26 armin d. baum
Epiphanius, Panarion omnium haereticorum 30.15.1–3
In the 370s, epiphanius of salamis identified 80 different sects in his Medi-
cine Chest Against all Heresies. about the ebionites he wrote that they
had forged a book under the name of Clement of rome which could be
unmasked on the basis of its content.28
But they (i.e., the ebionites) use certain other books as well—Clement’s so-
called Peregrinations of Peter, if you please, though they corrupt the contents
while leaving a few genuine items.
2 Clement himself fully convicts them of this in his general epistles which
are read in the holy churches, because the faith and speech are of a different
character than their spurious productions in his name in the Peregrinations.
he himself teaches celibacy, and they will not have it. he extols elijah, david,
samson and all the prophets, whom they abhor.
3 they have made everything in the Peregrinations their own and lied
about Peter in many ways, saying that he was baptized daily for purification
as they are. and they say he abstained from living flesh and dressed meat as
they do, and any other meat-dish—since both ebion himself, and ebionites,
abstain from these entirely.
Epiphanius, Panarion omnium haereticorum 38.2.5
epiphanius regarded the Ascension of Paul, which was used by gnostic
groups, as a literary forgery.29
But again, others (i.e., among the Cainites) forge another short work, full of
filthy lewdness, in the name of the apostle Paul—so so-called gnostics use
it too. they call it an “ascension of Paul,” taking their cue from the apostle’s
statement that he has ascended to the third heaven and heard unutterable
words, which no man may say (2 Cor 12:2–4). and these, they say, are the
unutterable words.
Epiphanius, Panarion omnium haereticorum 39.5.1
according to epiphanius, the heretic sethians produced and used pseude-
pigraphical books under the names of several old testament prophets.30
they (i.e., the sethians) compose books in the names of great men, and
say that seven books are in seth’s name, but give other, different books the
name “strangers.” they say that another, which is filled with all sorts of
28 trans. by f. Williams, The Panarion of Epiphanius of Salamis: Book I (leiden: Brill,
1987), 131.
29 trans. by Williams, The Panarion of Epiphanius of Salamis: Book I, 250.
30 trans. by Williams, The Panarion of Epiphanius of Salamis: Book I, 258.