆς παροικίας δέξασθαι παρὰ τοῦ ἀναγνώστου τὸ ἀπεσταλμένον, καὶ παρακαλῶ πρόσταξον ἵνα μὴ τοιαῦτα ἁπλοῦται ἐν ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις· πρέπει γὰρ τῇ σῇ τιμιότητι περὶ πάντων φροντίζειν καὶ ἀκριβολογεῖν περὶ τῶν συμφερόντων τῇ τοῦ θεοῦ ἐκκλησίᾳ καὶ τοῖς λαοῖς τοῖς ἐμπεπιστευμένοις σοι.