The holy Bishop Epiphanius related that, in the time of the blessed Athanasius the Great, crows flying around the temple of Serapis kept crying, “Cras, cras.” Some pagans stood before the blessed Athanasius and shouted, “Wicked old man, tell us what the crows are crying.” He answered, “The crows are crying, ‘Cras, cras,’ and in the language of the Ausonians, that is, the Latins, cras means ‘tomorrow.’” He added, “Tomorrow you will see the glory of God.” Soon afterward the death of Emperor Julian was announced. When this happened, they ran together and cried out against Serapis, “If you did not want him, why did you accept his gifts?”
The same Epiphanius related that there was a charioteer in Alexandria whose mother was named Mary. During a horse race he fell; then he got up, passed the one who had thrown him down, and won. The crowd shouted, “The son of Mary has fallen and risen and conquered!” While this cry was still being repeated, a report about the temple of Serapis reached the crowd: the great Theophilus had gone up, destroyed the idol of Serapis, and taken possession of the temple.
The abbot of the monastery that the blessed Epiphanius, Bishop of Cyprus, had in Palestine sent word to him: “By your prayers, we have not neglected our rule. Rather, with diligence we perform the third, sixth, and ninth hours.” Epiphanius reproved them and sent back this message: “It is clear that you neglect the other hours of the day, being idle from prayer. The true monk must have prayer and psalmody continually in his heart.”
Saint Epiphanius once sent to Abba Hilarion, asking him, “Come, let us see one another before we depart from the body.” When Hilarion came, they rejoiced together. As they were eating, a bird was brought. The bishop took it and gave it to Abba Hilarion. The elder said to him, “Forgive me, but since I received the monastic habit, I have not eaten anything slaughtered.” The bishop said to him, “And since I received the monastic habit, I have not allowed anyone to go to sleep holding anything against me, nor have I gone to sleep holding anything against anyone.” The elder said, “Forgive me. Your way of life is greater than mine.”
The same elder said, “Melchizedek, the image of Christ, blessed Abraham, the root of the Jews. How much more does the Truth Himself, Christ, bless and sanctify all who believe in Him.”
The same elder said, “The Canaanite woman cries out and is heard; the woman with the flow of blood is silent and is blessed; the Pharisee cries out and is condemned; the publican does not even open his mouth and is heard.”
The same elder said, “David the prophet prayed at a late hour; at midnight he rose; before dawn he implored; at dawn he stood before the Lord; in the morning he entreated; in the evening and at noon he made supplication. Therefore he said, ‘Seven times a day I have praised You.’”
He also said, “The possession of Christian books is necessary for those who have the means. Even the sight of the books by itself makes us more reluctant to sin and urges us to rise more toward righteousness.”
He also said, “Reading the Scriptures is a great safeguard against sin.”
He also said, “Ignorance of the Scriptures is a great precipice and a deep abyss.”
He also said, “It is a great betrayal of salvation to know none of the divine laws.”
The same abba said, “The sins of the righteous are around the lips, but those of the ungodly are from the whole body. Therefore David sings, ‘Set, Lord, a guard over my mouth, and a door of restraint around my lips.’ And again, ‘I said, I will guard my ways, so that I may not sin with my tongue.’”
The same abba was asked, “Why are there ten commandments of the Law, but nine Beatitudes?” He said, “The Decalogue has the same number as the plagues of Egypt, while the numbering of the Beatitudes is an image of the threefold Trinity.”
The same abba was asked whether one righteous person is enough to move God to mercy. He said, “Yes, for He Himself said, ‘Search for one who practices judgment and righteousness, and I will be merciful to the whole people.’”
The same abba said, “For repentant sinners God forgives even the principal, as with the prostitute and the publican; but from the righteous He demands interest as well. This is what He said to the apostles: ‘Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.’”
He also said, “God sells acts of righteousness very cheaply to those eager to buy them: for a small piece of bread, an inexpensive garment, a cup of cold water, a single obol.”
He added this also: “When a person borrows from another because of poverty or need, then repays him, he acknowledges the favor but, out of shame, repays in secret. The Lord God does the opposite: He borrows in secret and repays before angels, archangels, and the righteous.”