Epiphanius Comes to Constantinople

Theophilus kept his plans against John as secret as he could, and he wrote to the bishops of every city condemning the books of Origen. It also occurred to him that it would be useful to win over to his side Epiphanius, bishop of Salamis in Cyprus, a man revered for his life and the most distinguished man of his day. So he made friends with him, although he had once blamed him for asserting that God has a human form. As though he repented of ever having held any other view, Theophilus wrote to Epiphanius to tell him that he now held the same opinions as Epiphanius himself, and to stir up attacks on the books of Origen as the source of such wicked doctrines. Epiphanius had long had a particular dislike of Origen’s writings, and so he was easily led to believe Theophilus’s letter. Soon afterward he gathered the bishops of Cyprus together and forbade the study of the books of Origen. He also wrote to the other bishops, among them the bishop of Constantinople, urging them to call synods and to make the same decision. Theophilus saw that there could be no danger in following the example of Epiphanius, who was praised by the people and admired for the goodness of his life, whatever his opinions might be. So, with the agreement of the bishops under his authority, he passed a vote like the one Epiphanius had passed. John, on the other hand, paid little attention to the letters of Epiphanius and Theophilus. [a]

Those among the powerful and among the clergy who were opposed to John saw that Theophilus’s designs aimed at driving him from the bishopric. So they worked to have a council called at Constantinople to carry this out. Theophilus, knowing this, did everything he could to bring the council together. He ordered the bishops of Egypt to go by sea to Constantinople. He wrote asking Epiphanius and the other Eastern bishops to make their way to that city as quickly as possible, and he himself set out for it by land. Epiphanius was the first to sail from Cyprus. He landed at the Hebdomon, a suburb of Constantinople, prayed in the church built there, and then went on into the city. To do him honor, John went out with all his clergy to meet him. Epiphanius, however, showed plainly by his conduct that he believed the accusations against John. Although he was invited to stay in the church’s residences, he would not remain there, and he refused to meet with John in them. He also privately gathered all the bishops who were staying in Constantinople and showed them the decrees he had issued against the writings of Origen. He persuaded some of the bishops to approve these decrees, while others objected to them.

Theotimus, bishop of Scythia, strongly opposed what Epiphanius was doing. He told him that it was not right to insult the memory of a man who had long been numbered among the dead, and that it was not without blasphemy to attack the conclusion the ancients had reached on the subject and to set aside their decisions. As he spoke in this way, he drew out a book of Origen’s that he had brought with him. After reading aloud a passage useful for the instruction of the church, he remarked that those who condemned such views were acting absurdly, for they were in danger of insulting the very subjects these words dealt with.

John still respected Epiphanius, and invited him to take part in the assemblies of his church and to stay with him. But Epiphanius declared that he would neither stay with John nor pray with him in public unless John denounced the works of Origen and expelled Dioscorus and his companions. John did not think it right to act as Epiphanius proposed before the case had been judged, and he tried to put matters off. When the assembly was about to be held in the Church of the Apostles, those who were hostile to John planned that Epiphanius should go there beforehand and publicly denounce to the people the books of Origen, and Dioscorus and his companions as that writer’s followers, and also attack the bishop of the city as the supporter of those heretics. Some people busied themselves with this, for it was supposed that in this way the people’s affection would be turned away from their bishop. The next day, as Epiphanius was about to enter the church to carry out his plan, he was stopped by Serapion at John’s command, for John had been told of the plot. Serapion showed Epiphanius that the plan he had devised was not only unjust in itself but could bring him no personal advantage; for if it stirred up a popular uprising, he would be held responsible for any violence that followed. With these arguments Epiphanius was persuaded to give up his attack.