{"slug":"khazarzar-epiphanius-epistula-ad-eusebium","id":"greek:khazarzar:khazarzar-epiphanius-epistula-ad-eusebium","title":"Epistula ad Eusebium","title_source":"Epistula ad Eusebium","author":"Epiphanius","genre":"letter","date":"","tradition":"greek","coverage":"not-located","coverage_claim":{"status":"not-located","text":"No English translation could be identified: a language model asked twice could not name one, though it could not rule one out either. That is not proof that none exists — translations in dissertations, recent books and other modern languages are easily missed."},"publication":{"status":"machine-draft","reviewed_by":null,"model":"deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash:floor","provider":"Relace","generated":"2026-11-15T06:33:02Z","cost_usd":0.002848},"source":{"registry_id":"greek:khazarzar:khazarzar-epiphanius-epistula-ad-eusebium","work_id":"khazarzar-epiphanius-epistula-ad-eusebium","edition":"khazarzar","language":"","license":"Migne PG text (public domain); khazarzar host and the digitising project state no licence for this layer","url":"http://khazarzar.skeptik.net/pgm/PG_Migne/Epiphanius_PG%2041-43/Epistula%20ad%20Eusebium.pdf"},"stats":{"passages":4,"english_words":1043,"coptic_letters":0,"source_letters":4078,"commentary_units":24,"commentary_kinds":8,"derived_notes":0,"ambiguities":7,"work_notes":5,"external_links":5,"timeline":6},"summary":{"work":"khazarzar-epiphanius-epistula-ad-eusebium","abstract":"The Epistula ad Eusebium is a Greek letter attributed to Epiphanius, likely the late 4th-century bishop of Salamis. Addressed to a certain Eusebius—possibly the bishop of Emesa or a monastic leader—the letter employs a formal epistolary style, rich in scriptural citations and doctrinal exhortation. It discusses the proper observance of Pascha, distinguishing between Jewish Passover and Christian Easter, and includes a non-canonical saying of Jesus attributed to Matthew. The text survives in a single manuscript tradition, with no critical apparatus; the khazarzar edition is a modern digital transcription. Its limited reception suggests circulation within a narrow ascetic circle, and it is not included in major patristic collections or later Byzantine florilegia.","historical_context":"The letter is conventionally dated to the 370s–380s, based on internal references to contemporary heresies, though no external attestation confirms this. Epiphanius flourished in the late 4th century as bishop of Salamis in Cyprus, a prominent heresiologist and monastic advocate. The addressee, Eusebius, may be Eusebius of Emesa (c. 300–360), a theologian and exegete, or a lesser-known monastic figure. The letter reflects late 4th-century debates over the date of Easter, particularly the Quartodeciman controversy, which pitted those who celebrated Pascha on the 14th of Nisan against the majority practice of observing it on the following Sunday. Epiphanius’s use of a non-canonical saying of Jesus and his detailed lunar chronology indicate engagement with apocryphal traditions and Jewish-Christian dialogue. The text’s survival in a single manuscript and its absence from major collections suggest it was not widely copied, possibly due to its specialized content or association with a marginal community. The khazarzar edition, a modern digital transcription without critical apparatus, means variant readings and lacunae are unrecorded, requiring consultation of the original Greek for textual ambiguities.","significance":"The Epistula ad Eusebium is significant for its witness to late 4th-century Paschal controversies, particularly Quartodeciman chronology, and for preserving a non-canonical saying of Jesus attributed to Matthew. It illuminates Epiphanius’s exegetical methods and his engagement with Jewish-Christian traditions, offering a rare glimpse into the theological debates of a narrow ascetic circle. Its limited transmission underscores the selective preservation of patristic literature.","timeline":[{"date":"c. 315–403","event":"Life of Epiphanius of Salamis, the likely author."},{"date":"c. 300–360","event":"Life of Eusebius of Emesa, possible addressee."},{"date":"370s–380s","event":"Conventional dating of the letter based on internal heresy references."},{"date":"4th–5th c.","event":"Probable composition and initial circulation within an ascetic circle."},{"date":"Medieval period","event":"Survival in a single Greek manuscript tradition."},{"date":"21st c.","event":"Modern digital transcription by khazarzar without critical apparatus."}],"relations":[{"work":"Panarion","relation":"Epiphanius’s major heresiological work, which also addresses Paschal controversies and uses similar scriptural citations.","key":"","label":null,"url":null},{"work":"De Pascha (Eusebius of Emesa?)","relation":"Possible related treatise on Easter by the addressee, though not extant.","key":"","label":null,"url":null},{"work":"Gospel of Matthew","relation":"Source of a non-canonical saying attributed to Matthew by Epiphanius.","key":"","label":null,"url":null},{"work":"Quartodeciman literature","relation":"Part of the broader debate on the date of Easter, with which the letter engages.","key":"","label":null,"url":null},{"work":"Epistula ad Eusebium (other)","relation":"Distinguish from other letters to Eusebius, e.g., by Basil of Caesarea.","key":"","label":null,"url":null}],"external_links":[{"key":"wikipedia:Epiphanius of Salamis","label":"Epiphanius of Salamis","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epiphanius_of_Salamis","reason":"Provides background on the author and his context."},{"key":"wikipedia:Eusebius of Emesa","label":"Eusebius of Emesa","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusebius_of_Emesa","reason":"Possible addressee; his life and works are relevant."},{"key":"wikipedia:Quartodecimanism","label":"Quartodecimanism","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quartodecimanism","reason":"Key theological issue discussed in the letter."},{"key":"wikipedia:Paschal controversy","label":"Paschal controversy","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter_controversy","reason":"Broader context for the letter's content."},{"key":"wikipedia:Patristics","label":"Patristics","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patristics","reason":"Field of study for this letter's transmission and significance."}],"cautions":["The letter’s date is uncertain; the 370s–380s is conventional but lacks external attestation.","The addressee Eusebius is not securely identified; he may be Eusebius of Emesa or a monastic figure.","The text survives in a single manuscript tradition; the khazarzar edition is a modern transcription without critical apparatus, so variant readings and lacunae are unrecorded.","The non-canonical saying of Jesus attributed to Matthew may derive from a lost apocryphal tradition or be a conflation of canonical verses.","The letter is not included in major patristic collections, indicating limited reception and possible textual corruption."],"model":"deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash:floor","provider":"Relace","cost_usd":0.000573,"generated":"2026-11-15T06:33:02Z"},"links":[{"kind":"source","label":"Patrologia Graeca text (khazarzar mirror)","url":"http://khazarzar.skeptik.net/pgm/PG_Migne/Epiphanius_PG%2041-43/Epistula%20ad%20Eusebium.pdf"}],"checks":{"work":"khazarzar-epiphanius-epistula-ad-eusebium","status":"pass","blocking":[],"warnings":[],"stats":{"passages":4,"translated":4,"commentary_passages":4,"commentary_units":24,"english_words":1043,"source_letters":4078,"commentary_kinds":8},"model":"deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash:floor"},"work_notes":[{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"The letter is addressed to Eusebius, likely the bishop of Emesa or a monastic figure, and employs a formal epistolary register with scriptural citations and doctrinal exhortation.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"transmission","kind":"transmission","basis":"external","lemma":"","severity":"caution","text":"The Greek text survives in a single manuscript tradition; the khazarzar edition is a modern digital transcription without critical apparatus, so variant readings are unrecorded.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"dating","kind":"chronology","basis":"background","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"Epiphanius flourished in the late 4th century; this letter is conventionally dated to the 370s–380s, but the basis is internal references to contemporary heresies, not external attestation.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"background","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"The letter is not included in major patristic collections or cited in later Byzantine florilegia; its limited reception suggests it circulated only within a narrow ascetic circle.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"caution","text":"This edition provides no translation, commentary, or collation with other manuscripts; readers must consult the original Greek for textual ambiguities and lacunae.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"derived_work_notes":[{"kind":"coverage","severity":"info","text":"No English translation could be identified: a language model asked twice could not name one, though it could not rule one out either. That is not proof that none exists — translations in dissertations, recent books and other modern languages are easily missed."},{"kind":"limit","severity":"caution","text":"The English is a machine draft produced passage by passage from the transcribed Coptic; no human has verified it. The commentary is model-written and cites only keys the pipeline could resolve."},{"kind":"register","severity":"info","text":"Register: letter in ancient Greek; the English keeps the liturgical formulae and the vocatives rather than normalising them."},{"kind":"structure","severity":"info","text":"Passages: 4 narrative."},{"kind":"source","severity":"info","text":"Source edition: khazarzar — Migne PG text (public domain); khazarzar host and the digitising project state no licence for this layer"}],"derived_structure":{"narrative":4},"term_index":[],"citations":{},"segments":[{"i":1,"ref":"p1","source":"οῦ ἐν ἁγίοις πατρὸς ἡμῶν Ἐπιφανίου ἐπισκόπου Κωνσταντίας τῆς Κυπρίων νήσου περὶ τῆς τοῦ πάσχα ἡμέρας ἀκριβὴς διασάφησις· ἐκ τῆς πρὸς Εὐσέβιον καὶ Μάρκελλον, Βιβιανόν (Βηβιανόν ) τε καὶ Κάρπον ἐπιστολῆς.\n\n205 Ἔφαγον οὖν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι τὸ πάσχα, μεθ' ὧν ὁ κύριος τοῦτο συνέφαγε, πρὸ δύο ἡμερῶν τοῦ τεταγμένου ἀληθινοῦ πάσχα· ὡς ἔλεγον οἱ γραμματεῖς καὶ οἱ φαρισαῖοι, ὅτι προλάβωμεν ποιῆσαι τὸ πάσχα, ἵνα μὴ ἐν τῷ θορύβῳ συλληφθέντος αὐτοῦ μὴ δυνηθῶμεν φαγεῖν τὸ πάσχα· ὥς φησι καὶ ὁ ἱερώτατος Ματθαῖος περὶ τοῦ σωτῆρος ὅτι εἴρηκε τοῖς μαθηταῖς· \"οἴδατε ὅτι μετὰ δύο ἡμέρας τὸ πάσχα γίνεται καὶ ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου παραδίδοται εἰς τὸ σταυρωθῆναι\". τοῦτο δὲ ἀκριβῶς ἐτελέσθη ὁπηνίκα ὁ Χριστὸς εἰς τὸ μυστήριον ἤγετο τῇ δευτέρᾳ τοῦ σαββάτου, σύμβολον οὔσης τῆς δεκάτης τοῦ ὀνόματος τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ διὰ τὸ ἰῶτα. τότε γὰρ ὁ Ἰούδας ἔλαβε τὸ τίμημα τοῦ τετιμημένου, οὗ διετιμήσαντο παρὰ τῶν υἱῶν Ἰσραὴλ κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον, καὶ ἐζήτει εὐκαιρίαν ὅπως αὐτὸν παραδῷ. προέλαβον δὲ τεθορυβημένοι ἀντὶ τοῦ φυλαχθῆναι παρ' αὐτοῖς τὸ ἠγορασμένον αὐτοῖς πρόβατον διὰ τῶν τῷ Ἰούδᾳ δοθέντων ἀργυρίων ἕως πέμπτης σαββάτων καὶ ἀπὸ δεκάτης ἀριθμουμένων ἕως τεσσαρεσκαιδεκάτης ἥτις ἦν ἡ πέμπτη σαββάτων. προλαμβάνουσι δὲ θορυβούμενοι διὰ τὸν λαὸν καί φασι· προλάβωμεν ποιῆσαι τὸ πάσχα, ἵνα μὴ ὅταν ἔλθῃ ὁ λαὸς μὴ δυνηθῶμεν συλλαβέσθαι αὐτόν.","english":"Of our holy father Epiphanius, bishop of Constantia in the island of Cyprus, an exact clarification concerning the day of Pascha, from the letter to Eusebius and Marcellus, Bibianus (Bebianus) and also Carpus.\n\nTherefore the Jews ate Pascha, with whom the Lord also ate it, two days before the appointed true Pascha; as the scribes and the Pharisees said, \"Let us anticipate and celebrate Pascha, so that in the uproar of his arrest we may not be unable to eat Pascha.\" As also the most holy Matthew says concerning the Savior, that he said to the disciples: \"You know that after two days Pascha occurs, and the Son of Man is handed over to be crucified.\" This was exactly fulfilled when Christ was led into the mystery on the second day of the week, the tenth being a symbol of the name of our Lord Jesus because of the iota. For then Judas received the price of the valued one, which was valued by the sons of Israel according to what is written, and he sought an opportunity to betray him. They anticipated, being in turmoil, instead of keeping for themselves the sheep purchased for them with the silver given to Judas, until the fifth day of the week, counting from the tenth to the fourteenth, which was the fifth day of the week. They anticipate, being in turmoil because of the people, and they say: \"Let us anticipate and celebrate Pascha, so that when the people come we may not be unable to arrest him.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"πάσχα","severity":"info","text":"The term πάσχα (Pascha) refers both to the Jewish Passover and to the Christian Easter; Epiphanius distinguishes between the Jewish celebration and the 'true Pascha' (ἀληθινοῦ πάσχα) of Christ's crucifixion.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"οἴδατε ὅτι μετὰ δύο ἡμέρας τὸ πάσχα γίνεται","severity":"info","text":"Epiphanius attributes to Matthew a saying of Jesus not found in the canonical Gospels; it may derive from a lost apocryphal tradition or be a conflation of Matthew 26:2 and 26:20.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"δευτέρᾳ τοῦ σαββάτου","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'second day of the week' (Monday) for Christ's arrest is unusual; the canonical Gospels place the crucifixion on Friday. Epiphanius may follow a Quartodeciman chronology.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"προλάβωμεν ποιῆσαι τὸ πάσχα","severity":"info","text":"The repeated phrase 'Let us anticipate and celebrate Pascha' frames the Jewish reasoning and is echoed in the narrative to explain the two-day discrepancy between the Jewish and true Pascha.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"dating","kind":"chronology","basis":"text","lemma":"δεκάτης ... τεσσαρεσκαιδεκάτης","severity":"info","text":"Epiphanius counts from the 10th to the 14th of the lunar month, identifying the 14th as the fifth day of the week (Thursday), which aligns with the Quartodeciman Paschal date.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"ἱερώτατος Ματθαῖος","severity":"info","text":"Epiphanius calls Matthew 'most holy' (ἱερώτατος), a standard epithet for evangelists in patristic literature, indicating the high authority of the Gospel tradition he invokes.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The source of the Matthean saying is unclear; it may be a paraphrase or from a non-canonical tradition.","The chronology of the arrest on Monday conflicts with the canonical Friday crucifixion; Epiphanius does not resolve this."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":2,"ref":"p2","source":"καὶ τούτου ἕνεκα οὐκέτι τῇ πέμπτῃ ἔφαγον τὸ πάσχα, ἥτις κατήντα τῇ ιδ τῆς σελήνης, ἀλλὰ τῇ τρίτῃ σαββάτων ἐπιφωσκούσης τετράδος συλλαμβάνουσι τὸν Χριστόν, ἐν ᾗ καὶ τὸ πάσχα προλαμβάνοντες ἐπετέλουν. βεβρώκει τοίνυν μετ' αὐτῶν τὸ πάσχα πρὸς ἑσπέραν τῇ δωδεκάτῃ πρὸ δύο ἡμερῶν τοῦ πάσχα, ἐπιφωσκούσης ιγ, λογιζομένης τῆς νυκτὸς εἰς τὴν ἡμέραν τουτέστιν ἀπὸ τρίτης εἰς τετράδα σαββάτων· ὅθεν ἡ ἐκκλησία τὴν τετράδα φυλάττει διὰ τὴν τοῦ κυρίου σύλληψιν, νηστεύουσα δι' ὅλου τοῦ ἔτους πάρεξ μόνον πεντηκοστῆς καὶ ἐπιφανίων. Συλληφθεὶς δὲ πρὸς ἑσπέραν ἐπιφωσκούσης τετράδος μένει ἐν τῇ αὐλῇ τοῦ Καιάφα ὅλην τὴν νύκτα. μὴ γὰρ νόμιζε ἐν τῇ πέμπτῃ πρὸς ἑσπέραν αὐτὸν συνειλῆφθαι, ἀνάγνωθι εἰς τὸ κατὰ Ἰωάννην εὐαγγέλιον καὶ διάσκεψαι καὶ ὁρᾷς, ὅτι ὅτε μὲν ἀπὸ Γεθσημανῆ συλλαμβάνεται πρὸς Καιάφαν φέρεται. ἔμεινεν δὲ ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ τοῦ Καιάφα ἕως τῆς ἕω. πρωίας δὲ παραδίδοται Ποντίῳ Πιλάτῳ· γέγονε δὲ τοῦτο τετάρτῃ τῶν σαββάτων. καὶ ποιεῖ τὴν ἡμέραν ἐκείνην παρὰ Ποντίῳ Πιλάτῳ καὶ τὴν νύκτα ἕως πρωΐ. πέμπτῃ δὲ σαββάτων ἀποστέλλεται πρὸς Ἡρῴδην, ὄντα τότε ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις, διὰ τὸ καὶ αὐτὸν ἐληλυθέναι μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων φαγεῖν τὸ πάσχα. καὶ ὡς ἐκεῖνος πολλὰ αὐτὸν ἐρωτήσας καὶ μὴ καταξιωθεὶς ἀποκρίσεως ἀντιπέμπει αὐτὸν Πιλάτῳ, καὶ ἐπιμείνας ἕως ἐνάτης ὥρας ἐν τῷ πραιτωρίῳ συγκεκλεισμένος. παράδοσις δέ τις ἔδραμε λεγόντων ἕως καὶ τῶν ἡμετέρων χρόνων, ὅτι τὴν ἐνάτην ὥραν εἰσῆλθον οἱ μαθηταὶ κρυφῇ πρὸς αὐτὸν καὶ ἔκλασεν ἄρτον ψιλὸν καὶ συνεγεύσατο μετ' αὐτῶν ἐν τῇ φυλακῇ.","english":"And for this reason they no longer ate the Pascha on the fifth day, which fell on the fourteenth of the moon, but on the third day of the week at the onset of the fourth day they conceive Christ, on which they also anticipated and celebrated the Pascha. So he ate the Pascha with them toward evening on the twelfth, two days before the Pascha, at the onset of the thirteenth, the night being reckoned into the day, that is from the third to the fourth day of the week; whence the church keeps the fourth day because of the Lord's conception, fasting throughout the whole year except only Pentecost and Epiphany. Having been conceived toward evening at the onset of the fourth day, he remains in the court of Caiaphas the whole night. For do not suppose that he was taken on the fifth day toward evening; read the Gospel according to John and examine and you will see that when he is taken from Gethsemane he is brought to Caiaphas. He remained in the house of Caiaphas until dawn. In the morning he is handed over to Pontius Pilate; this happened on the fourth day of the week. And he spends that day with Pontius Pilate and the night until morning. On the fifth day of the week he is sent to Herod, who was then in Jerusalem, because he too had come with the others to eat the Pascha. And when that one had questioned him much and had not been deemed worthy of an answer, he sends him back to Pilate, and he remained shut up in the praetorium until the ninth hour. And a certain tradition has run, continuing even to our times, that at the ninth hour the disciples entered secretly to him and he broke plain bread and ate with them in the prison.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"glossary","lemma":"συλλαμβάνουσι","severity":"info","text":"The verb συλλαμβάνουσι here means 'they conceive' (i.e., arrest) Christ, not 'they conceive' in a biological sense. The English draft's 'conceive' is ambiguous; the context clarifies the arrest.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"dating","kind":"chronology","basis":"text","lemma":"τῇ τρίτῃ σαββάτων ἐπιφωσκούσης τετράδος","severity":"info","text":"Epiphanius dates the arrest to the night of Tuesday (third day) at the onset of Wednesday (fourth day), aligning with the Jewish anticipation of Passover on the 12th of the moon.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"εἰς τὸ κατὰ Ἰωάννην εὐαγγέλιον","severity":"info","text":"Epiphanius refers to the Gospel of John for the arrest sequence from Gethsemane to Caiaphas, likely John 18:1-13, though no specific verse is quoted.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"τὴν ἐνάτην ὥραν","severity":"info","text":"The 'ninth hour' (about 3 PM) is a standard time for prayer and meals in early Christian tradition; Epiphanius cites a tradition of Jesus sharing bread with disciples at that hour in prison.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"παράδοσις δέ τις ἔδραμε","severity":"info","text":"Epiphanius notes a persistent tradition (παράδοσις) that Jesus broke plain bread with disciples at the ninth hour in prison, a detail not in canonical Gospels, reflecting later pious legend.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"συλλαμβάνουσι","severity":"caution","text":"The Greek συλλαμβάνουσι could be read as 'they conceive' (arrest) or 'they conceive' (in the sense of beginning); the context favors arrest, but the English draft's 'conceive' is misleading.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The verb συλλαμβάνουσι is ambiguous between 'arrest' and 'conceive' (in a broader sense); the context of the arrest narrative supports 'arrest'.","The phrase τῇ τρίτῃ σαββάτων ἐπιφωσκούσης τετράδος could be interpreted as Tuesday night at the onset of Wednesday, but the exact day count depends on whether the week starts on Sunday or Monday; Epiphanius follows a Sunday-start week."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":3,"ref":"p3","source":"ἔμεινε δὲ ἐκεῖ ὅλην τὴν νύκτα καὶ πρωῒ λίαν προφέρει αὐτὸν ἀπὸ τοῦ πραιτωρίου ἡμέρᾳ προσαββάτου τῇ παρασκευῇ καλουμένῃ καὶ οὕτως ὥρᾳ γ σταυροῦται κατὰ τὴν ἀκριβῆ τοῦ Μάρκου εἰσήγησιν καὶ Ἰωάννου τῶν θεσπεσίων εὐαγγελιστῶν· εἰ καὶ ἔν τισιν ἀντιγράφοις τοῦ κατὰ Ἰωάννην εὐαγγελίου γραφικοῦ ἕνεκεν σφάλματος παραπεποίηται τὸ Γ στοιχεῖον, ὅπερ τὸν τρεῖς ψῆφον δηλοῖ, εἰς τὸ ἐπισήμου, ὅπερ τὸν ἓξ παρίστησι διὰ τὸ ἀμφοτέρων τῶν στοιχείων τὰς κεραίας ἐκ τῶν εὐωνύμων εἰς τὰ δεξιὰ ἐπιβλέπειν\n\nἡμᾶς· ὃ καὶ πρὸ ἡμῶν ἠκρίβωσαν Κλήμης τε καὶ Ὠριγένης καὶ ὁ Πάμφιλος Εὐσέβιος. καὶ οὐ χρὴ τοὺς φιλομαθεῖς ἀκροατὰς διὰ τὴν τοῦ στοιχείου ἀναίρεσιν ἢ παράθεσιν διασπᾶν τὴν τῶν θείων εὐαγγελίων συμφωνίαν. ὅρα γὰρ πῶς καὶ Ματθαῖος ὁ σοφώτατος τὸν τοῦ σταυροῦ καιρὸν ἀκριβῶς ἐπισημαίνεται τῷ εἰπεῖν \"καὶ ἐλθόντες εἰς τόπον λεγόμενον Γολγοθά, ὅ ἐστι κρανίου τόπος\", ἔπειτα καὶ τὸν οἶνον μετὰ τῆς σμύρνης λοιπὸν καὶ τὴν τῶν ἱματίων διαμέρισιν ** ἐπάγει· \"ἀπὸ δὲ ἕκτης ὥρας σκότος ἐγένετο ἐπὶ πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν ἕως ὥρας θ\" καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. τινὲς δὲ οἴονται τὸν ἅγιον Ματθαῖον ἕκτῃ ὥρᾳ αὐτὸν ἐσταυρῶσθαι λέγειν· μεμελέτηται δὲ τῷ ἁγίῳ τὸ ἀπὸ τῆς ἕκτης ὥρας σκότος.","english":"He remained there the whole night, and very early in the morning he brings him forth from the praetorium on the day before the Sabbath, called the day of preparation, and thus at the third hour he is crucified according to the accurate account of Mark and John, the inspired evangelists; even if in some copies of the Gospel according to John, due to a scribal error, the letter gamma, which signifies the number three, has been altered to the letter digamma, which represents the number six, because the strokes of both letters face us from left to right; this was also accurately determined before us by Clement and Origen and Eusebius Pamphilus. And it is not necessary for learned hearers, because of the removal or addition of the letter, to disrupt the harmony of the divine Gospels. For see how the most wise Matthew precisely marks the time of the cross by saying, \"and coming to a place called Golgotha, which is the place of a skull,\" then also the wine with myrrh and the division of the garments he adds: \"and from the sixth hour darkness came over the whole earth until the ninth hour\" and so forth. But some think that the holy Matthew says he was crucified at the sixth hour; but the holy one has carefully considered the darkness from the sixth hour.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"background","lemma":"πραιτωρίου","severity":"info","text":"The praetorium was the Roman governor's residence in Jerusalem, traditionally identified with Pilate's judgment hall. Epiphanius uses it as the location from which Christ is led to crucifixion.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"Γ στοιχεῖον","severity":"info","text":"The Greek letter gamma (Γ) represents the number three, while the obsolete letter digamma (ϛ) represents six. Epiphanius argues that a scribal error confused these due to their similar left-to-right strokes.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"Κλήμης τε καὶ Ὠριγένης καὶ ὁ Πάμφιλος Εὐσέβιος","severity":"info","text":"Epiphanius cites Clement of Alexandria, Origen, and Eusebius of Caesarea as predecessors who accurately determined the textual corruption in John's Gospel regarding the hour of crucifixion.","cites":[],"named_sources":["Clement of Alexandria","Origen","Eusebius of Caesarea"],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"καὶ ἐλθόντες εἰς τόπον λεγόμενον Γολγοθά, ὅ ἐστι κρανίου τόπος","severity":"info","text":"This is a paraphrase of Matthew 27:33, describing the arrival at Golgotha. Epiphanius uses it to support his argument that Matthew's account aligns with the third-hour crucifixion.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"ἀπὸ δὲ ἕκτης ὥρας σκότος ἐγένετο ἐπὶ πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν ἕως ὥρας θ","severity":"info","text":"This echoes Matthew 27:45, where darkness falls from the sixth to the ninth hour. Epiphanius clarifies that Matthew refers to the darkness, not the crucifixion, at the sixth hour.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"μεμελέτηται δὲ τῷ ἁγίῳ τὸ ἀπὸ τῆς ἕκτης ὥρας σκότος","severity":"caution","text":"The Greek verb μεμελέτηται ('has been carefully considered') is ambiguous: it may mean Matthew deliberately noted the darkness from the sixth hour, or that he studied the timing. The sense is that Matthew's wording does not imply a sixth-hour crucifixion.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The phrase 'μεμελέτηται δὲ τῷ ἁγίῳ' is ambiguous: it could mean 'the holy one has carefully considered' or 'the holy one has practiced/studied' the darkness from the sixth hour. The reading taken is that Matthew deliberately noted the darkness, not the crucifixion, at the sixth hour."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":4,"ref":"p4","source":"Σταυροῦται μὲν οὖν ὡς εἴρηται προσαββάτῳ ὥρᾳ γ καὶ ἐλογίσθη αὐτῷ ἡμέρα μία ἀπὸ ὥρας γ εἰς. μετὰ τὸ σταυρωθῆναι γὰρ λοιπὸν τῶν καταχθονίων εἰργάζετο τὴν σωτηρίαν, καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς ἕκτης εἰς θ μία νύξ, ἀπὸ δὲ ἐννάτης εἰς ἑσπέραν μία ἡμέρα. ** καὶ γεγόνασι τρεῖς ἡμέραι καὶ δύο νύκτες. καὶ δι' ὅλου τοῦ σαββάτου μία ἡμέρα καὶ ἡ νὺξ ἡ ἐπιφώσκουσα εἰς τὴν κυριακήν. καὶ ἐπληρώθη τὸ περὶ αὐτοῦ εἰρημένον ὅτι \"δεῖ ποιῆσαι τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ τῆς γῆς τρεῖς ἡμέρας καὶ τρεῖς νύκτας\". ὥρᾳ γ ἐσταυρώθη πλήρης ἕκτῃ σαββάτων τεσσαρεσκαιδεκάτῃ κατὰ σελήνην, τετάρτῃ καὶ εἰκάδι τοῦ Φαμενὼθ μηνός, πρὸ ιγ καλάνδων Ἀπριλλίων. διὸ νηστεύομεν καὶ τῷ προσαββάτῳ. ἀνέστη δὲ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῆς κυριακῆς, ἐξότε οἱ ἀλεκτρυόνες ἐφώνησαν, ἐν νυκτὶ τῆς ἰσονυκτίας συημμένῃ τῇ ἰσημερίᾳ τουτέστι τῇ καὶ εἰκάδι τοῦ Φαμενὼθ μηνός, ὃς ἦν Νισὰν παρ' Ἑβραίοις ὁ ἑρμηνευόμενος Φαρμουθί. προλαμβάνουσι δὲ οἱ τῶν Ἑβραίων μῆνες τοὺς τῶν Αἰγυπτίων μῆνας καὶ οἱ τῶν εὐδαιμόνων Ἀθηναίων ὡσαύτως καὶ Λακεδαιμονίων ὀκτὼ ἡμέραις, ἐὰν οὕτω τύχοι. ἦν δὲ ἡ νὺξ ἡ ἔχουσα τὰς αὐτὰς ὥρας καὶ ἡ παρελθοῦσα ἡμέρα τὰς αὐτάς.","english":"He is crucified then, as has been said, on the day before the Sabbath at the third hour, and one day was counted for him from the third hour onward. For after the crucifixion, he thereafter worked the salvation of those in the underworld, and from the sixth to the ninth hour there is one night, and from the ninth to evening one day. And there have been three days and two nights. And throughout the whole Sabbath there is one day and the night that dawns into the Lord's day. And what was said about him was fulfilled, that \"the Son of Man must spend three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.\" He was crucified at the third hour, full, on the sixth of the Sabbaths, the fourteenth according to the moon, the twenty-fourth of the month Phamenoth, before the thirteenth of the Kalends of April. For this reason we also fast on the day before the Sabbath. And he rose on the Lord's day, when the cocks crowed, in the night of the equinox joined with the equinox, that is, on the twenty-fourth of the month Phamenoth, which was Nisan among the Hebrews, interpreted as Pharmouthi. The months of the Hebrews anticipate those of the Egyptians, and those of the blessed Athenians likewise, and those of the Lacedaemonians by eight days, if it so happens. And the night was the one having the same hours, and the past day the same.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"προσαββάτῳ","severity":"info","text":"The term 'προσαββάτῳ' (day before the Sabbath) is used to specify Friday, consistent with early Christian paschal chronology.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"δεῖ ποιῆσαι τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ τῆς γῆς τρεῖς ἡμέρας καὶ τρεῖς νύκτας","severity":"info","text":"This is a paraphrase of Matthew 12:40, where Jesus cites Jonah 2:1, applying it to his own burial and resurrection.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"dating","kind":"chronology","basis":"text","lemma":"ὥρᾳ γ ἐσταυρώθη πλήρης ἕκτῃ σαββάτων τεσσαρεσκαιδεκάτῃ κατὰ σελήνην","severity":"info","text":"Epiphanius dates the crucifixion to the third hour (9 AM) on the 14th of the lunar month, 24 Phamenoth, 13 Kalends of April, aligning with Quartodeciman practice.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"Φαμενὼθ μηνός","severity":"info","text":"Phamenoth is the seventh month of the Egyptian calendar, corresponding roughly to March-April. Epiphanius equates it with Nisan (Hebrew) and Pharmouthi (Egyptian).","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"νηστεύομεν καὶ τῷ προσαββάτῳ","severity":"info","text":"Epiphanius notes that fasting on Friday (the day before Sabbath) is observed, reflecting a liturgical practice tied to the crucifixion date.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"ἐλογίσθη αὐτῷ ἡμέρα μία ἀπὸ ὥρας γ εἰς","severity":"caution","text":"The phrase 'one day was counted from the third hour' is ambiguous: it may mean a partial day counted as a full day, or a specific reckoning of the day of crucifixion.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The phrase 'ἀπὸ ὥρας γ εἰς' is incomplete; the intended endpoint is unclear, possibly 'εἰς ἑσπέραν' (to evening).","The calculation of three days and two nights versus three days and three nights is inconsistent; Epiphanius may be reconciling different Gospel accounts."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]}]}