On eighty heresies Panarius, or the Ark

Epistle to Epiphanius of Archimandrites Akakios and Paul Epiphanius's response to the message of the presbyters Acacius and Paul Epistle, in the ninety-second year from the beginning of the reign of Diocletian, in the twelfth of the reigns of Valentinian and Valens, and in the eighth of Gratian, to Epiphanius of Palestine, Eleutheropolitan, former father of the monastery in the district of Eleutheropolis, and now bishop of the city of Constantia in the diocese of Cyprus, written by Acacius and Paul, presbyters-archimandrites, that is, the fathers of the monasteries in Chalcis and Veria, in Cilisyria, that he should write about all heresies, as many others advise, and, so to speak, force him to begin this. Our lord, according to all the most honorable and reverent Father Epiphanius the Bishop, Presbyter Akaki and Presbyter Paul, archimandrites, wish to rejoice in the Lord. It was enough to see your godliness, father, to be satiated with spiritual verbs, and to feel love in yourself when they enjoyed seeing you. But since the glory that precedes the Savior’s disciple proclaims the power of the fragrance of words and deeds; then the desire to still be satiated with both word and reason is very tormenting. True, you had to come in person to enjoy the grace given to you from God, as to the apostles; but since physical illness and distress hindered the journey, it became impossible for us to come and throw ourselves at your feet in order to listen and learn from the spiritual holy words coming from your mouth. For we are confident that, if we were worthy of this, then, having come to you and listening to you, and in the life that we assumed for ourselves, we would be established, if only we are worthy of reaching its end. Therefore, possessed by illness, we beg your great piety, do not be stingy and tell us what the Savior has really given you. For not only do we recognize, but all those who listen to you also recognize that Christ raised you up in your present generation for us, as a new apostle and preacher, a new John, to proclaim to us what those who have decided to follow this path are obligated to preserve. Therefore, since Marcellus, our common brother, worn out by such glory, is attracted by love for your piety, he belongs to our monastery; then, as a novice, having used him as a servant to complete such a long journey, such sinful boldness of ours was turned to you, the Savior’s disciple. We ask you to give from what you have said as a lesson to some of our brothers, so that it is not hard for you, a righteous man, but for us sinners, if we listen, it will lead to joy in the Lord. For, having been filled with spiritual words from you, we will be relieved of our iniquities. We have heard the names given by your honor to heresies; and now we ask your piety to clearly show us the heresy of each creed. This is an equal gift for everyone. And we also ask you, as righteous before the Lord, to say a prayer for all those who love you and are waiting for your gift. We remain in fasting and prayer so that our common brother, who has been kindly received by your honor, brings us the gift you have given us, and in this case we offer the usual prayers to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. All the brothers hope that they will be strengthened by your prayers for us. We beg you, do not hesitate to communicate the divine grace that you have with the apostles. All the little ones in the monasteries send up prayer to the All-Perfect, so that they may receive a spiritual gift from your piety. Being strong in the Lord, being content in Christ, continue to preserve the throne given to you in the Holy Spirit and the divine gift until the crown that awaits you. Epiphanius's own response to the letter of the presbyters Acacius and Paul, in which they asked Epiphanius to write against heresies. To the most honorable brothers and co-presbyters, Acacius and Paul, Epiphanius wishes to rejoice in the Lord. Ancient writers, having presented the introduction or preface in the form of an inscription, in this riddle showed the content of the entire creation present. That is why we, beloved, begin our introduction to what we wrote at your request, against heresies, with the same style of speech, concluding all our strength in a short speech. since we intend to announce to you the names of heresies, to reveal their evil effects, such as poisons and destructive substances, adding to this suitable antidotes, medicines for those affected, and preventive measures for those who may be affected; then for those who love the Philokalia we write the following title: Panarius or, as we interpret it, an ark with a reserve that is healthy from the sting of poisonous animals, that is: in three books there are eighty heresies, which are mysteriously depicted as poisonous animals or reptiles, and after these eighty there is a single foundation and teaching of truth, a saving work, the bride of Christ, the holy church, abiding from eternity, after the coming the incarnate Christ among those spoken before this eighty, according to the succession of time, revealed, and presented by us on the basis of the preaching of Christ in a special work, and again, after all the heretical machinations, to inspire those who had to endure the work of reading the book about heresies, clearly proclaimed by us in a brief summary, in accordance with the teaching of the apostles. Nevertheless, those who read this introduction with a correct assessment, the following description of heresies, the defense of the truth and the teaching of the truth, the exposition of the faith of the holy universal Church, deign to excuse us if, as people who, with effort and divine zeal, took upon themselves the work of writing in defense of the godliness of Jesus, 1 about the most holy and all-venerable name we wish to say in defense something difficult for us in our own strength, just as God condescends to you who seek what is beyond our strength; Our word is about truth, and our work is about piety. And also, deign not to reprimand if somewhere, although it is not our custom to condemn or ridicule anyone, you find that, out of jealousy aroused by heresy, or to the reader’s disgust from it, we sometimes express ourselves in irritation, calling others either deceivers, or buffoons, or pathetic people. For the very need to dispute what the heretics say prepares us for such intense work to turn readers away from them, and to prove that their rites, sacraments and teachings, in our way of thinking, are completely prohibited; and with these sayings and the sensitivity of the contradiction we will prove our freedom, and we will reject some from them with words that seem to be more difficult. Ch. 2. And this throughout the work is set forth in the three books mentioned above: the first, second and third; We divided these three books into seven sections; and in each department there is a certain number of heresies and schisms, but in total there are eighty of them; their names and contents are as follows: first - barbarism, second - Scythianism, third - Hellenism, fourth - Judaism, fifth - Samaritanism; from them - others. After barbarism and Scythian superstition before Christ, these came from Hellenism: the sixth heresy - the Pythagoreans, or Peripatetics - the heresy separated by Aristotle, the seventh - the Platonists, the eighth - the Stoics, the ninth - the Epicureans. Then the Samaritan heresy, which originated from Judaism, and its four interpretations: the tenth heresy - the Gorophines, the eleventh - the Sevuei, the twelfth - the Essines, the thirteenth - the Dositheans. Then the above-mentioned Judaism itself, which received its distinctive feature from Abraham, was spread by Moses through this law, and from Judah, the son of Jacob or Israel through David, who descended from the tribe of Judah and reigned, inherited the nickname of Judaism. And from this Judaism the following seven heresies: the fourteenth - the Scribes, the fifteenth - the Pharisees, the sixteenth - the Sadducees, the seventeenth - the Imerobaptists, the eighteenth - the Ossenes, the nineteenth - the Nazarenes, the twentieth - the Herodians. Following these heresies, following them through the succession of times, the saving coming of Christ our Lord in the flesh, the gospel teaching and preaching of the kingdom, this only source of salvation and the true faith of the universal, apostolic and Orthodox Church were revealed. From it the following heresies broke away and separated, the name only of Christ, and not containing faith: the first - Simonians, the second - Menandrians, the third - Sathornilians, the fourth - Basilidians, the fifth - Nicolaitans, the sixth - Gnostics, they are also Stratioticians, and also Thebionites, called by some Secundians, by others Socrates, and by others Zacchaeus, by some Coddians, Worvorites and Varvilites; seventh heresy - carpocratites; the eighth are the Cerinthians, who are also the Myrinthians; ninth - Nazarenes; tenth - Ebionea; eleventh – Valentines; the twelfth are the Secundians, with whom Epiphanes and Isidore are connected; thirteenth – Ptolemies; fourteenth – Marcosia; fifteenth - colorasia; sixteenth – Heracleonites; seventeenth – Ophites; eighteenth - Kayans; nineteenth - Sethians; twentieth – archontics; twenty-first - Kerdonians; twenty-second – Marcionites; twenty-third - Lucianists; twenty-fourth - Appellians; twenty-fifth - Sevirians; twenty-sixth - Tatians; twenty-seventh – encratites; the twenty-eighth among the Frigs, consisting of Montanists and Tascodrugits, while the Tascodrugits also divided themselves; the twenty-ninth - the Pepusians, they are also the Priscillians and Quintillians, with whom the Artothirites are connected; the thirtieth - the people of fourties, who celebrate Easter on the same day of the year; thirty-first - alogues who do not accept John’s Gospel and the Apocalypse; thirty-second - Adamians; thirty-third - Sampsei, also known as Elkesii; thirty-fourth - Theodotians; thirty-fifth - Melchizedekians; thirty-sixth – Vardisianists; thirty-seventh - Noetians; thirty-eighth - Valicia; thirty-ninth - Kafars, they are also Novatians; fortieth - angels; forty-one - apostolics, they are also apotactics; forty-second - Sabellians; forty-third - Origenists, shamers; forty-fourth – Origenists, Adamantists; forty-fifth - Paul of Samosata; forty-sixth - Manichaeans, also known as Anukanites; forty-seventh - Hierakites; forty-eighth - Meletians, Egyptian schism; forty-ninth - Arians, they are also Ariomanites; fiftieth - the split of the Obdians; fifty-one - Photinians; fifty-second - Marcellians; fifty-third - Semi-Arians, fifty-fourth - Doukhobors, they are also Macedonians and disciples of Eleusius, blaspheming the Holy Spirit of God; fifty-fifth - Aerians; the fifty-sixth are the Aetians, they are also the Anomeans, with whom Eunomius is connected, or better yet, who does not recognize the law (ἄνομος); fifty-seventh - Dimirites, who do not profess the perfect incarnation of Christ, they are also Apollinarians; fifty-eighth - those who claim that the Holy Ever-Virgin Mary, after the birth of the Savior, had communion with Joseph, whom we call anti-wildcomarianites; the fifty-ninth - in the name of the same Mary, they bring the Kollirids, 2 which is why they are called Kolliridians, the sixtieth - the Massalians, with whom the Martyrians are in connection, among the Hellenes called Euthymites and Satanians. Now, going back and having sorted out the listed heresies in the book, in this table of contents I will show all those of the eighty heresies in the first book, which then in the second, and which in the third; and also about each of the seven branches placed in three books, I will show which heresies found a place for themselves in it. Namely, in the first book there are three branches, and there are forty-six heresies with their names, I mean barbarism, Scythianism, Hellenism, Judaism and Samaritanism. In the second book there are two branches, twenty-three heresies; in the third book there are two branches, eleven heresies. Therefore, in the first section of the first book there are twenty heresies; they are the following: barbarism, Scythianism, Hellenism, Judaism; differences among the Hellenes: Pythagoreans, or Peripatetics, Platonists, Stoics, Epicureans; Samaritanism, originating from Judaism; the following four factions of Samaritans: Gorofin, Sevuei, Essin, Dosithei; seven heresies of the Jews, namely: Scribes, Pharisees, Sadducees, Imerobaptists, Ossenes, Nazarenes, Herodians. And in the second part of the first book there are also the following thirteen heresies: Simonians, Menandrians, Sathornilians, Basilidians, Nicolaitans, Gnostics, called Stratioticians and Thebionites, and some Secundians, others Socrates, others Zacchaeus, Coddians, Worvorites and Barvilites, Carpocrats, Cerinthians, they are also Myrinthians, Nazarenes, Ebionians, Valentinians, Secundians, with whom Epiphanes and Isidore are connected, and the Ptolemies. In the third section of the same first book there are thirteen heresies, namely: Marcosii, Colorvasii, Heracleonites, Ophites, Kayans, Sethians, Archontics, Cerdonians, Marcionites, Lucianists, Appellians, Sevirians, Tatians. Here is the table of contents of the three sections of the first book. In the second book there are two sections, and in the first section of the second book, in the fourth in order from the beginning, there are eighteen heresies, namely: the Encratites, among the Frigs, consisting of Montanists and Tascodrugits; the Taskodrugits separated from those named before; Pepusians and Quintillians, with whom artothiritis is connected; the Pentecostals, who celebrate Easter on the same day of the year; alogues who do not accept John's Gospel and the Apocalypse; Adamians, Sampsei, also known as Elkesites, Theodotians, Melchizedekians, Bardisianists, Noetians, Valisii, Caphars, Angeliki, Apostolics, they are also Apotactics, with whom in connection they are called Saccophorans, Sabellians, Origenists, Ramenians, Adamantine Origenists. In the second section of the same second book, which according to the above account is the fifth, the following five heresies: Paul of Samosata, Manichaeans, they are also Acuanites, Hierakites, Meletians, the Egyptian schism, and Arians. Here is the table of contents of the sections and the second book. Similarly, in the third book there are two branches. In the first section of the third book, in the sixth according to what we said above, there are the following seven heresies: the Avdians, who constitute a schism, the Photinians, the Marcellians, the Semi-Arians, the Doukhobors, who blaspheme the Holy Spirit of God, the Aerians, the Aetians, from Aetius Anomea, with whom Eunomius entered into a relationship, also Anomeus. And in the second section of the same third book, that is, in the seventh section according to the division of the number of sections that we said (namely, that this is the seventh section and the end of the entire work), the following four heresies are set forth: Dimirites, who do not recognize the incarnation of Christ as perfect, they are also Apollinarians, who claim that the Most Holy Ever-Virgin, after the birth of the Savior, had communion with Joseph, for which we called them anti-Dicomarianites, and in the same name Mary bringing collirids, which are called collyridians, massalians, as well as the defense of the right and true faith with an abbreviated word about what the holy universal and apostolic Church is. Here is the table of contents and description of the entire work on eighty heresies and one defense of the one truth, that is, the universal and Orthodox Church, compiled in three proposed books, and divided into seven sections. And here is the table of contents of the first section of the first book, which contains a denunciation of twenty heresies: Firstly, all heresies are the ancestors, prototypes and names from which other heresies originated; and these are the first four. 1). The first heresy is barbarism; it, in itself, lasted ten generations from the days of Adam to Noah. It was called barbarism because the people who lived then did not have any leader, or one unanimous rule, but each governed himself and, in preference to his own will, served as a law for himself. 2). The second heresy is Scythianism, from the days of Noah and subsequently until the building of the pillar and Babylon, and after the pandemonium for a short number of years, that is, under Peleg and Ragava; some, escaping to the country of Europe, settled in the Scythian region between the local tribes from the time of Thiras (Gen. 10:2), from whom the Thracians descended, and later. 3). The third heresy is Hellenism, which began with idolatry from the time of Serukh; and since then everyone was led by some kind of superstition, then, with greater education and established customs and laws, human tribes began to make general orders about idols, which then, clinging to them, they deified; at the beginning they painted and depicted the likenesses of the rulers they had revered since ancient times, sorcerers who had done something in life, in human opinion, worthy of remembrance, respected for their strength and bodily strength; and then, from the time of Terah, the father of Abraham, they introduced the making of idols into idolatry, they honored their forefathers with statues, they began to make likenesses of the dead, first with the help of meager art, and then, in relation to any art, house builders hewed stones, and silversmiths, goldsmiths, as well as carpenters and others, each dressed their own substance. The Egyptians, and with them the Babylonians, Phrygians and Phoenicians, became the first founders of this worship of God, the making of idols and the performance of sacraments; from them most of the institutions passed to the Hellenes during the time of Kekrops and after him. And subsequently, much later, Kron, Rhea, Diy and Apollo, and others were proclaimed gods. The Hellenes received their name from a certain Hellene, one of the inhabitants of Hellas, and, as others say, from the olive tree (ἐλάια) that grew in Athens. The leaders of the Hellenes, as accurate history shows, were the Ionians, descended from John, 3 one of those who built the pillar, when the languages ​​of all were divided. For this reason, from divided (μεμερισμένη) speech, the whole name μέροπες was received. Subsequently, much in later times, Hellenism turned into heresies, I mean the Pythagoreans, Stoics, Platonists, Epicureans and others. The distinctive property of piety, and together with the natural law, had force among these peoples from the foundation of the world until the last times, preserving in a special separate form among barbarism, Scythianism and Hellenism, until they entered into unity with the piety of Abraham. 4). And then Judaism, from the time of Abraham, taking on a distinctive property, and spreading through Moses, the seventh after Abraham, through the law given to him by God, from Judah, the fourth son of Jacob, called Israel, through David, the first king from the tribe of this Judah, inherited its full name of Judaism. The Apostle briefly and clearly expressed himself about these four heresies, saying: “in Christ Jesus there is neither barbarian, nor Scythian, nor Greek, nor Jew” (Col. 3:11), but a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17). 5). Pythagoreans or Peripatetics. Pythagoras proposed the doctrine of the monad and of providence, taught not to allow both sacrificing to the gods and eating animate beings, and abstaining from wine. He asserted that above the moon and above it everything is immortal, and under the moon everything is mortal; he allowed the transfusion of souls from one body to another, even into the bodies of animals and wild animals. He taught me to remain silent for five years. Finally, he called himself God. 6). The Platonists believed that there is God, matter and species; that the world is created and perishable, but the soul is uncreated, immortal and divine, that it has three parts: rational, irritable and lustful. Plato taught that everyone should have common wives, and no one should have his own wife, but those who wished to enter into unity with those who wished. He also allowed the transfusion of souls into different bodies, even into the bodies of wild animals; and at the same time he taught that many gods are all from one. 7). The Stoics teach that everything is a body, and this sensory world is recognized as God. Some argued that God has a fiery nature. According to their definition, God is the mind and, as it were, the soul of this entire volume, both heaven and earth; the universe is the body of God, as I said, and the lights are the eyes. But everyone’s flesh perishes, and everyone’s soul flows from body to body. 8). The Epicurians asserted about atoms and indivisible bodies, consisting of similar indefinite number of parts, that in them is the beginning of all things; taught that the highest bliss is in pleasure, that neither God nor providence governs the course of affairs. 9). Samaritanism, and from it the Samaritans. This heresy arose from Judaism before heresies appeared among the Hellenes, and before their teachings were compiled; however, having begun, after the establishment of worship of God among the Hellenes, among Judaism, not earlier than the time of Nebuchadnezzar and the captivity of the Jews. The Assyrians resettled in Judea, having received only the Book of Moses, when the king sent it to them from Babylon with a priest named Ezra, had everything in common with the Jews, except that they abhorred the pagans and did not touch anything else, and also that they denied the resurrection of the dead, and other prophecies that came after Moses. There are four Samaritan interpretations. 10). Gorofins, celebrating holidays at other times, and not at the same time as the Sevuei. 11). The Sevuei, for the same reason, have different holidays from the Gorofins. 12). The Essins, who do not oppose either one or the other, indifferently celebrate with whom they have to. 13). The Dosithei follow the same customs as the Samaritans, they keep circumcision, the Sabbath and other statutes, use the Pentateuch, and more strictly than others observe the rule of not eating animate food and spending their lives in constant fasting. Some of them remain in virginity, others abstain; They believe in the resurrection of the dead, which is alien to the Samaritans. 14). Scribes, lawyers and teachers of secondary laws or traditions of the so-called elders, with excessive zeal, observe arbitrarily accepted liturgical rites, which they did not learn from the law, but they themselves recognized as respectable according to the law of justification. 15). The Pharisees, by the meaning of the word, are renegades, leading the highest life, and receiving approval more than others. They, like the scribes, recognize the resurrection of the dead, the existence of angels and the Holy Spirit. Their life is different; they observed abstinence and virginity for the time being, fasting twice a week, cleansing jugs, dishes and bowls, and also, like the scribes, tithes, firstfruits, continuous prayers, arbitrary superstition prescribed the outer appearance of clothing, consisting of a robe similar to a surplice, and dalmatics or sleeveless clothing, with the expansion of storage, that is, stripes of purple, surplices and buttons on the vestments, which served as a sign of their contents before the time of abstinence. They introduced the doctrine of birthday and destiny. 16). The Sadducees, by the meaning of their name, are the most truthful; the family descended from the Samaritans and together from a priest named Zadok; they denied the resurrection of the dead, did not admit either an angel or the Spirit; in everything else they were Jews. 17). Imerobaptists. They were Jews in all respects, but they argued that no one would receive eternal life if he was not baptized every day. 18). Ossins, which means: the bravest. They fulfilled everything according to the law, but after the law they also used other scriptures, and rejected most of the later prophets. 19). Nazarenes, which means: unbridled, prohibit all meat-eating, do not eat animate things at all, in the Pentateuch the holy names of the patriarchs before Moses and Joshua accept and believe in them, I mean Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and the elders, as well as Moses himself, Aaron and Jesus. Regarding the Pentateuch, they teach that these books are not the writings of Moses, and they claim that they have others instead. 20). The Herodians were Jews throughout, but they expected Christ in the person of Herod, and Herod was given Christ's honor and the name of Christ was attributed to him. Here is the first section, which contains all these twenty heresies. It also contains a discussion about the coming of Christ and a confession of truth. This is how it reads in Ehler’s edition, which is preferred by Petaviev, and in the continuation of this translation. According to the Slavic Bible: Jovan, Gen. 10, 2. You might be interested in: