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Panarion † Adversus haereses

1.153 A letter written in the ninety-second year of the reign of Diocletian, in the twelfth year of Valentinian and Valens and in the eighth year of Gratian, to Epiphanius, a Palestinian from Eleutheropolis, who was once father of a monastery in the neighborhood of the same Eleutheropolis,

now being bishop of the city of Constantia in the province of Cyprus, from Acacius and Paul, presbyters, archimandrites, that is, fathers

of monasteries in the regions of Chalcis and Beroea in Coele-Syria, who asked him to write concerning all the heresies, and not only them but also many others urging and, so to speak, compelling him to this

to come. To our lord and most honored in all things, most reverend father Epiphanius, bishop, Acacius, presbyter, and Paul, presbyter, archimandrites, greetings in the Lord. The sight of your godliness, father, would have been sufficient, filling us with spiritual words and implanting such a great longing in us who have partaken of seeing you in person. But since the preceding fame of a disciple of the Savior, proclaiming the fragrance of your words and deeds, constrains one with the desire to be sated with both words and understanding, it was necessary to come and see for ourselves to partake of the grace given to you by God, as to the apostles. 1.154 But since the journey was hindered by bodily illness and hardship, we were not able, coming ourselves to prostrate at your feet, to hear and to learn the holy spiritual words that proceed from your mouth. For we believe that if we had been worthy to come up and listen, we would have been strengthened in the way of life we have set before us, if we are worthy to reach its end. Since illness has overtaken us, we therefore ask your great godliness not to begrudge sharing with us from the things truly gifted to you by the Savior. For we confess, not only we but all who hear, that in this generation the Savior has raised you up for us as a new apostle and preacher, a new John, to proclaim the things that ought to be observed by those who set out on this path. Therefore, our common brother Marcellus being hard pressed by such fame and drawn by longing for your godliness, and he being of our fold, and we having him as a servant for such a journey, and he being a new catechumen, we entrusted to him this our great boldness as sinners toward you, the disciple of the Savior. And what we ask is that you grant us what was spoken by you to certain brothers for instruction, which for you, the righteous one, is no burden, but for us sinners who receive it is a reason to rejoice in the Lord. For being filled with your spiritual words, we are lightened of our iniquities. We have also heard the names given by your honor to the heresies, and of each sect we ask your godliness to declare the heresy to us plainly. For the gift is not the same for all. And we ask you, the righteous one, to make a prayer to the Lord on behalf of all who long for you and await the gift from you. We are in fasting and prayer for our common brother to be received gladly by your honor and to bring back

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Panarion † Adversus haereses

1.153 Ἐπιστολὴ γραφεῖσα ἐν τῷ ἐνενηκοστῷ δευτέρῳ ἔτει ∆ιοκλητιανοῦ βασιλείας, Οὐαλεντινιανοῦ καὶ Οὐάλεντος ἔτους δωδεκάτου καὶ Γρατιανοῦ ἔτους ὀγδόου, πρὸς Ἐπιφάνιον Παλαιστινὸν Ἐλευθεροπολίτην, γενόμενόν ποτε πατέρα μοναστηρίου ἐν τῇ τῆς αὐτῆς Ἐλευθεροπόλεως περιοικίᾳ,

ἐπίσκοπον ὄντα νῦν πόλεως Κωνσταντίας ἐπαρχίας Κύπρου, παρὰ Ἀκακίου καὶ Παύλου, πρεσβυτέρων ἀρχιμανδριτῶν τουτέστιν πατέρων

μοναστηρίων μερῶν Χαλκίδος καὶ Βεροίας τῆς κοίλης Συρίας, αἰτησάντων αὐτὸν περὶ τοῦ κατὰ αἱρέσεων πασῶν γράψαι, οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ ἄλλων πολλῶν προτρεψαμένων καὶ ὡς εἰπεῖν ἀναγκασάντων αὐτὸν εἰς τοῦτο

ἥκειν. Τῷ κυρίῳ ἡμῶν καὶ τιμιωτάτῳ κατὰ πάντα, εὐλαβεστάτῳ πατρὶ Ἐπιφανίῳ ἐπισκόπῳ Ἀκάκιος πρεσβύτερος καὶ Παῦλος πρεσβύτερος, ἀρχιμανδρῖται, ἐν κυρίῳ χαίρειν. Ἤρκει μὲν ἡ θέα τῆς σῆς θεοσεβείας, πάτερ, ἐμπλήσασα πνευματικῶν ῥημάτων καὶ ἐμφυτεύσασα τὸν τοσοῦτον πρὸς ἡμᾶς πόθον γεγονότα τοῖς τῆς σῆς αὐτοψίας μεταλαβοῦσιν. ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ πρόδρομος φήμη μαθητοῦ τοῦ σωτῆρος κηρύττουσα τὴν τῆς εὐωδίας τῶν ῥημάτων καὶ πράξεων ὀσμὴν ἄγχει καὶ λέξεων καὶ νοῦ κορεσθῆναι, ἔδει μὲν αὐτοψίᾳ ἐλθόντας μεταλαβεῖν τῆς ἐκ θεοῦ σοι δοθείσης χάριτος ὡς τοῖς ἀποστόλοις. 1.154 ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ ἡ ὁδὸς ἐπεσχέθη ὑπὸ τῆς ἀρρωστίας τῆς σωματικῆς καὶ τῆς ταλαιπωρίας, οὐκ ἰσχύσαμεν αὐτοὶ γενόμενοι πρὸς τοὺς σοὺς πόδας προκυλινδούμενοι ἀκοῦσαί τε καὶ μαθεῖν τὰ ἐκπορευόμενα πνευματικὰ ἅγια ῥήματα ἐκ τοῦ σοῦ στόματος. πιστεύομεν γὰρ ὅτι εἰ ἦμεν ἄξιοι ἀνελθόντες τε καὶ ἀκούσαντες ἐστηριζόμεθα τὴν πολιτείαν ἣν προβεβλήμεθα, εἰ ἐσμὲν ἄξιοι τὸ τέρμα ταύτης καταλαβεῖν. τῆς οὖν ἀρρωστίας καταλαβούσης δεόμεθα τῆς τοσαύτης σου θεοσεβείας, μὴ φθονήσῃς μεταδοῦναι ἡμῖν ἀπὸ τῶν δεδωρημένων σοι ἀληθῶς ὑπὸ τοῦ σωτῆρος. ὁμολογοῦμεν γὰρ οὐ μόνον ἡμεῖς, ἀλλὰ καὶ πάντες οἱ ἀκούοντες, ὅτι ἐν ταύτῃ τῇ γενεᾷ νέον σε ἀπόστολον ἤγειρεν ἡμῖν καὶ κήρυκα ὁ σωτήρ, Ἰωάννην νέον, τοῦ κηρύσσειν τὰ ὀφειλόμενα φυλάττεσθαι ὑπὸ τῶν τὸν δρόμον τοῦτον προβαλλομένων. τοῦ οὖν κοινοῦ ἀδελφοῦ Μαρκέλλου ἐπὶ τῇ τοσαύτῃ φήμῃ ἀγχομένου καὶ ἑλκομένου τῇ ποθήσει τῆς σῆς θεοσεβείας, ὄντος τε καὶ τῆς ἡμετέρας μάνδρας, αὐτόν τε ὑπηρέτην ἐσχηκότες τῆς τοσαύτης ὁδοῦ, καὶ νεοκατηχήτου ὄντος, ἐπετρέψαμεν αὐτῷ τὴν τοσαύτην ἡμῶν τόλμαν τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν πρὸς τὸν μαθητήν σε τοῦ σωτῆρος. ὃ δὲ ἀξιοῦμεν, τῶν ῥηθέντων σοι πρός τινας ἀδελφοὺς εἰς παιδείαν δωρήσασθαι, ὅπερ σοὶ μὲν τῷ δικαίῳ ἀβαρές, ἡμῖν δὲ τοῖς ἁμαρτωλοῖς μεταλαβοῦσιν εὐφρανθῆναι ἐν κυρίῳ. ἐμπλησθέντες γάρ σου τῶν πνευματικῶν ῥημάτων ἐπικουφιζόμεθα τῶν ἀνομιῶν ἡμῶν. ἠκούσαμεν δὲ ἐπικληθέντα ὀνόματα ὑπὸ τῆς σῆς τιμιότητος ταῖς αἱρέσεσιν, ὧν ἑκάστης θρῃσκείας ἀξιοῦμεν τὴν σὴν θεοσέβειαν διαρρήδην ἡμῖν δηλῶσαι τὴν αἵρεσιν. οὐκ ἴση γὰρ ἁπάντων ἡ δωρεά. καὶ σὲ ἀξιοῦμεν εὐχὴν ποιήσασθαι, σὲ τὸν δίκαιον, τῷ κυρίῳ ὑπὲρ πάντων τῶν σε ποθούντων καὶ ἐκδεχομένων τὴν παρὰ σοῦ δωρεάν. ἐν νηστείᾳ καὶ εὐχῇ ἐσμεν τὸν κοινὸν ἡμῶν ἀδελφὸν δεχθέντα ὑπὸ τῆς σῆς τιμιότητος ἀσμένως καὶ κομίσαι