RELIGIOUS ENCYCLOPEDIA
Diodorus
Diouysius of Alexandria
have been through a general persecution. About the beginning of the third century, then, will be a safe date. The importance of the Epistle has been much overestimated in the past. Its rhetorical force and smoothness have possibly helped to evoke this enthusiasm, which, however, has in large measure disappeared; and it contributes scarcely anything to our knowledge of the history of dogma.
(G. UHLHORNf.)
Bibliography: Good editions are by C. Otto, Leipsic, 1852; 0. von Gebhardt and A. Harnack, Pairum apostolictrum opera, I. ii. 154-164, Leipsic, 1878; B. L. Gildersleeve, in Apology of Justin Martyr, pp. 83-94, New York, 1877; F. X. Funk, in Opera patrum apostolicorum, i. 310-333, Tubingen, 1881. Eng. transl. may be found in B. Cooper, Free Church of Ancient Christendom, London, 1852, and in ANF, i. 25-30. A list of literature is given in ANF, Index vol., pp. 5-7. Consult: C. G. Semisoh, Justin Martyr, i. 172 sqq., Breslau, 1840, Eng. tranal., i. 84-193, Edinburgh, 1832; C. K. J. Bunsen, Hippolytus, i. 138 sqq., Leipsic, 1852, Eng. transl., London, 1852; G. H. H. Ewald, Geschichte des Volkes Israel, vii. 250 sqq., Gottingen, 1868; F. Overbeck, Ueber den pseudo-justinianischen Brief an Diognet, Basel, 1872; A. Hilgenfeld, ZWT, xvi (1873), 270-286; T. Keim, in Protestantische Kirchenzeitung, 1873, pp. 285-289, 309- 314; T. Zahn, GGA, 1873, pp. 106-116; H. Kihn, Der Ursprung des Briefs an Diognet, Freiburg, 1882; J. A. Robinson, in TS, i. 1 (1891), 95-97; Kriiger, History, pp. 135- 137; idem, in ZWT, xxxvii (1894), 206-223; KL, iii. 1774-78; DOB, ii. 162-167.
DIONYSIUS, dai"o-nish'i-us : Pope 259-26S. During the pontificate of Stephen (254-257) he took part in the controversy about heretical baptism, with his fellow presbyter Philemon addressing a letter to Dionysius of Alexandria. Elected bishop on July 22, 259, the edict of toleration of Gallienus soon enabled him to bring the Roman Church into order. He had a share in dogmatic development through his further dealings with his namesake of Alexandria, who had already been in communication with Sixtus II. concerning Sabellianism, and had been led by his zeal against this heresy to use expressions which seemed to reduce Christ to the position of a creature. Some Egyptian clergy brought the matter before Dionysius of Rome, who dealt with it in a synod and gave out a dogmatic pronouncement, of which a large section is preserved by Athanasius (" On the Council of Nicsea," xxvi.). It was no doubt addressed to Egyptian or Libyan bishops, and attacked the Sabellian teaching on one side, while on the other it rebuked anti-Sabellian extremes. At the same time he wrote to his namesake asking him to clear himself of the charges made against him, which resulted in the well-known "Retractations" of Dionysius of Alexandria (q. v.). Dionysius of Rome also wrote a letter of condolence to the Church of Ceesarea in Cappadocia when it was attacked by the Goths about 264, and sent representatives to ransom captive Christians. His name appears with that of Maximus of Alexandria, the successor of Dionysius, at the head of the bishops to whom the last council held in Antioch against Paul of Samosata addressed its synodical epistle (Eusebius, Hist. eccL, VII. xxx.). (A. Hauck.)
Bibliography: Liber pontificalis, ed. Duchesne, i. 157, Paris, 1886, ed. Mommsen, in MGH, Gest. pont. Bom., 1 (1898), 36; R. A. Lipsius, Chronologie der romischen Bischofe, Kiel, 1869; J. Langen, Geschichte der romischen
Kirche, pp. 353, Bonn, 1881; Bower, Popes, i. 35-37; Milman, Latin Christianity, i. 91; Neander, Christian Church, 1. 606-610, ii. 404; Schaff, Christian Church, ii 570-571.
DIONYSIUS OF ALEXANDRIA (called the Great) : Bishop of Alexandria; d. 264. A pupil of Origen, though but little younger than his teacher, he succeeded Heraclas in 231 or 232 as head of the catechetical school of Alexandria, and became bishop in 247 or 248. The Decian persecution soon fell upon him (250). Attempting to escape, he was arrested, but was unexpectedly set at liberty. He next appears writing to Novatian in the hope of restraining him, and his inclination toward mildness in discipline comes out in other letters. He took a similar conciliatory position in the controversy on heretic baptism; his own principles placed him on the Roman side, but he respected the views of his opponents and was unwilling to break off communion with them. In the persecution under Valerian (257) he was banished, first to Kephron in Libya and then to KoUuthion in the Mareotis district, and returned to Alexandria only after the edict of Gallienus (2G0), to suffer further trials from revolt, plague, and famine, of which he has left a vivid picture (in Eusebius, Hi.st. eccl., vii. 22). In the spirit of the Alexandrian school, he assisted in the overthrow of Millenarianism. In the Trinitarian controversy he endeavored to uphold the Origenistic position as far as possible, but was carried beyond it by the course of the controversy and his own logic. His letters against Sabellianism contained expressions which were thought to decide in a contrary direction, and gave rise to accusations brought against him before Dionysius of Rome, to whom he justified himself in four books, partly explaining away or retracting the expressions complained of, and partly taking refuge in vague language. Before his death he took a decided stand against Paul of Samosata by letter, since his age and infirmity prevented him from attending the synod at Antioch. He was the most important of the disciples of Origen, and a worthy representative of the older Alexandrian school, though not enough of an independent thinker to understand and guide the doctrinal tendencies of his time. His importance in exegesis, after the manner of Origen, is shown by his short critical comparison of the Gospel and Revelation of John, undertaken with the purpose of demonstrating a diversity of authorship, and considered by some modern writers a still unsurpassed treatment of the question. The most important remains of his literary activity are his letters, which include at least six on the treatment of the Lapsed (q. V.) , at least eight ontheschism of Novatian, at least eight on heretic baptism, at least four on Sabellianism, a long series of annual Easter letters, and a number to individuals. Only fragments of certain letters are preserved, although Dionysius was the chief source used by Eusebius for the middle of the third century. (A. Harnack.)
Bibliography: The Fragments of Dionysius are collected in M .T Routh, Reliquia; Sacrce, iii. 219-250, iv. 393-437, Oxford, 1846, and in MPG, x. Also, Letters and Remains of Dionysius of Alexandria, ed. C. L. Feltoe, Cambridge, 1904 Eng. transl. is in ANF, vi. 81-120- Literature is
Dionysius the Areopagite