The second tome of homilies of such matters as were promised, and entitled in…The second tome of homilees of such matters as were promised, and intituled in…

And where as images began at that time secretly and by stealth to creep out of private mens houses into the Churches, and that first in painted clothes and walls: such Bishops as were godly and vigilante, when they espied them, removed them away, as unlawful & contrary to Christian religion, as did here Epiphanius, to whose judgement you have not only Saint Jerome the translator of his Epistle, and the writer of the History tripartite, but also all the learned and godly Bishops and Clerks, yea and the whole Church of that age, and so upward to our saviour Christs time, by the space of about four hundred years, consenting and agreeing. This is written the more largely of Epiphanius, for that our image maintainers ⟨p. 53⟩now a days, seeing them selves so pressed with this most plain and earnest act and writing of Epiphanius, a Bishop and doctor of such antiquity, holiness, and authority, labour by all means (but in vain against the trueth) either to prove that this Epistle was neither of Epiphanius writing, nor saint Jeromes translation: either if it be, say they, it is of no great forte, for this Epiphanius, say they, was a Jew, and being converted to the Christian faith, and made a Bishop, retained the hatred which Jews have to images still in his mind, and so did and wrote against them as a Jew, rather then as a Christian. O Jewish impudency and malice of such devisers, it would be proved, and not said only, that Epiphanius was a Jew. Furthermore concerning the reason they make, I would admit it gladly. For if Epiphanius judgement against images is not to be admitted, for that he was borne of a Jew an enemy to images, which be Gods enemies, converted to Christs religion: then likewise followeth it, that no sentence in the old doctors and fathers sounding for images, ought to be of any authority, for that in the primitive Church the most part of learned writers, as Tertullian, Cyprian, Ambrose, Austen, and infinite others, were of Gentiles (which be favourers and worshippers if images) converted to the Christian faith, and so let some what slip out of their pens sounding for images, rather as Gentiles then Christians, as Eusebius in his History ecclesiastical, and saint Jerome saith plainly, ⟨p. 54⟩that images came first from the Gentiles to us Christians.

And where as images began at that tyme secretelye and by stealth to creepe out of priuate mens houses into the Churches, and that firste in paynted clothes and walles: such Byshops as were godlye and vigilante, when they espied them, remoued them away, as vnlawfull & contrary to Christian religion, as dyd here Epiphanius, to whose iudgement you haue not onlye Saint Ierome the translatour of his Epistle, and the wryter of the Historie tripartite, but also all the learned and godly Byshops and Clarkes, yea and the whole Churche of that age, and so vpwarde to our sauiour Christes tyme, by the space of about foure hundreth yeres, consenting and agreeyng. This is written the more largely of Epiphanius, for that our image maynteyners