On Weights and Measures

De mensuris et ponderibus

Epiphanius of Salamis · c. 392 AD · PG 43 (Petavius/Migne)

Epiphanius of Salamis (c. 310/320–403), bishop of Salamis in Cyprus from 367, was the early church's great heresy-hunter — though his learning ranged far beyond controversy into Scripture, history, and antiquities.

On Weights and Measures, written near the end of his life, is his guide to the Bible's world: Hebrew weights, measures, and coins, the ancient translators of the Old Testament, and the books of Scripture — antiquarian lore in service of the reader.

This volume holds Chapter I: measures and weights, the ten prophetic genres, and prophetic signs.

© 2026 SaneApps. This translation is free to share and adapt, even commercially, as long as you credit SaneApps. Draft translation, prepared with AI assistance and not yet independently reviewed. Verify against the original before citing. Translated from PG 43 (Petavius/Migne); Cap. I.

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1Cap. I: measures and weights; ten prophetic genres; prophetic signs

Author

Epiphanius of Salamis (c. 310/320–403) — Bishop of Salamis (Constantia) on Cyprus. Best known for the Panarion (Medicine Chest), a vast catalogue of heresies, with the Ancoratus as a shorter doctrinal anchor for the churches. A fierce defender of Nicene orthodoxy and monastic discipline.

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About this text

Epiphanius of Salamis, On Measures and Weights: the opening chapter — ancient measures, ten kinds of prophecy, and prophetic signs.

English densified from locked PG 43 Cap.

Catalogue & scope

densify Cap. I

Witnesses

Copy-text Locked Greek Cap. I (Greek)
Copy-text PG 43 page images (Greek/Latin)

This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. Open Greek on each section for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.

Cap. I: measures and weights; ten prophetic genres; prophetic signs§1

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1If anyone wishes to know the parts of the divine Scriptures that belong to wide experience — I mean concerning measures and weights — let him not hesitate to meet this memorial.

And first the lover of learning must know how many parts there are in the prophecies. For the prophecies are divided into ten kinds of contemplation, containing as follows: teachings, contemplations, exhortations, threats, lamentations, dirges, prayers, histories, and predictions.

And beside these same prophecies lie these signs: concerning the casting off of the former people; concerning the casting off of the law according to the flesh; concerning the New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:31); concerning the calling of the nations; concerning Christ.

Greek · §1

Εἴ τις δὲ θέλει τῶν ἐν ταῖς θείαις Γραφαῖς εἰδέναι τὰ πρὸς πολυπειρίαν μέρη, λέγω δὴ περὶ μέτρων καὶ σταθμῶν, τούτῳ τῷ Ὑπομνηματικῷ ἐντυγχάνειν μὴ κατοκνείτω. Καὶ πρῶτον μὲν δεῖ εἰδέναι τὸν φιλολόγον, πόσα τυγχάνει ἐν ταῖς προφητείαις μέρη. Εἰς δέκα γὰρ διῄρηνται θεωρίας αἱ προφητεῖαι, οὕτως περιέχουσαι· διδασκαλίας, θεωρίας, προτροπάς, ἀπειλάς, ὀλοφυρμούς, θρήνους, εὐχάς, ἱστορίας, προρρήσεις. Παράκεινται δὲ ταῖς αὐταῖς προφητείαις σημεῖα ταῦτα· περὶ τῆς ἀποβολῆς τοῦ προτέρου λαοῦ· περὶ τῆς ἀποβολῆς τοῦ κατὰ σάρκα νόμου· περὶ τῆς Καινῆς Διαθήκης· περὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν κλήσεως· περὶ Χριστοῦ.

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