73. [Concerning Bethel.] Bethel is even today a village, ten miles distant from Elia as you go to Neapolis, on the right hand of the way, (a village) which of old was called @@@ and Luz. It is also of the tribe of Benjamin, near Bethau and Ai. And Joshua besieged it, killing its king.
74. [Concerning Jerusalem.] (As for) Jerusalem, of it Adonibezek was king, and afterward the Jebusites, by {75a} whom it was called Jebus. When David had driven them out he made it a priestly metropolis of Judah because of the temple that was established in it. Josephus says that this is the Salem of Genesis over which Melchizedek was king. And it was in the portion of the tribe of Benjamin. But others say that the Salem of Melchizedek was opposite Shechem in Samaria, whose grounds are seen (lying) waste. For Eusebius also, who wrote the Onomasticon, so testifies, saying: "Salem is the city of Shechem, which is Shechem, as the Scripture says. But there is also another village to this day beside Elia, to the west of it. And there is yet another situated in a plain eight miles from Bajshan (the village), of Salumia. But Josephus says that this is the Salem over which Melchizedek was king, saying: 'Salem is that which was later Jerusalem.' " But some say {75b} that there is another Salem near Hobah, to the left of Damascus. |76
75. [Concerning Jafo.] Jafo, which is transferred (into Greek as) Jope, is a city of Palestine on the seacoast in the portion of Dan. But today many of its buildings are in ruins. Here Jonah the prophet embarked for Tarshish, which is called Tarsus above. And here they of Judea were accustomed to embark----I mean, from Jope----for it was their port.
76. Akko, which is Ptolemais and Thimuna, beside great Carmel, was also the harbor of Jamnia and the port for Betosigon.But it is now laid waste. From here, again, they say Jonah, having been vomited up by the whale, departed on the way to Nineveh, the great city, for forty days. For thus it is in the Hebrew: "Jonah began to enter the city forty days." But it is not possible that the city could have had a street of forty days' (length), but it is also impossible that Jonah could have sat by it forty days {75c} until he saw what was going to take place; for so do the followers of Aquila interpret: "Again forty days and Nineveh shall be overthrown." Where then did Jonah tarry, so that he knew that it was not yet overthrown? Or while the sun beat down upon his head with heat, the gourd from which he had shade rising up over his head? And if he waited for forty days while it shaded him from the heat, why did he say: "It sprang up one night and withered another," if he persevered for forty days looking for what was to take place? So the seventy-two have well translated: "Yet three days and Nineveh shall be overthrown." For they have explained that what is involved in the |77 forty days is said of the journey, as we think. And when they have explained it as the measure of the length of the journey, they have resolved the difficulty of the words and have explained the note about the three days.
77. Concerning Karmla. Karmla, {75d} where Nabal was, is a village that is even yet called Karmla, which is transferred (into Greek as) Karmelos, toward the east from the tenth milestone on the road from Hebron, where there is also situated a fort of the Romans.
78. Concerning another second Karmla. The other Karmla is the great mountain that reaches to the sea of Phoenicia and separates Palestine from Phoenicia; (it is) where Elijah sat.
79. [Concerning Karchedon.] Karchedon, which is Carthage, also Carthagina, the metropolis of Africa. Thither once upon a time Canaanites migrated from Phoenicia. For even until today the Africans speak Canaanitish. And being asked about their language, they reply: "We are Canaanites." But they are called Bizakanoi, which is translated "scattered." But because of their racial relationship to the Phoenicians, Isaiah says to the king of Tyre: "Till thy land, {76a} for the ships of Karchedon no longer come to thee." But in the Hebrew Isaiah and Ezekiel call it Tarshish.
80. [As to the quarters (of the heavens) and the stars which are in the divine Scriptures.] Again, O lover of the good, I also prepare you an account of the quarters (of the heavens) and of the stars which are in the divine Scriptures. East, west, north, south, according to the word spoken by the Lord in the Gospel, shall come and lean on the bosom of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob in the kingdom of heaven; but the sons of the kingdom----as we would say, the sons of |78 Israel----shall go out into outer darkness. But some one may say: "You have told us something superfluous in speaking of east and west and north and south, for who does not know these terms and the local significance of them?" But I have called them to mind that I might explain their origin. Now it will occur to you at once, O lover of the good, concerning Job, that "he was a highborn man of those from the (region of the) rising of the sun." So the east, {76b} where the sun rises, gets its name accordingly. But if the highborn and the lowborn are known by birth, Job was exceedingly highborn. For he was the son of Zerah, and Zerah was the son of Reuel, and Reuel was the son of Esau, Esau was the son of Isaac, Isaac was the son of Abraham, he (Job) being the fifth after Abraham, that is, from Abraham. He (Abraham) was above all nobility of birth, he who was known as the friend of God. For if the friends of kings are known as highborn, how much more highborn was Abraham, who was named "the friend of God"? But from the east also the easterly wind is called euros, either because it blows widely or because it is set at the |79 head of the winds, that is, is found (at the head). Hence, in the Acts of the Apostles also there is found knowledge of the wind euraklydon {76c} and typhonikos, typhonikos because of severity, but euraklydon because it blows out of the depths of euros. But there is also in the Scripture concerning the apeliotes. This blows from the other side of euros, from the quarter of notos over which the sun passes, hence called apeliotes. And beyond it is euronotos, because it is in the middle between euros and notos, after apeliotes, as this wind also is called in the divine Scriptures. But notos is the wind that blows from the south; and after this there is another wind that is called libonotos, for it is in the middle between notos and lips. The west is also called hespera, from which quarter zephyros blows. You have this wind also in the Acts. And in the middle between lips and zephyros blows that which is called the "middle," otherwise choros, which is likewise found in the Acts, where the companions of Paul sailed for the place Phoenix, {76d} the harbor of which Phoenix looked toward the choros. From this choros blow the annuals that are also called "dogs," but they are called "dogs" because of the perpetual barking of dogs. The north wind, which is called aparkias, blows from |80 the depths of the north, whence that which is called the bear turns; therefore it is called aparktias. Beyond this is that which is called the thraskion, which blows from the region of Thrace. Men give this wind many names, naming them from the places (whence they blow). The thraskion and the euraklydon are associated with each other. And some of those in the East call the euraklydon the skopelea, and the thraskion the patrea. But others call the thraskion the kekian, while those in Numidia, in Africa, and in Britain call it the samuren. And these things pertain to the four quarters and their winds and the two (winds) blowing with each one of the winds, situated on the two sides of each.
81. {77a} Mary went up to the hill country to (visit) Elizabeth. And this hill country extends upward from the Aulon (valley) and Jericho and the Dead Sea, and on the other side of Jericho it extends upward from the Jordan to the neighborhood of parts of Phoenicia. Here, then, are established the boundaries of Israel and (her) possessions, Abilene and the Decapolis, which are on the side of Pella. But they are also situated in the region of Perea. And to them also belong the Ammonite (country) and the Moabite (country) and the |81 Gileadite (country) above. Now they are eastward across the Jordan, but the hill country is westward of the Jordan, Jerusalem being in the midst of it. But to the west of the east it has the Shephelah. In the Shephelah were the five satrapies of the foreign tribes: (that of) the Gazans, (named) from the city of Gaza; (that of) the Ashkelonians, from the city of Ashkelon; (that of) the Azotans----these were on the sea. But there was also that of the Gathans, whence Goliath was; but Gath is now laid waste. {77b} But it extended to Ekron. And there is now a large desolate village not far from Gath, about seven miles. Some think this to be Ekron, but from the positions and from the signs and from (the location of) Mount Carmel we find it to be Caesarea Stratonis. This whole country, however, was called @@, and from its name of @@ the whole eparchy came to be called Palestine. And so much for these things.
82. But there are also in Job these things about the position of the stars, where he says: "He that made the Pleiades and the evening star and the North Star and Orion and the chambers of the south." And the Pleiades, with the seven stars in it, is known to many. But some call it the Cluster because of its resemblance to a cluster (of grapes). And the evening star is the star that is seen in the west at evening time, but especially in the autumn season. They call this {77c} the long-haired. Moreover, O lover of the good, you have written in Job concerning this: "For thou callest," he says, "the evening star with the voice, and he answers thee; but thou leadest him, taking hold |82 of his hair." But as to the North Star, some say that it is the foremost star in the pole of Charles's Wain, but others say that it is one of the four (constituting) the wagon itself, that is, the corner one at the wagon end of the pole. But as to Orion, they say that it is the one formed in the likeness of a man's image. And it has four (principal) stars forming a rectangle, and three above like a head, and three like a girdle for the loins, and others that descend in the form of a belt or like a sword. But these are called mazuroth in the divine Scripture; they are, however, interpreted "elements." The (term) "chambers of the south" is used because of the storehouses of snow and of hail and dew. These are not on the earth, but between the heavens and the earth, being brought from the inside {77d} of the corners of the heavens; and dew and honey especially are drops that have been thus brought from heaven. For it is not true, as some suppose, that the rain is from heaven. Out of the sea and other places the clouds draw up the rain and pour (it) upon the face of the earth. And you have testimony, O lover of the good, in the prophet, where he says: "He that bringeth up the clouds from the end of the earth," and, again: "He that calleth the waters of the sea and poureth them out upon the face of the earth, the Lord God Almighty is his name." And so much, again, for these things.
83. And, other place and land names occurring to us, we are making mention of them. Mountains and hills. Mountains, indeed, are according to nature; they are elevated places that were formed by God, that were heaped up by means of rocks and stones. And hills also are elevated places, but they are of earth {78a} and not heaped up out of stones. And ridges are elevated places, but they are of sand. And |83 the rasine also are said to be of sand----not the shevalte, but the rapine. For the shevalte are in the middle parts of streams where the movement of the stream is from both sides toward the middle, being gathered together in the likeness of a spike (of grain), such that because of the force of the turning about they are called whirlpools.
84. Here we arrive at the end of our writing for you, O lover of the good.
The end of the discourse of Saint Epiphanius, bishop of Constantia in Cyprus, concerning weights and measures and numbers and certain other explanations (of things) found in the divine Scriptures.
Praise be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and always, forever and forever. Amen.
And from John, the sinner, who has written, be thanksgiving to our Lord and God Jesus Christ forever!
{78b} And [this] bo[ok] was completed on the twenty-ninth day of .... [in the year] nine hundred sixty- .... of Alexander, in the da[ys of the] God-[fearing] (men), famous for [excellent deportment], the abbot Mar Leonti[us] .... and the steward and chorepiscopus Mar .... sinaja, in the [holy] monastery of our congregation of Hjn' .... Mar Philip hft .... of the presbyters, Mar Con[stantine] and Mar T' . . . . , Paul tj .....
[Selected footnotes moved to the end and renumbered. Originally it was intended only to include a few footnotes, but they had scanned so well that the majority were included. Those omitted were usually those unintelligible unless the Syriac was transcribed -- a task beyond my abilities.]
1. The order "Weights and Measures" is based on B.
2. Lit., "what occasion called and St. Epiphanius made."
3. I.e., Valentinian II, emperor of the West, is said to have joined with Theodosius, emperor of the East, and the two sons of the latter in summoning Epiphanius to Constantinople.
4. But it is actually neither an orderly nor a complete list.
5. We use this Latin term throughout except in a single paragraph; the Greek litra seems to be derived from it.
6. I.e., a synonym for libra; weights are under discussion.
7. Incorrect; see §§45 and 54. The Greek nomisma usually meant "coin" in general, but was also specifically applied to a coin or coin unit not in circulation.
8. SG, pp. 149, 341.