Paper short abstract:

Epiphanius of Salamis in his Panarion treatise the and refute all the heresies from the creation of the world. The third one, the Hellenismos, correspond to the diffusion of "pagan" errors. The rise of civilization and of the "techne" correspond to the creation and veneration of the idols.

Paper long abstract:

Epiphanius of Salamis, monk and bishop who lived between the end of the 4th and the beginning of 5th centuries, is the author of the Panarion, a heresiological work in which he treats and refutes in chronological order all heresies that have arisen since the creation of the world. The first chapters of this treatise are dedicated to what the heresiologist calls the “mothers” of all errors. The third of these heresies to emerge in human history is the Hellenismos, through which the errors of “paganism” spread throughout the world. According to Epiphanius, the Hellenismos was arisen through the work of certain magicians and was characterized by various execrable practices: the creation of idols, the deification of dead, etc. Such practices were later adopted by the heretical masters, for example the Carpocrates. Regarding the relationship between the Hellenismos and the creation of idols, the heresiologist makes an interesting statement. In Epiphanius’ reconstruction of human history, in fact, the Hellenismos marked an evolution from the barbaric and the nomadic states of the previous periods. However, this evolution, leading to the organisation of communities, the construction of cities, the drafting of laws, and the development of technai, corresponds to the very beginning of the “error”. Through the mastery of these technai, mankind would have begun to manufacture idols and to create meaningless gods for themselves. For this reason, the inventor of this technē, the biblical character Tharra, would have been punished by God. In short, the heresiologist seems to declare that the development of the technē, which is a sign of human “progress”, inexorably led to the rise of errors among people. In this paper, I will analyse the polemic against the technē and how it fits into Epiphanius’ heresiological strategy.