Saint Epiphanios as a Bishop in Cyprus

By Dr. Georgios Kakkouras, 
Doctor of Theology, Secondary Education Teacher of Religious Studies

“Epiphanios the Great, the renowned Archbishop of Salamis or Constantia, is rightly considered one of the most illustrious adornments of the Church of Cyprus” (History of the Orthodox Church of Cyprus, Hackett–Papaioannou).

Nevertheless, he was not Cypriot by origin. He was born in Eleutheroupolis of Palestine to parents who were Christians(?) of Hebrew or Greek descent. He devoted himself with unusual zeal to learning and acquired a rich theological and literary education. He knew five languages — Greek, Hebrew, Latin, Syriac, and Coptic — something astonishing for that period, when no special methods for teaching languages existed.

His life was written by three biographers, two of whom are identified as his disciples, and for this reason there are many sources concerning his life and work. At a young age he entered the monastic life and became a disciple of the great ascetic Saint Hilarion. Thus the ascetic monastic element characterized his entire later life.

He also visited other monasteries, especially in Egypt, and came into contact with various religious groups in order, as he himself says, to become acquainted with the forms of Christian life and thought. In Egypt, as is evident from his writings, he personally came to know the champion of Orthodoxy, Saint Athanasios the Great. Later he himself founded a monastery in his homeland, which he directed for thirty years. Thus, like his teacher and spiritual father, he too acquired the reputation of a holy man.

Yet he not only lived a strict ascetic life, but also did not become “trapped” within any theological school or trend of his time. His writings clearly demonstrate this. Being strict and exacting, he sought to remain faithful to the ecclesiastical tradition of Orthodoxy. In his teaching he appears in harmony with Athanasios the Great and the Cappadocian Fathers, especially Basil the Great. For this reason he emerged as their equal and as one of the most important teachers of the Church, possessing extremely broad theological knowledge.

“Saint Epiphanios thus formed himself through his own efforts: a conservative and uncompromising zealot for Orthodox ecclesiastical doctrine, recognizing absolutely no concession or economy in matters of faith.”

His zeal for the Orthodox faith led him to oppose the heretics and to leave us his most important work, the Panarion. Because of this zeal, he traveled to many cities abroad, such as Rome in 382 at the invitation of Pope Damasus, and even to Constantinople, in order to participate in the synod convened to examine the conduct of Saint John Chrysostom toward the Tall Brothers, who were accused of Origenism.

Upon his arrival and after meeting the Tall Brothers, he immediately discerned the truth and departed for Cyprus without participating in the synod, having realized the justice of Saint John Chrysostom’s position. During his return journey he died on the way (May 12, 403).

Saint Epiphanios and Cyprus

He was elected Bishop of Constantia (Salamis) of Cyprus in 367 and shepherded its people for thirty-six full years. At that time, the Bishop of Salamis was the Archbishop of all Cyprus. But how did the Saint come to our island?

According to his biographer, while the Saint was in Egypt he was being pressured to become a bishop. Epiphanios, however, wanted to return to the ascetic Hilarion. But Hilarion had departed for Cyprus because he had so many admirers and visitors that his spiritual stillness was being disturbed. Thus he came “to the land of the Cypriots, in the regions around Paphos.”

So when Epiphanios did not find him in Palestine, he departed with two of his disciples and arrived here in Cyprus, in Paphos, to meet his spiritual father. He stayed beside him for two months. Afterwards he decided to leave.

“And Hilarion said to Epiphanios: ‘Go to Salamis, my child, and there you will find a place to dwell.’ But Epiphanios did not wish to listen to Hilarion’s words.”

Thus, when they boarded the ship for the return journey, a violent storm arose. “And on the fourth day the waves drove the ship onward and brought them near the city of the Salaminians.”

Again according to his biographer, all the bishops of the island were then gathered together in order to elect a bishop “capable of shepherding the flock of Christ.” And they prayed that the Lord would reveal to them the most worthy man.

“There was among the bishops a holy man… the Bishop of Kythrea, Pappos… All the bishops regarded him as a father both because of his confession in Christ” (he had suffered tortures) “and because of the years of his episcopacy” (fifty-eight years by that time). “And he also possessed foreknowledge from God. To him (to Pappos) it was revealed concerning Epiphanios that he should be ordained bishop over the Church of the Salaminians.”

“...So they searched throughout Salamis, found Epiphanios, and almost by force ordained him bishop…”

As Bishop of Cyprus he glorified the Church. “It was the custom of Epiphanios to hold the Holy Gospels in his hands night and day and to teach the divine word.” Through his teaching he personally contributed to the Christianization of the whole of Cyprus. He fought heresies and paganism more than anyone else. He attained such authority throughout Orthodoxy that Emperor Theodosios the Great issued the following decree:

“If anyone does not obey Father Epiphanios, bishop of the land of the Cypriots, in accordance with the divine teachings, let him depart from the island and dwell wherever he wishes.”

He was also concerned with the spiritual cultivation of the faithful and “for the greater strengthening of Christianity and piety, he introduced monasticism into Cyprus, while he himself continued, even as bishop, to live a strict ascetic life, inspiring universal admiration and respect.”

He helped all who were in need — the sick, the poor — to such an extent that “many abused his generosity, yet he remained inexhaustible.” Whenever he celebrated the Divine Liturgy, crowds of faithful gathered to see and hear him, and after the Divine Liturgy he remained until evening teaching and working miracles.

As Bishop of Cyprus he participated in the Second Ecumenical Synod together with other bishops of Cyprus. Indeed, the Creed of the Second Ecumenical Synod bears his own theological imprint as well. Saint Epiphanios is also regarded as the father and forerunner of the establishment of the autocephaly of the Church of Cyprus.

It was here in Cyprus that he developed all his theological and anti-heretical work. Two of his writings are the most important: one dogmatic and one anti-heretical.

The Ancoratus ("The Well-Anchored"), written at the request of the Christians of Pamphylia, systematically presents the Orthodox teaching of the Church “as an anchor” amid the turmoil caused by Arian and other heretical attacks. In this work, on the basis of Holy Scripture and the tradition of the Church, he explains the dogma of the Trinity, proves the divinity of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, discusses the Incarnation — the fruit of which is the attainment of eternal life — and speaks about the Church. At the end two creeds are appended. One of them is the Creed of the Church of Constantia, which apparently became the basis for the composition of the Creed of the Second Ecumenical Synod.

An even more important work is his writings against heresies titled Panarion, that is, as he himself explains, “a medicine chest; a box containing saving remedies for healing from the bites of beasts and reptiles (heresies).” Two Archimandrites from Syria wished to consult him personally “as an apostolic and holy man,” but were unable to visit him. They therefore sent him a letter, and Epiphanios, replying in order to satisfy their request, wrote this work. It is the most extensive of the ancient anti-heretical writings surviving to this day and contains analysis and refutation of eighty heresies. Its conclusion is that only the Church possesses the genuine Tradition and only her canonical clergy express it correctly.

Other works of his include: “On Weights and Measures in Holy Scripture,” “On the Twelve Stones in the Vestments of Aaron,” and other exegetical writings.

An important piece of information is that Saint Epiphanios composed a Divine Liturgy, of which the prayer of the Anaphora survives in Armenian translation. Worthy of note in this regard is the scholarly substantiation of this information by the blessed Professor Ioannis Fountoulis.

Saint Epiphanios fell asleep “in the Lord” on May 12, 403, at a very advanced age (ninety-three years old). On the day of his repose, as his biographer relates, “Then darkness fell upon the whole city, and the brethren, leading one another by the hand, went down to the sea, making great lamentation. And all the countryside streamed into the city, pouring forth tears along the roads…”

His disciple, the deacon Savinos, later a bishop, took the holy relic and buried it. Afterwards, a magnificent church was built over his tomb — the famous Basilica of Saint Epiphanios, one of the most renowned buildings of the Christian world of that era. Today only its ruins survive in Turkish-occupied Salamis.

The relic of the Saint remained in Cyprus “undisturbed” until the reign of Leo VI (886–912), when by his order it was transferred to Constantinople. The honorable skull of the Saint, however, is preserved today in the Sacred Monastery of Kykkos.

The works and life of Saint Epiphanios will always remain a beacon for learning the Orthodox Faith and the Orthodox Christian life.

Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.