Letter to John of Jerusalem
Epistula ad Joannem Hierosolymitanum
Letter to John the Bishop of Aelia§1
1A letter written to John, the Bishop of Aelia. Epiphanius the Bishop greets the most venerable brother, Pope John, in the Lord.
It was necessary for us, beloved, not to be carried along by the appearance of lots, for the divine Scripture says: 'neither murmur as some murmured and were destroyed by the destroyer.' And the God of peace will act with us, according to his own philanthropy, so that Satan may be crushed under the feet of us Christians, and every evil pretext may be driven away, so that the bond of us may not be split may not be split.
Greek · §1
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
The Unfeigned Love and Truth of Christ§2
2Regarding the unfeigned love and peace and right faith and truth of Christ. Since I have heard that certain people have grumbled against us, claiming that as we were passing through the holy place of Bethlehem to be gathered by your honor, just as we arrived at the village called Anautha, we saw a lamp burning and, having asked, we learned that there was a church in that place; but upon entering to fulfill our prayer, we find a stone at the door, upon which was painted something idol-like and man-like, which they perhaps said that
Greek · §2
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
The Imprint of Christ and the Torn Garment§3
3The imprint belonged to Christ or to one of the saints, for I do not remember having seen such a thing existing as a mystery within the church. I tore it and consulted about wearing it as a penance after it was completed, but those who grumbled said, 'It was necessary for him to change his own cloak before it tore.' This was despite my promise that I would send another in its place, though I delayed sending it because of my necessity.
Greek · §3
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
Closing Request and Exhortation§4
4For they were seeking to send it expectantly from Cyprus, so now I have sent what I found. Therefore, grant the favor of commanding the presbyter of the parish to receive from the reader that which has been sent, and I entreat you to command that such things are not done carelessly in the churches. For it is proper for your honor to care about all things and to speak clearly about the things profitable to the church of God and to the peoples who have believed in you.
Greek · §4
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.