lation Gregory had to Origen, and his respect for him, They must both have had the same canon of scripture, or very much alike, as was observed before; and undoubtedly they agreed in a peculiar regard for those writings, which they received as sacred and divine.

CHAP. XLIII.

DIONYSIUS, BISHOP OF ALEXANDRIA,

1. His history in general. II. Some revelations vouchsafed to him. III. More select passages. IV. His concern in the controversies of that time, as Novatianism. V. The Millennium. VI. The baptism of heretics. VII. Sabellianism. VIII. The affair of Paul of Samosata. IX. Dionysius's works. X. His character. XI. His testimony to the books of the New Testament, as the four gospels. XII. The Acts, Paul's epistles, and to the Hebrews. XIII. The Catholic epistles. XIV. The Revelation, and other books of the New Testament. XV. What Dionysius writes of the Revelation largely examined. XVI. A brief review of that whole argument, with remarks. XVII. The sum of his testimony.

I. UPON the promotion of Heraclas to the bishopric of Alexandria, in the year of Christ 231 or 232, Dionysius a succeeded him in the chair of the catechetical school of that city; and Heraclas having died in the year 246 or 247, Dionysius was chosen bishop in his room, in the year 247, or € 248, and died in the twelfth of the emperor Gallienus, in the year of Christ 264, or at the utmost in d 265. He

c

b

b

Dionysius, Alexandrinæ urbis episcopus, sub Heraclà scholam karnxnCwv presbyter tenuit, et Origenis valde insignis auditor fuit.- -Moritur duodecimo Gallieni anno. Hieron. de V. I. cap. 69. Conf. Euseb. H. E. 1. vi. cap. 29, et 35. vii. cap. 28. tandemque anno 247, mortuo Heraclæ in sede Alexandrinâ successit. Cav. Hist. Lit. P. i. p. 95. Heraclæ, qui superiore anno mortem invenerat, successit Dionysius, qui annis xvii. Alexandrinæ præfuit ecclesiæ, initio currente deducto. Basn. ann. 247. n. v. • See Tillemont, Mem. Ecc. T. iv. P. ii. p. 539, 540. St. Denys d' Alexand. Art. ii. and Fabr. Bib. Gr. T. v. p. 263. Vid. Pagi, Crit. 265. n. iv. et Fabric. ibid.

e

is reckoned the thirteenth bishop of Alexandria. He was succeeded by Maximus.

f

We may observe some passages of ancient authors concerning the time of his death. Eusebius, speaking of the first council of Antioch in the affair of Paul, bishop of that city, computed to have been held in 264, says, "At this * time died Dionysius, in the twelfth year of the reign of Gallienus, having been bishop of Alexandria seventeen years. His successor was Maximus.' Theodoreth says, That Dionysius, bishop of Alexandria, a man of uncommon learning, in a letter excused his coming thither, be'cause of the infirmities of age.' The bishops of the second council of Antioch, assembled in 269, speak of Firmilian and Dionysius as dead, calling them men of blessed memory. Moreover, Eusebius assures us, that their synodical epistle was sent to Dionysius bishop of Rome, and Maximus bishop of Alexandria, and to all the provinces of the empire. This latter council therefore was not in the time of Dionysius himself, but of his successor.

It is generally taken for granted that he was an Alexandrian and from some things said by himself it has been concluded that hem was of an honourable and wealthy family, and that" for some time he was involved in the darkness and errors of gentilism. He had Origen for his master, and was one of the most noted of his scholars. His episcopate was full of troubles; there having happened in the time of it the two persecutions of Decius and Valerian, beside a pestilence that ravaged the whole Roman empire, and other calamities in common, and some civil commotions with which Alexandria in particular was affected. It was likewise a busy and active period, on account of the controversies about Novatianism, the millennium, the baptism of heretics, and the doctrine of the Trinity, in all which Dionysius had some concern, and signalized himself by his learning, zeal, moderation, and prudence. This is a sum• Alexandrinam ecclesiam tertius decimus episcopus tenuit Dionysius ann. xvii. Euseb. Chron. p. 174. f Vid. Basn. ann. 264. n. iii. &c. ανεβάλλετο μεν την

Eus. 1. vii. cap. 28.

h

εκδημίαν, δια την τε γηρως ασθενειαν. Hær. Fab. 1. ii. c. 8. Conf. Eus, H. E.

1. vii. c. 27. p. 277. D.

271. ii. iii. Basn. ann. 269. n. iv. ap. Euseb. ib. c. 30. p. 279. D.

m

Vid. Pagi, Crit. 269. xii.

k της μακαρίτας. 1 Ibid. B.

πολλα γε ειπειν εχει καθ' ἑαυτε γενόμενα, όσας αριθμησαι δυναται περι ήμων αποφάσεις, δημεύσεις προγραφας, υπαρχοντων άρπαγας, αξιωμάτων αποθέσεις, δόξης κοσμικής ολιγωρίας, επαινων ἡγεμονικών και βελευτικών καταopovno. K. λ. Dionys. ap. Eus. 1. vii. c. xi. p. 260. A. B.

Και σοι γεγονε τετο εξαρχης, και της πίςεως αιτιον. ap. Eus. l. vii. c. 7. • See before, note ".

p. 253. C.

inary account of the life of this bishop of Alexandria; but his eminent merit, and the time in which he flourished, require of us a more particular history.

t

The Decian persecution began in the year 249, or the beginning of 250: but there was a persecution raised against the christians of Alexandria in the year 248, whilst other churches enjoyed great peace under the emperor Philip. This persecution lasted a whole year, and was concluded by nothing but a sedition and disturbance among the Gentiles themselves. In a fragment of a letter of Dionysius to Fabius, bishop of Antioch, is an account of several who suffered martyrdom in that popular persecution, and of the breaking open and plundering the houses of christians in that city. Nor had we,' says Dionysius, 6 a safe passage any where, through high streets or narrow lanes, neither by night nor by day; but continually, and every where, the people were universally crying out," If any one refuse to pronounce such or such impious words, let him be immediately taken up and thrown into the fire." So things went for a long time, till a sedition among themselves, and a civil war, returned this cruelty upon them. We had then a little breathing time: but presently news came of the end of that reign which had been favourable to us, and all were seized with fears of an impending storm. Then came the edict;' that is, Decius's edict of persecution, published at Alexandria in the beginning of the year 250.

u

Soon after the arrival of that edict, as Dionysius writes to Germanus, Sabinus, prefect of Egypt, gave orders for apprehending him. The officer, supposing he must needs have fled and absconded in such a time of manifest danger, made a diligent search every where, excepting only the bishop's own house, where Dionysius continued four days after the prefect's order for taking him up; but on the fifth day, having received a special direction from God, who likewise opened a way for his escape, he removed, accompanied by his servants and many of the brethren. He was

W

P Vid. Pagi, 250. num. iv. Basnag. ann. 250. num. ii. iii. 4 Vid. Pagi, Crit. 248. n. viii.

εκ απο το βασιλικό προσάγματος ὁ διωγμος παρ' ἡμιν ηρξατο, αλλα γαρ όλον ενιαυτον προλαβε. Dionys. in Ep. ad Fab. ap. Eus. 1. vi. c. 41. in.

• Ibid. p. 236, 237.

'Ib. p. 237. D.

και σμικρον μεν προσανεπνευσαμεν ευθεως δε ή της βασιλειας εκείνης της ευμενέτερας μεταβολη διηγγελταικαι δε και παρην το προσταγμα. ib. p. 238. A. ▾ Vid. Eus. 1. vi. cap. 40.

W

εγω τε και οἱ παιδες και πολλοι των αδελφων αμα συνεξηλθομεν. ib. p. 235. C.

nevertheless very soon after, that very night as it seems, apprehended by a band of soldiers, and carried to Taposyris, a small village in that part of Egypt which was called Mareotis. Then he was taken out of their custody by some country people in a very odd and unexpected manner, and against his own consent. Being thus rescued out of the hands of that strong guard by which he had been first taken, he retired and lived privately in a desert part of Libya, distant three days' journey from Parætonium. The Decian persecution being over, Dionysius returned to his charge at Alexandria some time in the year 251.

Gallus succeeded Decius before the end of the year 251; and Dionysius speaks of a persecution in his reign: for he says expressly, that Gallus banished those holy ment that offered up prayers to God for his peace and safety.” Whether any suffered at this time in Egypt is not certain; nor is there much notice taken of this inatter in ancient ecclesiastical writers. Pagi therefore concludes, that this was only a local persecution, and that it was felt in few places except Rome, where Cornelius, and afterwards Lucius, were banished by this emperor.

In the year 253, Valerian and his son Gallienus succeeded Gallus and Volusian. The persecution began in the year 257, and ended in other parts of the empire in 259, when Valerian was taken captive by the Persians; but at Alexandria it continued till the year 261, when Gallienus overcame Macrian, in whose power Egypt had been till that time. Then Gallienus sent the same favourable edicts to Alexandria which had been sent before to several other parts of the empire. Our Dionysius speaks of this persecution having lasted forty-two months, or three years and a half; which ought to be understood of Egypt only, not of the rest of the empire. The difficulties relating to this point have been finely cleared up by Pagi, to whom I refer, and to Basnage, who does not much differ from him.

Soon after the arrival of the edict at Alexandria, before the end of the year 257, as seems most probable, Dionysius was summoned before Emilian, then prefect of Egypt. He went to him, asd Dionysius himself writes, attended by his fellow-presbyter Maximus, and by Faus'tus, Eusebius, and Cheremon, deacons, and a christian 'brother from Rome, then at Alexandria. Emilian requiring

* Eus. 1. vii. cap. i.

Ap. Euseb. 1. vii. cap. x. in. b Basn. 257. n. iii. Basn. 247. n. vi.

a

› Pagi. 252. n. x. xii. xvi.—xxi. Pagi. 261. n. viii. et seq. Vid. Pagi, Crit. in Bar. 257. n. iv. d Ap. Euseb. 1. vii. cap. xi. p. 251

him to renounce the christian religion, Dionysius answered without delay, that "we ought to obey God rather than men," (Acts v. 29.) and assured the prefect that he was a worshipper of the one God, and could worship no other, nor could he ever cease to be a christian. Whereupon he ordered thein to a place called Cephro, in Libya, forbid'ding them to hold any assemblies. Nor could Dionysius ' obtain a delay of one day, though he was sick.'

6

f

In his banishment he retained a tender affection and concern for his people, and watched over them, carefully convening them, as he says, "absent indeed in body, but present in spirit," 1 Cor. v. 3. At Cephro he had a large number of the faithful, partly such as came to him thither from Alexandria, partly such as came from other places of Egypt. And here,' says he, "God opened a door to us for preaching the word," 1 Cor. xvi. 9; 2 Cor. ii. 12. At first the people of the place were rude, and ready to pelt us with stones, but afterwards not a few of the Gentiles, "forsaking idols, turned unto God," 1 Thess. i. 9. Then first the seed of the word was sown among them by us; for hitherto it had not been preached unto them: and, as if for that purpose God had brought us to them, when we bad" fulfilled that ministry," he removed us, Acts xii. 25. For Emilian, as if desirous to send us into some more uncomfortable place than Libya itself, gave orders for dispersing some others in several villages of Mareotis; and us be commanded to reside in the district of Colluthio, near the great road, that we might be the nearer at hand to be brought to Alexandria, if he should think fit.'

How long this banishment lasted, is not absolutely certain. Tillemont says, it is evident that Dionysius continued in this exile about two years at least, because in that time he wrote two festal epistles, concerning the observation of Easter, as Eusebius relates. One of those epistles was directed to Flavius, the other to Domitius and Didymus. I would just observe, that in the same place Eusebius adds: Beside these, Dionysius wrote another letter to his fellow-presbyters of Alexandria, and other letters to divers other persons, the persecution still raging.' Pagii has taken notice of several of the letters written at that time. Basnage computes Dionysius's exile to have lasted • Ib. p. 259. A. f Ib. p. 259. A. B. C.

6

8 Mem. 1. iv. p. ii. p. 588. S. Denys d'Alex. Art. xiii.

h L. vii. cap. 20.

iCrit. 257. n. iv.

* Pace apud Ægyptum constitutâ, post extinctum Macrianum, ejusque liberos Macrianum et Quietum, Dionysius, quadriennii exilium passus, edicto Gallieni Alexandriam, anno 261, revocatur. Basn. A. 247. n. vi.