Epiphanius, Scholasticus

Epiphanius, Scholasticus an ecclesiastical writer of the Latin Church, lived at the beginning of the 6th century, and is supposed to have been an Italian by birth. At the request of his friend Cassiodorus (q.v.) he translated from Greek into Latin the works of the Church historians Socrates, Sozonmen, and Theodoret. Cassiodorus revised the translation, and made out of the three works one, which, under the name of Historia Tripartita, remained throughout the Middle Ages one of the standard historical works. Likewise, at the request of Cassiodorus, Epiphanius translated several other works, as the Codex Encyclicus (a collection of synodal epistles to the emperor Leo I in defense of the Council of Chalcedon); a Commentary of bishop Epiphanius of Cyprus on the Song of Songs; a Commentary of Didymus on the Proverbs and the catholic epistles. — Cave, Hist. Lit. (Genev. 1720), 1:320; Hoefer, Nouv. Biogr. Generale, 16:162; Herzog, Real-Encyklop. 4:100.