EPIPHA'NILTS, SAINT, a Christian bishop and author, of the 4th century, was born of Jewish parents at a village called Besanducan, near Eleutheropolis, in Palestine. He spent his youth under the discipline of the Gnostics in Egypt, where he acquired a great fond ness for tho monkish asceticism then so prevalent in that country. Having become a zealous disciple of Marion, the patriarch of the monks of Palestine, he founded and long presided over a monastery near his native village. About the year 363 he was made bishop of Salamis, the metropolis of the island of Cyprus, where ho continued about 36 years, and composed most of his writings. His spirit of opposition was especially excited by the Platonic doctrines of the learned and laborious Origen, against which he wrote and preached with Implacable bitterness. On this subject he hotly quarrelled, in 391, with John, bishop of Jerusalem, who favoured Origen's views; but he, found in Theophilus, the violent bishop of Alexandria, a worthy coadjutor, who in 399 convened a council, and condemned all the works of Origen. Epiphanius himself then called a council in Cyprus A.D. 401, and reiterated this condemnation, after which be wrote to St. Chrysostom, then bishop of Constantinople, requesting him to do the same ; and on finding this prelate disinclined to sanction his violent proceedings, he forthwith repaired to Constan tinople for the purpose of exciting the bishops of that diocese to join in executing the decrees which his Cyprian council bad issued ; but having entered a church in the city in order to repent his anathemas, be was forewarned by Chrysostom of the illegality of his conduct, and was obliged to desist. Exasperated at this disappointment, lie applied to the imperial court for assistance, where he soon embroiled himself with the Empress Eudoxia; for, on the occasion of her asking him to pray for the young Theodosius, who was dangerously ill, lie replied that her eon should not die provided she would not patronise the defenders of Origen. To this presumptuous message the empress indignantly answered, that her cone life was not in the power of Epiphanius, whose prayers were unable to save that of his own arch deacon, who had recently died. Failing to gratify his animosity, ho resolved to return home, but died at sea, on his passage to Cyprus, A.D. 403. His works in Greek were first prioted in fol. at Basel, in
15-14. Several editions, with a Latin translation by Cornarius, subse quently appeared at Basel and at Paris during the 16th century; but the best is by Petavius, who made a new Latin translation of the Greek text, and added a biography of the author and critical notes. This edition is in 2 vols. foL, Paris, 1622, and Cologne, 1682. In the 'Epiphanii Opuacula, ex editions Petavii,' are some very curious and valuable old prints. The principal works of Epiphaniva are, 1, The Panarion: or a treatise on Heresies, that Is, peculiar sects. This is the moat importaut of the author's writings. It treats of 80 sects, from the time of Adam to the latter part of the 4th century. The first section of the first three books into which the treatise is divided contains an account of 20 heretical sects before the birth of Christ; the remaining portion is occupied with tho description of 60 heresies of Christianity. 2, 'Anacephalmosis,' or an Epitome of the Panarion. 3, 'Aucoratus, or a Discourse on the Faith; explaining the doctrine of the Trinity, Resurrection, &c,, In confutation of the Pagans, illiani cheane, &Wiliam', and Arians. 4, A Treatise on the ancient Weights, Measures, and Coins of the Jews, with a Catalogue of Canonical Scriptures. Besides this there are several treatises and epistles, sonic of which are falsely attributed to Epiphanius. (See Rived, Crit. Seer.' c. 23 and 29.) Epiphanies was an austere and superstitious ascetic, and, as a bitter controversialist, he often resorts to untrue arguments for the refuta tion of heretics. That his inaccuracy and credulity were canal to his religious zeal I. apparent from his numerous mistakes in nuportant historical facts, and his reliance on any false and foolish reports. Jerome admires Epiphanius for his skill in the Hebrew, Syriac, Egyptian, Greek, and Latin languages, and accordingly styles him, Pentaglottos, or the Five-tongued • but Scaliger calls him an ignorant MAD, who committed the greatest blunders, told the greatest false hoods, and knew next to nothing about either Hebrew or Greek. However his writings are of great value as containing numerous citations from curious works which are no longer extant.