In Panarion 75, “Against Aerius,” Epiphanius of Salamis (1) distinguished between presbyters/priests and bishops and (2) affirmed the doctrine of baptismal regeneration:
4,1 Thus he shows the world his
intent, unbelief, and his mad teachings, again mischievously brought to the
world by him. (2) But I shall go on to the arguments against him, make a few
points, and then pass him by. <From> his saying that a bishop and a
presbyter are the same, it is plain to people with sense that he is simply
foolish. How can this be? The one is an order that generates fathers. For
the episcopate produces fathers for the church. But the presbyterate, which
cannot produce fathers, produces children through the laver of
regeneration, but surely not fathers or teachers. (3) And since he
is not ordained for the purpose of ordaining, how could a presbyter consecrate
a bishop, or say that he is equal to a bishop? Aerius’ quarrel and his jealousy
have deceived him.
4,4 For his own and his hearers’
deception he alleges that the apostle writes to “presbyters and deacons”7 and
not to bishops, and tells the bishop, “Neglect not the gift that is in thee,
which thou didst receive at the hands of the presbytery;”8 and again, elsewhere
he writes “to bishops and deacons”9 so that, as Aerius says, bishops and
presbyters are the same. (5) And he, as not knowing the true order of events,
and not having read the most searching investigations, does not realize that
the holy apostle wrote about the problems which arose when the Gospel was new.
Where bishops were already consecrated he wrote to bishops and deacons,
for the apostles could not establish everything at once. (6) There was a need for
presbyters and deacons, for the business of the church can be done by these
two. But where there was no one worthy of the episcopate, the place remained
without a bishop. Where there was a need for one, however, and there were
persons worthy of the episcopate, bishops were consecrated.
4,7 But where the congregation was
not large they had no presbyters for ordination, and made do solely with the
local bishop. However, there can be no bishop without a deacon. And the holy
apostle saw to it that the bishop had deacons to assist him; in this way the
church got its business done. (8) This is what local churches were like at that
time. All did not get each thing at the start, but what was needed was arranged
for as time went on. (The Panarion of Epiphanius of Salamis, Books II and
III. De Fide [2d ed.; trans. Frank Williams; Nag Hammadi and Manichaean
Studies 79; Leiden: Brill, 2013], 506-7)
