Dionysius the Carthusian (called alsoDionys. of Ryckel, from his birthplace, or Dionys. of Leewis or Lenwis, ttom his family name), was bom at Ryckel, near Liege, Belgium, in 1408 ; studied at Cologne, and wrote in his 20th year a treatise dt ente et essentia. At 21 (before which age the Carthusian rule would not admit him) he entered the monastery of Roermond, in Guelders, where he remained 48 years, till his death in 1471. His life was spent in diligent study, and in self- mortification of the strictest kind. His fame as a scholar gave him great influence both within and with- out the monastery, and obtained him the title of Doc- tor EcstcUicus, He wrote rapidly and voluminously : over 100 works are ascribed to him, among which are commentaries on Dionysius Areop., Thomas Aquinas, Peter Lombard, etc. ; but the most important, perhaps, is Enarrationes or Commentarii in Sacr. Script., a com- mentaiy on the whole Bible, 24 vols. ; and also 10 vols. foL Cologne, said to be carefully compiled from the fathers and ecclesiastical writers. See Fabricius, Bibliotheca Lat, voL iv ; Cave, Hist, Lit, (Genev. 1720), appendix, p. 108 ; Wetzer u. Welte, Kirchen-Lexikon, iii, 166 ; Schrdckh, Kirchengeschichte, xxxiv, 117 sq.
Dionysus (Aiovvooc, 2 Mace, vi, 7; xiv, 88, ** Bacchus;** in classical writers sometimes Aiwwooi:, of uncertain derivation), also called Bacchus (Bokx^q, "laKxoQ, the noisy god; after the time of Herodotus), was properly the god of wine. He is represented as being the son of Jupiter and Semele. In Homer he appears simply as the "frenzied** god (/7. vi, 132), and yet "a joy to mortals** (//. xiv, 825); but in later times the most varied attributes were centred in him as the source of the luxuriant fertility of nature, and the god of civilization, gladness, and inspiration. The Eastern wanderings of Dionysus are well known (Stra- bo, XV, 7, p. 687), but they do not seem to have left any special trace in Palestine (yet comp. Lucan, de Syria Dea, p. 886, ed. Bened.). His worship, how- ever, was greatly modified by the incorporation of Eastern elements, and assumed the twofold form of wild orgies and mystic rites. See Diontsia. To the Jews Dionysus would necessarily appear as the embodiment of paganism in its most material shape, sanctioning the roost tumultuous passions and the worst excesses. Thus Tacitus {Hist, v, 5) rejects the tradition that the Jews worshipped Bacchus (JJberum patrem; compare Plutarch, Quast, Conv, iv, 6), on the ground of the *' entire diversity of their prindplee*'
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(nequaquam etmgrueniSbiu wgHtuds)^ though he inter- prets the difference to their discredit. The consdoos- ness of the fandamental opposition of the God of Israel and Dionjsos explains the punishment which Ptole- msns Philopator inflicted on the Jews (8 Mace, ii, 29)| « branding them with the ivy-leaf of Dionysus" (this plant being sacred to him, Plutarch, liid, et Osir. 87 ; Ovid, Fa$Hj iii, 767), though Dionysus may have been the patron god of the Ptolemies (Grimm on the Mace.). It most have been from the same circumstance that Nicanor is said to have threatened to erect a temple of Diouysus upon the site of the Temple at Jerusa- lem (2 Mace xiv, 88).— Smith, s. v. See Nicolai, De ritu ctnHquo BcLcchancM (in Gronovii Theitmr, vii); Moritz, ifythohgjf of the Gr. and Rom. £ng. tr. p. 108 ; Smith, Did, of CIqm. Myikol, s. v. Dionysus. Comp. Bacchus.
DiopStds (^toir«r^, Jove-faUm, "that fell down fh>m Jupiter"), an epithet applied to the great image of Diana at Ephesus (Acts xix, 84). It is applied in the same way by heathen writers (e. g. ayoA/m ^lo- ViTiQy Herodian. i, 11; compare Plutarch, Numa^ 18; Eurip. Iph. 86-88 ; see Wetstein, Kuindl in loc.). See Diana.
Dioscorin^thins (Atotncopiv^ioct Vulg. Diotco- Tus) occurs in 2 Mace xi, 21, as the name of a Gneco- Seleucid month. Inasmuch as Ditu {Aiog) is the name of a well-known Macedonian month (the first of the year), which Josephns (Ani. i, 8, 8) says corresponds with the Jewish Marchesvan^ the name has been re- garded (see Wemsdorf, Defide Maccab. p. 82) as a cor- ruption (through the form AtotTKovpoo) for that month (Scaliger, Emmd. Temp, ii, 94), and by others as an intercalary month (but see Ideler, Chronolog. 1, 899). See Month.
DiOflo5nis (At($<ntopoc)} bishop of Hermopolis, end of the 4th century, one of the four Nitrian solitaries (the three others being Ammonius, Ensebius, and Eu- thymius) known as '^ the tall brothers" on account of their stature. See Tall Bbothers.
Dioscoms, bishop of Alexandria (f 454), who suc- ceeded Cyril in that see, A.D. 444. Inferior to his predecessor in learning, he excelled him in ambition, energy, and bitterness. Eutyches (q. v.) taught that in Jesus Christ was but one naturt, compound^ of the divine and human natures ; so that our Lord was not properly either God or man, but a sort of third being between the two. He was deposed for this heresy l^ a local synod of bishops at Constantinople, under Fla- vian, A.D. 448. Dioscorus took his side, and induced Theodosius II to call a council at Ephesus (A.D. 449), which, under the direction of Dioscorus, acted with the most savage violence against the defenders of ortho- doxy, and restored Eutyches. This council has se- cured the enviable title of the *^ Robber Council." The fourth oecumenical Council of Chalcedon (A.D. 451) condemned Dioscorus and Eutyches, and estab- lished the doctrine that in our Lord Jesus Christ there are two perfect and distinct natures, the Godhead and manhood, united in one person, without mixture, change, or confusion (see Chalcedon; Christolo- or). At this Council of Chalcedon Dioscorus was ac- cused of gross vices as well as of heresy, was con- demned, deposed, and banished to Gangra, Paphlago- nia, where, in three years after, he died. See Landon, Manual of Councils, 120; Hefele, Coneiliengeickiehte, ii, 296 sq. ; Dupin, Eccles. Writers, 5th century ; Schaff, Hist, of the Christian Ckmrch, iii, § 140, 141 ; Neander, Church History (Torrey's transl.), ii, 500, 522 ; Mil- man, La^ ChristianUy, i, 286-816. See Ephksus, Robber Council of.