St. Epiphanius of Salamis

  Posted on May 12, 2020  by admin  No comments

Born: 315 at Besanduk, near Eleutheropolis, Judea 

Died: 403 at sea of natural causes 

Venerated: in Catholicism Eastern Orthodoxy Oriental Orthodoxy

Feast: 12 May, 17 Pashons (Coptic Orthodoxy)

A Hellenized Jew, and convert to Christianity. Fluent in five languages, and extensively studied in theology and the classics. Monk in several communities in Egypt, returning to Palestine in 333. Priest. 

As a young man he founded a monastery at Eleutheropolis (Beth-Saddouk), and lived there as a monk for 30 years, serving as its superior. Bishop of Constantia and Metropolitan of Cyprus in 367 while remaining in his monastery. Fought Origenism and Arianism. Friend of Saint Jerome, but opponent of Saint John Chrystotom whom he found insufficiently orthodox. 

Brilliant speaker, he sometimes let his ability go to his head, and his confrontational approach got in the way of persuading his opponents. Doctor of the Church. He was an authority on Marian devotions, and his writings include a Bible dictionary, and The Medicine Box, a huge work which cataloged and refuted eighty heresies of his day.