Epiphanius was thirty years bishop of Pavia (A.D. 467-497; see Tillemont, Mem. Eccles. tom. xvi. p. 788.) His name and actions would have been unknown to posterity if Ennodius, one of his successors, had not written his Life (Sirmond, Opera, tom. i. p. 1647-1692); in which he represents him as one of the greatest characters of the age.