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being able to direct and refute the jests which they themselves say, they should turn their anger against themselves, and rather be vexed, that they themselves, not having applied themselves, did not know the things that are exalted concerning 14Ε_188 knowledge; or in truth, that not having approached those competent in such matters with a love of learning, they were not released from their perplexities. But some dare to revile the divine Dionysius for heresies, while being completely ignorant of the things of the heretics; for otherwise, by comparing them with each of the condemned doctrines among the heretics, they would have recognized that his doctrines were far removed from the wicked ones, as far as true light is from darkness. For what could they say about the things theologized by him concerning the only co-eternal Trinity? And what about the one of this all-blessed Trinity, Jesus Christ, the only-begotten God the Word, who willed to become completely human,; Did he not set forth an intelligent soul and an earthly body like ours, and the rest of the things which are prescribed by the orthodox teachers? And what could one reasonably find fault with concerning intelligible and intellectual and sensible things, or concerning our universal resurrection which will occur with a body like ours and our soul, and concerning the tribunals of that time, for the just and for those who are not such? For, to speak concisely, our salvation looks to these things, which it is not right to discuss at length, since the commentary on the scholia indicates everything in due course.

Yes, they say, but Eusebius of Pamphilus did not list his compositions, and neither, indeed, did Origen.

To these it must be said that Eusebius omitted a great many things which did not come into his own hands; for he neither claims to have collected absolutely everything, but rather he even confesses that books beyond number exist which have in no way come to him; and I could mention many not acquired by him, and these from his own country, such as those of Hymenaeus and Narcissus who served as priests in Jerusalem. I, for my part, have encountered some of the writings of Hymenaeus. And indeed, he neither listed the works of Pantaenus, nor of Clement of Rome, except for two letters only, but 14Ε_190 nor of many others. For Origen, I do not know if of all, mentioned barely four. But a certain Roman deacon, Peter by name, related to me that all the works of the divine Dionysius are preserved, having been deposited in the library of the sacred books in Rome.

And he writes most of his works to the thrice-blessed Timothy, the disciple of the holy apostle Paul, bishop of the Ephesians, who was, as is likely, suffering troubles from those presiding over the Ionian philosophy in Ephesus, and inquiring, as from one knowledgeable in secular philosophy, so that he might contend all the more; and nothing is unlikely; since even the God-beloved apostle Paul used sayings of the Greeks, having heard these perhaps from those with him who were experienced in Greek philosophy. And this also confirms that these are truly the writings of Dionysius: for his unaffected mention of sayings of men who flourished at the same time as him, whom the divine epistles of the apostles also mention, shows the unfeigned nature of the writings; and most of all, the complete soundness of the doctrines.

But since some say that the writing is not by the saint, but by one of the later writers, it is necessary for them to place him among certain forbidden and absurd men, falsely stating such things about himself, as that he was with the apostles, and wrote to those with whom, according to them, he never associated, nor to whom he wrote.

And also to have fabricated a prophecy to the apostle John while he was in exile that he would return again to the land of Asia and teach his usual things, this is the act of a man who tells of marvels and who madly hunts after the reputation of a prophet.

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δυνάμενοι τά σκώμματα διευθύνειν τε καί διελέγχειν ἅ φασιν αὐτοί, δέον ἐπί σφάς αὐτούς τρέπειν τήν ὀργήν, καί μᾶλλον ἀσχάλλειν, ὅτι μή σπουδάσαντες ἔγνωσαν καί αὐτοί τά περί 14Ε_188 γνῶσιν ἀνηγμένα· ἤ τἀληθές, ὅτι μή πρός τούς ἱκανούς περί τά τοιαῦτα φιλομαθῶς γεγονότες, τῶν ἀπορημάτων ἀπελύθησαν. Ἀλλά τολμῶσί τινες λοιδορεῖν εἰς αἱρέσεις τόν θεῖον ∆ιονύσιον, καθάπαξ καί τά τῶν αἱρετικῶν ἀγνοοῦντες· ἦ γάρ ἄν, ἐξ ἐκάστου τῶν κατακεκριμένων ἐν τοῖς αἱρετίζουσι συγκρίνοντες, τά παρά τούτων δόγματα πολλῷ· τῶν φλαύρων ἀφεστηκότα διεγίνωσκον, καθόσον φῶς ἀληθές καί σκότος. Τί γάρ εἴποιεν ἐν τοῖς περί τῆς μόνης προσυνητῆς Τριάδος θεολογουμένοις παρ' αὐτῶ; Τί δ' ἄν περί τοῦ τῆς παμμακαρίας ταύτης Τριάδος ἑνός Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, τοῦ μονογενοῦς Θεοῦ Λόγου τελείως ἐνανθρωπῆσαι θελήσαντος,· Οὐχί ψυχήν ἔννουν καί σῶμα τό καθ' ἡμᾶς γήϊνον διεξῆλθε καί τά λοιπά τά ὅσα, τοῖς ὀρθοῖς ἐντέτακται διδασκάλοις; Τί δέ περί νοητῶν καί νοερῶν καί τῶν αἰσθητῶν μέμψαιτ' ἄν τις εἰκότως, ἤ περί τῆς καθολικῆς ἡμῶν ἀναστάσεως τῆς μετά σώματος τοῦ καθ' ἡμᾶς καί τῆς ἡμῶν ψυχῆς γενησομένης, καί περί τῶν τότε δικαιωτηρίων, δικαίων τε καί τῶν μή τοιούτων; Εἰς τά γάρ, συλλήβδην εἰπεῖν, ἡ καθ' ἡμᾶς ἀφορᾷ σωτηρία, ἅτινα πλατέως διεξελθεῖν οὐ δίκαιον, τῆς ἐπί σχολίων ἐξηγήσεως ἅπαντα κατά καιρόν ἐπισημαινομένης.

Ναί, φασίν, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἔγραψεν αὐτοῦ τάς συντάξεις Εὐσέβιος ὁ Παμφίλου, καί μήν οὐδ Ὠριγένης.

Πρός οὕς λεκτέον, ὡς πάμπολλα παρῆκεν Εὐσέβιος οὐκ ἐλθόντα περί χεῖρας οἰκείας· καί γάρ οὔτε φησίν ἅπαντα καθάπαξ συναγηοχέναι, μᾶλλόν γε μήν ὁμολογεῖ καί ἀριθμοῦ κρείττονα βιβλία καθεστάναι μηδαμῶς εἰς αὐτόν ἐληλυθότα· καί πολλῶν ἐδυνάμην μνημονεῦσαι μή κτηθέντων αὐτῷ, καί ταῦτα τῆς αὐτοῦ χώρας, ὡς Ὑμεναίου καί Ναρκίσσου τῶν ἱερασαμένων ἐν Ἰεροσολύμοις. Ἐγώ γοῦν ἐνέτυχόν τισι τῶν Ὑμεναίου. Καί μήν οὔτε Πανταίνου τούς πόνους ἀνέγραψεν, οὔτε τοῦ Ρωμαίου Κλήμεντος, πλήν δύο καί μόνων ἐπιστολῶν, ἀλλ' 14Ε_190 οὔτε πλείστων ἑτέρων. Ὁ γάρ Ὠριγένης, οὐκ οἶδα εἰ πάντων, μόλις δέ τεττάρων ἐμνήσθη. ∆ιάκονος δέ τις Ρωμαῖος, Πέτρος ὄνομα, διηγήσατό μοι, πάντα τά τοῦ θείου ∆ιονυσίου σώζεσθαι κατά τήν ἐν Ρώμῃ τῶν ἱερῶν βιβλιοθήκην ἀνατεθειμένα.

Γράφει δέ τά πλεῖστα πρός τόν τρισμακάριον Τιμόθεον, τόν τοῦ ἁγίου ἀποστόλου Παύλου φοιτητήν, Ἐφεσίων ἐπίσκοπον, ὑπό τῶν κατά τήν Ἔφεσον τῆς Ἰωνικῆς φιλοσοφίας προεστώτων, ὡς εἰκός, πάσχοντα πράγματα, καί πυνθανόμενον, ὡς εἰδήμονος τῆς ἐξωτερικῆς φιλοσοφίας, ἵνα καί μᾶλλον ἀγωνίζοιτο· καί οὐδέν ἀπεικός· ἐπεί καί ὁ θεοφιλής ἀπόστολος Παῦλος ταῖς Ἑλλήνων ἐχρήσατο ρήσεσι, ταύτας ἀκούων τυχόν παρά τῶν συνόντων αὐτῷ, τῆς ἑλληνικῆς φιλοσοφίας ἐμπείρων. Συνίστησι δέ καί τοῦτο, ∆ιονυσίου ταῦτα φιλαλήθως τά συγγράμματα καθεστάναι· τό γάρ ἀνεπιτηδεύτως μνημονεύειν αὐτόν ρήσεων τῶν συνακμασάντων αὐτῷ ἀνδρῶν, ὧν αἵ τε θεῖαι τῶν ἀποστόλων μνημονεύουσι ἐπιστολαί, τό τῶν συγγραμμάτων ἀσκευώρητον ἀποφαίνουσι· μάλιστα δέ πάντων τό τῶν δογμάτων ἀσφαλέστατον.

Ἐπειδή δέ τινές φασι, μή εἶναι τοῦ ἁγίου τό σύγγραμμα, ἀλλά τινος τῶν μεταγενεστέρων, ἀνάγκη αὐτούς καί τῶν ἀπηγορευμένων τινά καί ἀτόπων αὐτόν τιθέναι, καταψευδόμενον τοιαῦτα ἑαυτοῦ, ὡς συνῆν τοῖς ἀποστόλοις, καί ἐπέστελλεν οἷς οὐδέ συνεγένετό ποτε κατ' αὐτούς, οὐδέ ἐπέστειλε.

Τό δέ καί πλάσασθαι προφητείαν πρός τόν ἀπόστολον Ἰωάννην ἐν ἐξορίᾳ ὄντᾳ ὡς ἐπανήξει πάλιν εἰς τήν Ἀσιάτιδα γῆν καί τά συνήθη διδάξει, τοῦτο τερατολόγου ἀνδρός καί προφήτου δόξαν ἐκμανῶς θηρωμένου.