St. Epiphanius of Salamis

St. Epiphanius of Salamis was born about 315 in Palestine and, after years spent among the monks of Egypt and as founder of a monastery in his homeland, became bishop of Salamis on the island of Cyprus about 367, an office he held for some thirty-six years. Renowned for his vast learning and his mastery of several languages, he was one of the most zealous defenders of orthodox belief in the fourth century, though his zeal at times outran his prudence.

His greatest work is the Panarion, or "Medicine Chest," a massive compendium that catalogued and refuted some eighty heresies from the beginning down to his own day, preserving in the process much information, drawn from sources now lost, that is of great value to historians despite his occasional errors and harshness. A fierce opponent of what he judged the errors of Origen, he was drawn late in life into bitter controversies. Austere, devout, and immovable in his defense of the faith, he died at sea in 403. He is venerated as a saint, his memory kept on 12 May.