May 25 / May 12

Saint Epiphanius, Bishop of Cyprus (403)

Epiphanius was a Jew by birth, but, seeing the power of the Christian Faith, he was baptized along with his sister Callithrope. At the age of twenty-six, he was tonsured a monk in the Monastery of St. Hilarion. Later, he established a separate monastery, where he became famed throughout all of Palestine and Egypt because of his asceticism, spiritual wisdom and miracle- working. Fleeing the glory of men, Epiphanius withdrew to Egypt. On the way, he met the great Paphnutius, who predicted that he would be- come bishop on the island of Cyprus. Indeed, by divine providence, after many years Epiphanius arrived on Cyprus. There he was unexpectedly chosen as bishop. At the age of sixty, he (fresco in Bessarion Monastery, Dousiko, Greece, 16th c.) became the bishop of Salamis and, as such, governed the Church of God for fifty-five years. He lived a total of 115 years on this earth and then rested from this life, so as to live eternally in the Kingdom of Christ. Before his death, he was summoned to Constantinople by Emperor Arcadius and his wife Eudoxia to an assembly of bishops, which, according to the wish of the emperor and the empress, should have condemned St. John Chrysostom. Arriving in Constantinople, Epiphanius went directly to the palace of the emperor. The emperor and empress detained him for a long while trying to persuade him to declare against Chrysostom. The citizens and Chrysostom heard that Epiphanius had agreed with the emperor against Chrysostom. That is why Chrysostom wrote him a letter: “Brother Epiphanius, I heard that you advised the emperor that I should be exiled; know that you will never see your throne again.” To this, Epiphanius replied: “O suffering John, withstand insults; know that you will never reach the place to which you are exiled.” And both prophecies of these saints were quickly fulfilled. Not wanting to agree in any way with the emperor on the exile of Chrysostom, Epiphanius secretly boarded a ship and departed for Cyprus, but he died on the ship. The emperor banished Chrysostom to Armenia, but the saint died en route. St. Epiphanius reposed in the year 403. Among the many works of St. Epiphanius, the most famous is The Medicine Chest [Panarion], in which eighty heresies are listed and refuted.

Saint Germanus, Patriarch of Constantinople (740)

Germanus was the son of the chief imperial senator, who was killed by Emperor Constantine Pogonatus. The same evil emperor castrated Germ- anus, and forcibly exiled him to a monastery. As a monk, Germanus shone like a star by his life and good works. Because of this, he was chosen as the first bishop of Cyzicus. When Anastasius II was crowned emperor, Germ- anus was elected Patriarch of Constantinople. As patriarch, he baptized the infamous Copronymus, who at the time of his baptism soiled the water with filth. Then the patriarch prophesied that this child, when he would become emperor, would introduce into the Holy Church some impure heresy. And this happened. When Copronymus became emperor, he re- stored the heresy of iconoclasm. Leo the Isaurian, the father of Copronymus, initiated the persecution of icons, and when Patriarch Germanus protested, the arrogant Leo cried out: “I am emperor and priest!” He removed Germanus from the patriarchal throne and banished him to a monastery, where this saint lived for ten more years until the Lord called him to Himself and to the Heavenly Kingdom in the year 740.

The Holy Martyr Pancras (Pancratius) (304)

Pancras came from Phrygia to Rome, where, as a fourteen-year-old boy, he was tortured and killed for Christ in the year 304. This saint is greatly revered in the West. In Rome there exists a church dedicated to him, and in this church his holy relics lie.

• Sabinus, archbishop of Cyprus (5th c.).
• Polybius of Cyprus, bishop of Rinokyr in Egypt (5th c.).
• Philip of Agira, Sicily (5th c.).
• Theodore of Cythera, monk (922).
• New Martyr John of Serres (15th-16th ).
• Dionysius (1633) and St. Anthony (Medvedev) (1877), archimandrites, of St. Sergius Lavra.
• New Martyr John of Wallachia, at Constantinople (1662).
• Glorification (1913) of Hermogenes, patriarch of Moscow and all Russia (1612).
• New Martyr Athanasia (Lepeshkin), abbess of the Smolensk Hodigitria Convent near Moscow (1931).
• Synaxis of the Saints of the Sofroniev-Molchensk Monastery (Ukraine): Archiman- drite Theodosius (Maslov), Hieromonk Serapion, Monk Sophronius (Batovrin), and Novice Sergius (Tikhonov), fool-for-Christ.

HYMN OF PRAISE

Saint Epiphanius

Epiphanius, follower of Christ, With bread and water is fed.
By the power of Christ he performs miracles;
Like thunder he destroys heresies;
Soldier of Truth, pillar of Orthodoxy.
At death he leaves this testament:
“Extinguish the vile thirst for money,
Never envy the rich man,
Do not hate and do not slander,
And avoid every heresy.
Drive away all foul thoughts as if they were serpents,
For they make unbelievers out of believers.
Keep your mind sober, bound to God,
For an unsober man is the devil’s booty.
Pray to God for me, a sinner.
With your whole life, glorify God!”

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