Letter to Emperor Theodosius · §1 · Epiphanius of Salamis

The devil's trick and the question of painted images

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Epiphanius opens his letter to the emperor by describing how the devil introduced idolatry and now deceives believers, then begins questioning whether any ancient father painted an image of Christ.

The devil contrived idolatry in the world by his own evil art, sowed it in the world and established it, and turned human beings away from God. Now again, after the heresies and the idols, he has dragged the faithful down into the ancient idolatry and deceived them. Epiphanius brings himself forward in the letter as having followed the faith of the fathers at Nicaea from his youth, and as having parents who were born in that faith and held the same confession. For your piety will understand whether it is fitting for us to have a painted God made with colors. I have heard that some even promise to paint the incomprehensible Son of God; I do not recall ever seeing such a thing.

Which of the ancient fathers painted an image of Christ and set it up in a church or in his own house, or on the curtains of doors?

Greek

̓Επιφανίου ἐπισκόπου Κύπρων Ἐπιστολὴ πρὸς Θεοδόσιον τὸν βασιλέα.

19 τὴν εἰδωλολατρείαν ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ τῇ ἑαυτοῦ κακοτεχνίᾳ ὁ διάβολος

ἐμηχανήσατο καὶ ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ ἔσπειρε τοῦτο καὶ ἐθεμελίωσε καὶ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους

ἀπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ ἀπέστρεψε· νῦν δὲ πάλιν μετὰ τὰς αἱρέσεις καὶ τὰ εἴδωλα εἰς ἀρχαίαν

εἰδωλολατρείαν τοὺς πιστοὺς καθείλκυσε καὶ ἠπάτησε. 20 εἰσφέρει ἑαυτὸν ἐν τῇ

ἐπιστολῇ τῇ πίστει τῶν ἐν Νικαίᾳ πατέρων ἐκ νέας ἡλικίας ἠκολουθηκέναι καὶ ὡς οἱ

γονεῖς αὐτοῦ ἐν ταύτῃ γεγέννηνται καὶ τὴν αὐτὴν εἶχον ὁμολογίαν. 21 νοήσει γὰρ ἡ

σὴ εὐσέβεια εἰ πρέπον ἐστὶν ἔχειν ἡμᾶς θεὸν ζωγραφητὸν διὰ χρωμάτων. 22 ἤκουσα

ὡς καὶ τὸν ἀκατάληπτον υἱὸν τοῦ θεοῦ τινὲς γράφειν ἐπαγγέλλονται οὐ μέμνημαί τι

τοιοῦτον ἰδών.

23 Τίς τῶν παλαιῶν πατέρων Χριστοῦ εἰκόνα ζωγραφήσας ἐν ἐκκλησίᾳ ἢ ἐν

οἴκῳ ἰδίῳ κατέθετο ἢ ἐν βήλοις θυρῶν;

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About this text

Epiphanius begs the emperor to remove religious images, and explains why Christ must not be painted.

Epiphanius of Salamis (c. 310/320–403) was bishop of Salamis on Cyprus and a vigorous defender of what he considered orthodox Christian practice. He wrote this letter to the emperor Theodosius to oppose the painting of images of Christ and the saints in churches and on door curtains, and to urge their removal.

Epiphanius writes that the devil introduced idolatry into the world and is now deceiving believers back into it through painted images. He claims no ancient father or bishop painted Christ or the saints, and that those who do so dishonor Christ and invent false appearances from their own imagination.

A reader should know that Epiphanius uses the word image for a painted portrait, especially of Christ or the saints, and idolatry for the worship of images as gods. He argues that painters wrongly depict Christ with long hair by confusing the title Nazorean with Nazirites, who took a vow involving uncut hair and abstinence from wine, even though Christ drank wine. He also reasons that if Christ had distinctive long hair while the other disciples were shorn, the Pharisees and scribes would not have needed Judas to identify him with a kiss. He asks that curtains with such images be used for burying the poor, wall paintings be whitewashed, and images already painted in a shrine be removed if possible, with no new images painted.

Printed text used

Translated from PG 41 – 43 (Greek)

We have not yet re-checked this work against its source. We made this study translation with AI help. No scholar has yet certified it as faithful and complete. Open Greek on any section to see the source text. It is not a critical edition.

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