ON ST. EPIPHANIUS, PATRIARCH OF CONSTANTINOPLE,
In the year DXXXV.
His worship from the Greek Fasti: an observation.
Epiphanius, patriarch of Constantinople (St.)
J. P.
I should be doing again what has been done, if I here rehearsed a historical collection of the things done by this Patriarch, The matter of this Patriarch Epiphanius treated elsewhere; or his predecessor, or the beginning of his see, or his praises, and the year and month of his death, and also the time spent in his governance. For concerning these the reader is instructed in the Chronological History of the Patriarchs of Constantinople, given before the first tome of August, page *63 and following. There is therefore left us only the place of writing concerning the Man's public worship, and of examining whether he can deservedly be reckoned among today's dwellers in heaven. We confess candidly that we are set in a strait, so as to prove that worship sufficiently: yet because, both in the great printed Menaea and in the Menology rendered into Latin by Cardinal Sirleto, worship is expressly attributed to him, nor do we know of anything from elsewhere to stand in the way of our following those two testimonies, it seems to us more probable that he is not to be removed from his possession, which he has had from time immemorial before the Decree of Pope Urban VIII, but that he is, so far as we can, to be favored.
[2] The aforesaid Menaea record our Patriarch together with others, but here his worship is proved. concerning whom see among today's Passed-over, on this day in this manner: The memory of our holy Fathers Epiphanius, Mennas, Gennadius, and John, archbishops of Constantinople. The eulogy of St. Mennas is subjoined; and then follow these words: The feast of the aforesaid holy Fathers is also celebrated together (in the Greek it is συνεορτάζονται). By their holy intercessions &c. The Menology of Sirleto agrees with the Menaea:
Together with St. Mennas, the feast days of the holy Fathers who have been named above are celebrated, by whose intercessions may we be helped. I forbear to say that in our manuscript Supplement to the Menaea published in print by Sirmond and Chifflet the memory of this Patriarch is had on the VI day of June, without however the title of saint being added. Καὶ μνήμη Ἐπιφανίου πατριάρχου. And the memory of Epiphanius the patriarch. The Arabic-Egyptian Martyrology, which Gratia Simonius, a nursling of the college of the Maronites at Rome, and in the year MDCLXXXII archbishop of Tripoli in Syria, translated for us from the Arabic tongue into Latin; the said Martyrology, I say, on this day XXV writes thus: The memory of Epiphanius. The verses which are sung to him in the Menaea have nothing singular.
[3] [An observation concerning another of the same name who before the patriarchate of CP. bore the same name.] Since in the praised Chronological History only one Epiphanius is marked, no difficulty can be raised whether the things said above by us concerning him fit another patriarch of the same name. Nor should you object that in the tenth century there lived a bishop of the see of Constantinople who, before he was promoted to that dignity, at one time bore the name of Epiphanius. For we answer that he, being enrolled in the institute of the monastic life, laid aside the name of Epiphanius and took another, as you may see in the Preliminary Commentary on the Life of St. Andrew Salus, which is had in tome VI of May in the Corollary to the XXVIII day of the same month, page 1 and following: where, although it was indicated at page 2 that it is not certainly established what name Epiphanius took, we nevertheless endeavored to urge that it was that of Polyeuctus, concerning which Saint there is treatment in the said Chronological History, page *119; and whose Life Bolland gathered from the Greek historians at the V day of February, page 706 and following.