Letter to John of Jerusalem · §2 · Epiphanius of Salamis

Prayer for peace and unbroken bond

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Epiphanius, having just quoted Scripture against grumbling, now prays that God will crush Satan and preserve the bond of love, peace, faith, and truth among Christians.

But the God of peace, in his love for humankind, will act with us so that Satan is crushed under the feet of us Christians, and every wicked pretext is driven away, so that the bond of Christ's unfeigned love, peace, right faith, and truth is not torn from us.

Greek

ὁ δὲ

θεὸς τῆς εἰρήνης ποιήσει μεθ' ἡμῶν κατὰ τὴν αὑτοῦ φιλανθρωπίαν εἰς τὸ

συντριβῆναι τὸν σατανᾶν ὑπὸ τοὺς πόδας ἡμῶν τῶν Χριστιανῶν καὶ ἀποδιωχθῆναι

πᾶσαν πρόφασιν πονηρὰν εἰς τὸ μὴ σχισθῆναι τὸν σύνδεσμον ἐξ ἡμῶν τῆς τοῦ

Χριστοῦ ἀνυποκρίτου ἀγάπης καὶ εἰρήνης καὶ ὀρθῆς πίστεως καὶ ἀληθείας.

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About this text

A bishop's urgent plea for unity and truth amid accusations of idolatry in a holy land.

Epiphanius of Salamis (c. 310/320–403) wrote this letter to John, bishop of Jerusalem, in 394 or 395. Epiphanius was bishop of Salamis in Cyprus. He wrote to explain and defend his action of tearing a curtain with a painted human image in a church at Anautha, and to send what he had obtained as a replacement.

John was angry that Epiphanius had ordained a priest inside John's jurisdiction, and Epiphanius had openly charged John with being an Origenist.

Epiphanius urges John not to be carried away by pride of office but to heed Scripture's warning against grumbling. He prays that God will crush Satan under the feet of Christians and prevent the bond of Christ's unfeigned love, peace, right faith, and truth from being torn away from them. He then recounts that while traveling to the holy place of Bethel to meet with John, he entered a church at the village of Anautha, found a curtain painted with a human image said to be Christ or a saint, tore it as an abomination in church, and advised using it to wrap a poor dead person. He notes that some grumbled, saying he should have replaced the curtain from his own resources before tearing it, though he had promised to send another. He now sends what he found, having expected to send something from Cyprus, and asks John to order the local presbyter to receive it and to prevent such things from being placed in churches. The letter quotes 1 Corinthians 10:10 directly without naming Paul, with a possible allusion to 10:9.

Printed text used

Translated from PG 41 – 43 (Greek)

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