Crows, a charioteer, and the fall of the Serapeum
The collection opens with Epiphanius, bishop of Cyprus, telling stories about the fall of the Serapeum and the death of Julian, then a report from his monastery in Palestine.
The holy bishop Epiphanius told this story: In the time of blessed Athanasius the Great, crows were flying around the temple of Serapis, crying out without stopping, "Cras, cras." The pagans came to blessed Athanasius and shouted, "Evil old man, tell us what the crows are crying." He answered, "The crows are crying, 'Cras, cras.' In the language of the Ausonians, 'cras' means 'tomorrow.'" And he added, "Tomorrow you will see the glory of God." The next day the death of the emperor Julian was announced. When this happened, they ran together and shouted against Serapis, saying, "If you did not want him, why did you take what was his?"
The same one told this story: There was a charioteer in Alexandria who was the son of a woman named Mary. During a horse race he fell. Then he got up, passed the one who had thrown him down, and won. The crowd shouted, "The son of Mary has fallen and has risen and has won." While this cry was still being said, the report about the temple of Serapis reached the crowd: the great Theophilus had gone up, destroyed the idol of Serapis, and become master of the temple.
It was reported to blessed Epiphanius, the bishop of Cyprus, by the abba of the monastery he had in Palestine: "By your prayers we have not neglected our rule, but with diligence we perform the third, the sixth, and the ninth hours."
Greek
Περὶ τοῦ ἁγίου Ἐπιφανίου ἐπισκόπου Κύπρου.
αʹ. ∆ιηγήσατο ὁ ἅγιος Ἐπιφάνιος ὁ ἐπίσκοπος, ὅτι ἐπὶ τοῦ μακαρίου
Ἀθανασίου τοῦ μεγάλου, κορῶναι περιϊπτάμεναι τὸ τοῦ Σεράπιδος ἱερὸν, ἔκραζον
ἀπαύ ‹65.164› στως, Κρᾶς, Κρᾶς. Καὶ προστάντες ἐπὶ τὸν μακάριον Ἀθανάσιον οἱ
Ἕλληνες, ἔκραξαν· Κακόγηρε, εἰπὲ ἡμῖν τί κράζουσιν αἱ κορῶναι. Καὶ ἀποκριθεὶς
εἶπεν· Αἱ κορῶναι κράζουσι, Κρᾶς, Κρᾶς· τὸ δὲ Κρᾶς τῇ Αὐσωνίων φωνῇ αὔριόν ἐστι
καὶ προσετίθει, ὅτι Αὔριον ὄψεσθε τὴν δόξαν τοῦ Θεοῦ. Καὶ ἑξῆς ἠγγέλθη ὁ θάνατος
τοῦ Ἰουλιανοῦ βασιλέως. Καὶ τούτου γενομένου, συνδραμόντες κατέκραζον τοῦ
Σεράπιδος, λέγοντες· Ἐὰν οὐκ ἤθελες αὐτὸν, τί ἐλάμβανες τὰ αὐτοῦ;
βʹ. Ὁ αὐτὸς διηγήσατο, ὅτι ἦν τις ἡνίοχος κατὰ τὴν Ἀλεξανδρέων, ὃς ἦν
μητρὸς Μαρίας υἱός. Οὗτος ἱππικοῦ ἐπιτελουμένου κατέπεσεν· εἶτα ἀναστὰς
παρῆλθε τὸν καταβεβληκότα, καὶ ἐνίκησε. Καὶ τὸ πλῆθος ἀνεβόησεν· Ὁ Υἱὸς Μαρίας
πέπτωκε καὶ ἐγήγερται καὶ ἐνίκησε. Ταύτης ἔτι τῆς φωνῆς λεγομένης, ἐνέπεσεν ἡ
περὶ τοῦ ἱεροῦ τοῦ Σεράπιδος φήμη τῷ πλήθει, ὅτι ὁ μέγας Θεόφιλος ἀνελθὼν, τὸ
τοῦ Σεράπιδος κατέστρεψεν εἴδωλον, καὶ τοῦ ναοῦ γέγονεν ἐγκρατής.
γʹ. Ἐδηλώθη τῷ μακαρίῳ Ἐπιφανίῳ τῷ ἐπισκόπῳ Κύπρου παρὰ τοῦ ἀββᾶ τῆς
μονῆς ἧς εἶχεν ἐν Παλαιστίνῃ, ὅτι Εὐχαῖς σου οὐκ ἠμελήσαμεν τοῦ κανόνος ἡμῶν,
ἀλλὰ μετὰ σπουδῆς καὶ τὴν τρίτην καὶ τὴν ἕκτην καὶ τὴν ἐννάτην ἐπιτελοῦμεν.