Sophia Scriptura

Epiphanius of Salamis

Ἐπιφάνιος Σαλαμῖνος · Epiphanius Salaminensis

Epiphanius was a monk in Palestine before becoming bishop of Salamis on Cyprus. He is best known for two heresiological works: the Ancoratus (374), a doctrinal handbook against Arian and other errors written for a congregation in Pamphylia, and the much larger Panarion (374–377), which catalogues eighty heresies from pre-Christian schools of thought through the controversies of his own day. His information is uneven in reliability but historically invaluable.

Dates
ca. 315 – 403 (approximate)
See or city
Salamis (Constantia)
Region
Cyprus
Also known as
Epiphanius of Cyprus; Epiphanius of Constantia
Notes
Bishop of Salamis on Cyprus from 367; a vigorous heresiologist and opponent of Origenism late in life, drawn into the controversies surrounding John Chrysostom. His Panarion ("Medicine Chest") is the single largest surviving catalogue of heresies from the patristic period and preserves many otherwise-lost sources.

Works