“Mocked by the Archon of Lust” : Panarion 1.26 and Epiphanius’ Hyperboles on Sex and Ascetics Read in Light of Fourth Century Ecclesiastical Debates
This article argues that the depictions of Gnostic sects performing horrendous rites in Epiphanius of Cyprus’ work Panarion worked as rhetorical devices to shift focus away from his own position vis-à-vis marriage, sex, and consumptions of good food and wine, a position that was considered liberal in the context of fourth century eccle- siastical debates. It here is shown how Epiphanius’ descripti