)
The life of Saint Epiphanius compiled from Metaphrastes
Symeon or Simeon Metaphrastes was a late tenth-century Byzantine compiler of saints lives. He was also known as Simeon the Logothete; he was the logothete (secretary of state) to Emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus. His collection of saints lives and legends was composed of old material, texts rewritten by Simeon, and some original writing. The collection was added to after Simeon's death, and all the additions were attributed to him.
A vita is a life history of a saint, which usually includes stories of the miracles attributed to the saint or his/her relics. Biographical accuracy was secondary; the primary purpose was to show why the person deserved to be canonized.
