Epiphanius of Salamis, Panarion 78.11: Scripture is silent on Mary's end; perhaps Revelation 12 is fulfilled in her

11. But let this not become a cause of harm to anyone, and let no one think to find in it a pretext for keeping women called “spiritual sisters” and “beloved”, out of a scheming purpose. For what was done there was done by God’s dispensation, set apart from all the rest of the strictness that must be kept according to God. For indeed, when this had happened and he had taken her to his own home, she did not stay on with him.

If any think I am mistaken, let them search the traces of the Scriptures, and they will find neither Mary’s death, nor whether she died or did not die, nor whether she was buried or was not buried. And this though John made his journey to Asia; yet nowhere does he say that he took the holy Virgin with him. Scripture simply kept silent because of the surpassing wonder, so as not to strike the minds of men with amazement. For I do not dare to say it; I ponder it, and keep silent.

For perhaps we have found traces of that holy and blessed one, though her death is not to be found. In one place Simeon says of her, And a sword will pierce through your own soul, that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed; in another the Revelation of John says that the dragon hastened against the woman who had borne the male child, and she was given the wings of an eagle and was taken into the desert, so that the dragon might not seize her. Perhaps this can be fulfilled in her. I do not lay it down as certain, and I do not say that she remained immortal; but neither do I affirm that she died.

For Scripture went beyond the human mind and left the matter in suspense, for the sake of the precious and most excellent vessel, so that no one should suspect anything of the flesh in her. Whether she died, then, we do not know; and if she was buried, she never had carnal intercourse, God forbid! Who, having brought madness upon himself, would wish to cast some blasphemous suspicion, to open his mouth, loose his tongue and part his lips from an evil mind, or rather to devise insults instead of hymns and glory, and rage against the holy Virgin, and not honour the honoured vessel?

Greek text (PG 42, col. 716 A–D)

ΙΑʹ. Ἀλλὰ μὴ τοῦτο στραφῇ εἰς βλάβην τισί, καὶ δόξωσιν ἐν τούτῳ λαμβάνειν πρόφασιν, συνεισάκτους καὶ ἀγαπητὰς ἐπικαλουμένας ἑαυτοῖς ἐπινοεῖν διὰ κακομήχανον ὑπόνοιαν. Ἐκεῖσε γὰρ τὰ πράγματα ἐτελεῖτο, κατ᾽ οἰκονομίαν δὲ διῃρημένων τῶν πραγμάτων ἀπὸ τῆς ἄλλης ἁπάσης κατὰ Θεὸν ὀφειλούσης φυλάττεσθαι ἀκριβείας. Καὶ γὰρ ὅτε τοῦτο γεγένητο, καὶ παρείληφεν αὐτὴν πρὸς ἑαυτόν, οὐκέτι παρέμεινε παρ᾽ αὐτῷ.

Ἀλλὰ καὶ εἰ δοκοῦσί τινες ἐσφάλθαι, ζητήσωσι τὰ ἴχνη τῶν Γραφῶν, καὶ εὕρωσιν ἂν οὔτε θάνατον Μαρίας, οὔτε εἰ τέθνηκεν, οὔτε εἰ μὴ τέθνηκεν· οὔτε εἰ τέθαπται, οὔτε εἰ μὴ τέθαπται. Καίτοι γε τοῦ Ἰωάννου περὶ τὴν Ἀσίαν ἐνστειλαμένου τὴν πορείαν· καὶ οὐδαμοῦ λέγει, ὅτι ἐπηγάγετο μεθ᾽ ἑαυτοῦ τὴν ἁγίαν Παρθένον· ἀλλ᾽ ἁπλῶς ἐσιώπησεν ἡ Γραφὴ διὰ τὸ ὑπερβάλλον τοῦ θαύματος, ἵνα μὴ εἰς ἔκπληξιν ἀγάγῃ τὴν διάνοιαν τῶν ἀνθρώπων. Ἐγὼ γὰρ οὐ τολμῶ λέγειν, ἀλλὰ διανοούμενος σιωπὴν ἀσκῶ.

Τάχα γάρ που καὶ ἴχνη εὕρομεν τῆς ἁγίας ἐκείνης καὶ μακαρίας, ὡς οὔτε εὑρεῖν ἔστι τὸν θάνατον αὐτῆς. Πῆ μὲν γὰρ ὁ Συμεὼν φάσκει περὶ αὐτῆς· Καὶ σοῦ αὐτῆς τὴν ψυχὴν διελεύσεται ῥομφαία, ὅπως ἀποκαλυφθῶσιν ἐκ πολλῶν καρδιῶν διαλογισμοί· πῆ δὲ τῆς Ἀποκαλύψεως Ἰωάννου φασκούσης, ὅτι καὶ ἔσπευδεν ὁ δράκων ἐπὶ τὴν γυναῖκα τὴν γεννήσασαν τὸν ἄρρενα, καὶ ἐδόθησαν αὐτῇ πτέρυγες ἀετοῦ, καὶ ἐλήφθη εἰς τὴν ἔρημον, ὅπως ἂν μὴ λάβῃ αὐτὴν ὁ δράκων. Τάχα δὲ δύναται ἐπ᾽ αὐτῇ πληροῦσθαι· οὐ πάντως δὲ ὁρίζομαι τοῦτο, καὶ οὐ λέγω, ὅτι ἀθάνατος ἔμεινεν· ἀλλ᾽ οὔτε διαβεβαιοῦμαι εἰ τέθνηκεν.

Ὑπερέβαλε γὰρ ἡ Γραφὴ τὸν νοῦν τὸν ἀνθρώπινον, καὶ ἐν μετεώρῳ εἴασε, διὰ τὸ σκεῦος τὸ τίμιον καὶ ἐξοχώτατον· ἵνα μή τις ἐν ὑπονοίᾳ γένηται περὶ αὐτῆς σαρκικῶν πραγμάτων. Κἄν τε οὖν τέθνηκεν, οὐκ ἔγνωμεν· καὶ εἰ τέθαπται, οὐ συνῆπται σαρκί· μὴ γένοιτο! Τίς δὲ φρενοβλάβειαν ἑαυτῷ συναγαγὼν θελήσει ἐνσκῆψαι βλάσφημόν τινα ὑπόνοιαν, καὶ ἀπᾶραι στόμα, χαλάσαι τε γλῶτταν, διελεῖν δὲ χείλη ἐκ διανοίας κακῆς; μᾶλλον δὲ ἀντὶ ὕμνων καὶ δόξης ὕβρεις τινὰς ἐπινοεῖν, καὶ ἐμπαροινεῖν εἰς τὴν ἁγίαν Παρθένον, καὶ μὴ τιμᾶν τὸ τετιμημένον σκεῦος;

Migne, Patrologia Graeca 42 (Paris, 1863), public domain.