Tuesday, May 12

Golden Age · c. 315–403

Epiphanius of Cyprus

Bishop of Salamis, cataloguer of heresies

Epiphanius was born in Palestine, embraced the ascetic life in his youth, spent years among the monks of Egypt, and founded a monastery near his native Eleutheropolis which he directed for some thirty years. In 367 he was elected bishop of Salamis (Constantia) in Cyprus, where he served for over three and a half decades, revered for his learning, austerity, and generosity to the poor. He knew several languages and was regarded as a living encyclopedia of the faith; his great work, the Panarion or 'Medicine Chest,' describes and refutes eighty heresies and remains a vital source for early Church history. A fierce defender of Orthodoxy, he engaged vigorously in the controversies of his day, including the disputes over Origen's teachings. He reposed at sea in 403 while returning to Cyprus from Constantinople, and is venerated as a Father of the Church.

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