RELIGIOUS ENCYCLOPEDIA
Dike
Diocletian
Regum (1861 and 1871), vol. v. containing the Apocrypha (1894, but the missing vols. iii. and iv. will not appear); Grammatik der athiopischen Sprache (1857, 2d ed., by C. Bezold, 1899; Eng. transl., 1907); Liber Jubilceorum, ^^thiopice (1859); Lexicon linguce JEthiopicce (1865); Chrestomathia ^thiopica cum glossario (1866); Liber Jubilceorum (Kiel, 1859); for the Kurzgefasstes exegetisches Handbuch he edited Hiob (1869, 1891); Genesis (1882, 1886, 1892, Eng. transl., 2 vols., Edinburgh, 1897); Exodus and Leviticus (1880); Numeri, Deuteronomium und Josua (1886); Jesaia (1890); and posthumously, Handbuch der alttestamentlichen Theologie (Leipsic, 1895). He contributed also to Schenkel's Bibel or Lexikon, to Brockhaus' Conversations- Lexikon, and was associate editor of the Jahrbilcher jilr deutsche Theologie.
Bibliography: W. Baudissin, August Dillmann, Leipsic, 1895; Zur Erinnerung an Dillmann, Stuttgart,
1900.
DILTHEY.WILHELM: German philosopher; b. at Biebrich (3 m. s. of Wiesbaden) Nov. 10, 1833. He studied at Heidelberg and Berlin, was privatdocent in Berlin, and was appointed professor of philosophy at Basel in 1866. In 1868 he was called in the same capacity to Kiel, and in 1871 to Breslau. Since 1882 he has been professor of philosophy at Berlin. His writings include Leben Schleiermachers (Berlin, 1870) ; Einleitung in die Geisteswissenschaften (Leipsic, 1883); and Das Erlebnis und die Dichtung (1906).
DIMOERITES: According to Epiphanius {Hmr., Ixxvii.), a name given to the followers of Apollinaris of Laodicea (q.v. ), because, according to them, Christ had assumed only two of the three elements of the perfect human form, the soma and the psyche alogos, whereas the divine Logos himself took in him the place of the nous, the psyche logike. G. KRtiGER.
DINTER, GUSTAV FRIEDRICH: German educator and theologian; b. at Borna (16 m. s.s.e. of Leipsic) Feb. 29, 1760; d. in Konigsberg May 29, 1831. In 1773 he entered the Fiirstenschule at Grimma, in 1779 the University of Leipsic. After serving as tuior he entered the ministry in 1787 as substitute at Kitschei', where his pastoral work, especially his untiring zeal for the education of the youth, made him greatly beloved. His success in training teachers for the lower schools led to his appointment as director of the normal school at Dresden in 1797. Because of ill health he returned to the ministry in 1807 at Gornitz, where he founded a progymnasium, which became famous as a training-school for the practical pursuits of life. He became member of the consistory and board of education in Konigsberg, 1816; professor of theology, 1817. His Schullehrerbibel (9 vols., Neustadt, 1826-30) made a sensation. Starting with Semler's distinction between theology and religion, he sought in the Bible only that which, in his view, immediately belongs to religion; in this sphere, but not in science, the Bible should be the authority ' To religion belong worthy conceptions of God, of Jesus and his work, of the sacrodness of the moral law, of the worth and destiny of man, of the III.— 28
love of God even to the erring, of forgiveness of sins, of the help God renders us to be good," etc. Dinter repudiated strongly the charge that this is rationahsm, and considered himself orthodox. In his method he was akin to Bahrdt, trying to reinterpret the language of the Bible in the spirit of his time, and believing that herein he followed Paul and Luther. His autobiography (Neustadt, 1829) gives the best key to his theology; it shows a vigorous, plain, jovial, practical, and sympathetic character. A complete edition of his writings was edited by J. C. B. Wilhelm (43 vols., Neustadt, 1840-51). (Sander.)
DIOCLETIAN (Caius Valerius Diocletianus) : Roman emperor 284-305; b. near Salona (3 m. n.n.e. of Spalato), Dalmatia, c. 225; d. there Dec, 3, 316. He was probably a slave by birth, but entered the army and rose to high rank, becoming consul and commander of the body-guards. After the death of Numesian he was proclaimed emperor by the legions near Chalcedon on Nov. 17, 284, and the assassination of Carinus in the following year left him sole emperor. He soon appointed his junior comrade Maximian Ctesar, and later made him coregent, assigning him the Western half of the empire. A second division of the empire took place Mar. 1, 793, when two Cjesars were created, Caius Galeriua Valerius Maximianus, who married Valeria, Diocletian's daughter, and Marcus Flavins Valerius Constantius. The reins of government remained in the hands of Diocletian, who was a born ruler, firmly convinced of the divinity of the imperial dignity. He possessed an interest in higher culture and was filled with a strong passion for building, though his refinement was but superficial and was frequently overborne by the savagery of his Illyrian blood.
In the latter part of the third century the Church was flourishing in consequence of its long peace, and many Christians were found in aristocratic society, in influential public positions, in the army, and even in the imperial household. Diocletian's wife, Prisca, and his daughter Valeria
The Dio- were at least catechumens. Shortly cletian Per- after his accession, however, Diocle-
secution. tian left no doubt as to his attitude toward Christianity by an anti- Manichean decree issued in Egypt and usually assigned to 287, forbidding all religioiis innovation under heavy penalty. The purging of the army by weeding out those who refused to sacrifice was the first measure directly planned to render the troops reliable. An ill-timed religious zeal ofl^ended the emperor and helped the anti-Christian party, headed by Galerius, who urged him on, despite his hesitation in fear of consequences. In the winter of 302-303 tedious conferences were held at Nicomedia, but it was only after the Milesian Apollo had been consulted that Diocletian yielded, though he insisted that no blood be shed. Galerius, however, overcame all his politic considerations and finally molded his religious policy. On Feb. 23, 303, the first edict was issued at Nicomedia. Christian freedmen were to be removed from public offices and were to lose their civic rights, while slaves were
Diocletian Biodorus