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Read Ebook: St. Dionysius of Alexandria: Letters and Treatises by Dionysius Of Alexandria Saint Feltoe Charles Lett Translator
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PAGE PREFACE V INTRODUCTION 9 LETTERS 35 TO BASILIDES 76 "ON THE PROMISES" 82 "ON NATURE" 91 "REFUTATION AND DEFENCE" 101 ADDITIONAL NOTE 108 INDEX 109
INTRODUCTION
His Family and Earlier Life
His Conversion
Was He Married or Not?
He becomes Head of the Catechetical School
He becomes Bishop of Alexandria
Under the Persecution of Decius
His Action about Heretical Baptism
Under the Persecution of Valerian
Restoration of Peace
His Return to Alexandria
The Troubles Connected with his Protest against Sabellianism
Separating the Father and the Son.
Denying the eternity of the Son.
Naming the Father without the Son and the Son without the Father.
Virtually rejecting the term ?u??????? as descriptive of the Son.
The following is an indication of Dionysius's line of defence against the five points raised against him, other matters which arose more particularly between him and his namesake of Rome being passed over.
As to the charge of separating the Three Persons in the Trinity, he distinctly denies it: all the language he employs and the very names he gives imply the opposite: "Father" must involve "Son" and "Son" "Father": "Holy Spirit" at once suggests His Source and the Channel.
As to the eternity of the Son, he is equally emphatic. God was always the Father and therefore Christ was always the Son, just as, if the sun were eternal, the daylight would also be eternal.
The charge of omitting the Son in speaking of the Father and vice versa is refuted by what is said under : the one name involves the other.
But the most serious misunderstanding naturally arose from Dionysius speaking of the Son as ????u? , and illustrating the word by the gardener with his vine and the shipwright with his boat. His defence is that though he had undoubtedly used such rather unsuitable figures somewhat casually, he had immediately adduced several others more suitable and apposite above). And he complains that not only here, but throughout, his accusers did not take his utterances as a whole, but slashed his writings about and made what sense of them they liked, not sincerely, but with evil intent. He tries further to explain that in his context ?????? was equivalent to ?????? , as of a Father, not a Creator, which he maintains is legitimate, but the defence is not very convincing all the same.
So far as we can now judge, however, his arguments seem to have satisfied his critics at the time, and were certainly held in high repute by the ancient Churches, for they are quoted or referred to not only by Athanasius, as has been stated, but also by Eusebius, by Basil of Caesarea , and by Jerome and Rufinus.
Dionysius's Last Days
Dionysius as Author
As Christian Philosopher
The extracts given by Eusebius appear to be fairly continuous throughout: they deal with the atomistic portion of the Epicurean philosophy, and with the more strictly "theological" portion of it, the references to the hedonistic doctrine being only slight and passing.
Dionysius begins by remarking that of the various hypotheses which have been started as to the origin of the universe, one of the least satisfactory is that of Epicurus, viz. that it is the result of a chance concourse of an infinite number of atoms, as they rush through space.
His next point appears to be that the difference in durability, which Epicurus postulates for the various bodies produced by atoms, goes to upset his theory. If some products are eternal and some are short-lived, what determines the difference? Some of the senseless atoms themselves must be gifted with powers of directing, arranging and ruling. But if it is mere chance, then Epicurus asks us, who study the order and the phenomena of earth and heaven, to believe the impossible.
The same conclusion is arrived at by the study of man, whose mere body is a machine so marvellous that some have emerged from the study of it with a belief that ????? herself is a deity. The higher powers, too, of man, his mind and reason and skill, all point in the opposite direction to Epicurus's solution of the problem. It cannot, surely, be the atoms rather than the Muses which are responsible for the arts and sciences.
The half-humorous allusion to these heaven-born personages of heathen mythology leads Dionysius to attack the Epicurean theory of the gods. According to Epicurus, the gods in no way concern themselves with mundane matters, but spend a serene existence without labour or exertion of any kind. But such an existence, says Dionysius, is so repugnant to the very idea and instinct of man that it must be absolutely false with regard to divine beings.
One other inconsistency in the Epicurean writings Dionysius next deals with, and that is Epicurus's own constant use of oaths and adjurations, in which the names of those very beings occur whose influence upon men's affairs he so depreciates. This is, in Dionysius's opinion, due to his fear of being put to death by the state for atheism, as Socrates had been: though he is probably doing Epicurus a wrong.
The extracts end with a repetition of the appeal to the wonders of the sky and of the earth as a conclusive contradiction of Epicurus's views.
A selection from these interesting portions of a not unimportant work for its time will be found on pp. 91 ff.
General Characteristics of his Writings
In his controversy with the Sabellians, as we have already remarked, some of the expressions and figures employed were insufficiently guarded or explained and so laid Dionysius open to criticism: but we must remember how much more easy it is for us, who have the benefit of subsequent history and experience, to see this and to correct it, than it was for him and for his contemporaries to grope their way, as they slowly but surely did, under the Divine guidance to a fuller knowledge and a more accurate statement of the truth.
Dionysius as Interpreter of Scripture
"On Eccles. iv. 9, 10: 'Two are better than one,' etc. As we understand this literally, we do not admit those who accept the interpretation of the statements as referring to the soul and the body; for it is by no means justified, seeing that the soul has the entire control over the ruling and governing both of itself and of the body, whereas the body is the bondman of the soul, subservient and enthralled to it in all its decisions. If, then, the soul be inclined to what is mean and evil, and become careless of better thoughts and considerations, the body is unable to restore it and lead it back to higher things: for that is not natural to it."
There is also another short extract attributed to our author, which is non-allegorical in its treatment. The evidence therefore is inconclusive on this point: for though Jerome also mentions Dionysius as a commentator on the Bible three times in his letters, he throws no further light on the question.
On the subject of Inspiration we have no ground for thinking that Dionysius took up an independent position. He introduces his Biblical quotation with the phrases current amongst early Christian writers.
The general impression therefore left upon the reader is that Dionysius reverted to the more sober methods of interpreting Scripture that prevailed throughout the Church of his day as a whole, though he approached his master's theories in his usual sympathetic spirit and availed himself of much that was valuable in them.
His Place in the Church Kalendar
Concluding Remarks
Bibliography
It may also be mentioned that several fragments in Syriac and in Armenian are attributed to Dionysius, but only three of these, in the former language, appear to be genuine: one is a translation of the letter to Novatian , and the two others are, whether rightly or wrongly, thought to be part of the Letter to Stephanus on Baptism, and will be found as ?? 2 and 3 of it on pp. 53 ff.
Dr. Salmond produced a serviceable translation of the fragments in 1871 , and since then we have had Dr. Gifford's , of such as there appear.
LETTERS
To Fabian, Bishop of Antioch
The persecution did not begin amongst us with the Imperial edict; for it anticipated that by a whole year. And the prophet and poet of evil to this city, whoever he was, was beforehand in moving and exciting the heathen crowds against us, rekindling their zeal for the national superstitions. So they being aroused by him and availing themselves of all lawful authority for their unholy doings, conceived that the only piety, the proper worship of their gods was this--to thirst for our blood. First, then, they carried off an old man, Metras, and bade him utter impious words, and when he refused they beat his body with sticks and stabbed his face and eyes with sharp bulrushes as they led him into the outskirts of the city and there stoned him. Then they led a believer named Quinta to the idol-house and tried to make her kneel down, and, when she turned away in disgust, they bound her by the feet and hauled her right through the city over the rough pavement, the big stones bruising her poor body, and at the same time beat her till they reached the same spot, and there stoned her. Thereupon they all with one consent made a rush on the houses of the believers, and, falling each upon those whom they recognized as neighbours, plundered, harried and despoiled them, setting aside the more valuable of their possessions and casting out into the streets and burning the cheaper things and such as were made of wood, till they produced the appearance of a city devastated by the enemy. But the brethren gave way and submitted and accepted the plundering of their possessions with joy like unto those of whom Paul also testified. And I know not if any, save possibly a single one who fell into their hands, up till now has denied the Lord.
Another notable case was that of the aged virgin Apollonia, whom they seized and knocked out all her teeth, striking her on the jaws: then they made a pyre before the city and threatened to burn her alive, if she would not join them in uttering blasphemies. But she asked for a brief respite, and being let go, suddenly leapt into the fire and was devoured by the flames. Sarapion, also, they caught in his own house, and after outraging him with cruel tortures and crushing all his limbs, they cast him headlong from the upper storey.
And we could go by no high road, thoroughfare, or byway, either by day or by night; for everywhere and always there was a constant cry that any one who did not utter words of blasphemy must be dragged off and burnt.
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