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So much for the question under consideration; but indicating at the same time also about the Sabellian heretics who were flourishing in his time, he says these things: “For concerning the doctrine now agitated in Ptolemais of Pentapolis, being impious and containing much blasphemy concerning the almighty God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and much unbelief concerning his only-begotten Son, the firstborn of all creation, the Word who became man, and insensibility toward the Holy Spirit, since both epistles and brethren to discuss the matter have come to me from both sides, I have written something, as I was able, God granting, setting it forth more didactically, the copies of which I have sent to you.” And in the third of his letters on Baptism, which the same Dionysius writes to Philemon, the presbyter in Rome, he sets down these things: “And I have read the compositions and the traditions of the heretics, staining my soul for a little while with their utterly abominable thoughts, yet receiving this benefit from them, to refute them by myself and to abominate them much more. 7.7.2 And indeed when a certain brother of the presbyters was restraining me and terrifying me from becoming mixed up with the filth of their wickedness, for it would defile my soul, and he spoke the truth, as I perceived; a vision sent from God came and strengthened me, 7.7.3 and a word came to me and commanded, saying expressly: ‘Read all that you may take into your hands; for you are able to set each thing right and to test it, and this has been for you from the beginning even the cause of your faith.’ I accepted the vision, as it agreed with the apostolic voice which says to the more capable, ‘Become approved money-changers.’” 7.7.4 Then, having said certain things concerning all the heresies, he adds, saying: “This rule and standard I received from our blessed pope Heraclas. For those who came over from the heresies, although they had fallen away from the church, or rather, not having fallen away, but seeming to assemble, yet being reported as attending one of those who taught differently, he drove from the church, and when they pleaded, he did not receive them, until they had publicly stated all that they had heard from those who held opposing views, and then he admitted them, not requiring another baptism of them; for they had previously received the Holy Spirit from him.” 7.7.5 And again, having examined the problem at length, he adds these things: “I have learned this also, that not now have those in Africa alone introduced this, but also long before, in the time of the bishops before us in the most populous churches and in the synods of the brethren, in Iconium and Synnada and among many, this was decided; whose counsels I do not endure to overturn and cast them into strife and contention. For you shall not move, it says, the landmarks of your neighbor, which your fathers have set.” 7.7.6 His fourth epistle on baptism was written to Dionysius in Rome, then holding the rank of presbyter, but not long after having also received the episcopate of those there; from which it is possible to know how this man himself was testified to be both learned and wonderful by Dionysius of Alexandria. And he writes to him, after other things, mentioning the matters concerning Novatus, in these words: 7.8.1 “For we reasonably hold Novatian in abomination, for having divided the church and drawn some of the brethren into impieties and blasphemies, and for having introduced a most unholy teaching concerning God, and for slandering our most merciful Lord Jesus Christ as unmerciful, and in addition to all these things, for setting aside the holy baptism and overturning the faith and confession before it, and for utterly banishing the Holy Spirit from them, if indeed there was any hope of His remaining with or returning to them.” And his fifth was also written to Xystus, bishop of the Romans; in which, having said many things against the heretics, he sets forth a certain event which happened in his time, saying: “and

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ταῦτα μὲν περὶ τοῦ δηλουμένου ζητήματος· σημαίνων δὲ ἐν ταὐτῷ καὶ περὶ τῶν κατὰ Σαβέλλιον αἱρετικῶν ὡς κατ' αὐτὸν ἐπιπολαζόντων, ταῦτά φησιν· «περὶ γὰρ τοῦ νῦν κινηθέντος ἐν τῇ Πτολεμαΐδι τῆς Πενταπόλεως δόγματος, ὄντος ἀσεβοῦς καὶ βλασφημίαν πολλὴν ἔχοντος περὶ τοῦ παντοκράτορος θεοῦ πατρὸς τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ἀπιστίαν τε πολλὴν περὶ τοῦ μονογενοῦς παιδὸς αὐτοῦ, τοῦ πρωτοτόκου πάσης κτίσεως, τοῦ ἐνανθρωπήσαντος λόγου, ἀναισθησίαν δὲ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος, ἐλθόντων ἑκατέρωθεν πρὸς ἐμὲ καὶ προγραμμάτων καὶ τῶν διαλεξομένων ἀδελφῶν, ἐπέστειλά τινα, ὡς ἐδυνήθην, παρασχόντος τοῦ θεοῦ, διδασκαλικώτερον ὑφηγούμενος, ὧν τὰ ἀντίγραφα ἔπεμψά σοι». Καὶ ἐν τῇ τρίτῃ δὲ τῶν περὶ βαπτίσματος, ἣν Φιλήμονι τῷ κατὰ Ῥώμην πρεσβυτέρῳ ὁ αὐτὸς γράφει ∆ιονύσιος, ταῦτα παρατίθεται· «ἐγὼ δὲ καὶ τοῖς συντάγμασιν καὶ ταῖς παραδόσεσιν τῶν αἱρετικῶν ἐνέτυχον, χραίνων μέν μου πρὸς ὀλίγον τὴν ψυχὴν ταῖς παμμιάροις αὐτῶν ἐνθυμήσεσιν, ὄνησιν δ' οὖν ἀπ' αὐτῶν ταύτην λαμβάνων, τὸ ἐξελέγχειν αὐτοὺς παρ' ἐμαυτῷ καὶ πολὺ πλέον βδελύττεσθαι. 7.7.2 καὶ δή τινος ἀδελφοῦ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων με ἀπείργοντος καὶ δεδιττομένου συμφύρεσθαι τῷ τῆς πονηρίας αὐτῶν βορβόρῳ, λυμανεῖσθαι γὰρ τὴν ψυχὴν τὴν ἐμαυτοῦ, καὶ ἀληθῆ γε λέγοντος, ὡς ᾐσθόμην· ὅραμα θεόπεμπτον προσελθὸν ἐπέρρωσέν με, 7.7.3 καὶ λόγος πρός με γενόμενος προσέταξεν, διαρρήδην λέγων· «πᾶσιν ἐντύγχανε οἷς ἂν εἰς χεῖρας λάβοις· διευθύνειν γὰρ ἕκαστα καὶ δοκιμάζειν ἱκανὸς εἶ, καί σοι γέγονεν τοῦτο ἐξ ἀρχῆς καὶ τῆς πίστεως αἴτιον». ἀπεδεξάμην τὸ ὅραμα, ὡς ἀποστολικῇ φωνῇ συντρέχον τῇ λεγούσῃ πρὸς τοὺς δυνατωτέρους γίνεσθε δόκιμοι τραπεζῖται». 7.7.4 εἶτά τινα περὶ πασῶν εἰπὼν τῶν αἱρέσεων, ἐπιφέρει λέγων· «τοῦτον ἐγὼ τὸν κανόνα καὶ τὸν τύπον παρὰ τοῦ μακαρίου πάπα ἡμῶν Ἡρακλᾶ παρέλαβον. τοὺς γὰρ προσιόντας ἀπὸ τῶν αἱρέσεων, καίτοι τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἀποστάντας, μᾶλλον δὲ οὐδὲ ἀποστάντας, ἀλλὰ συνάγεσθαι μὲν δοκοῦντας, καταμηνυθέντας δὲ ὡς προσφοιτῶντάς τινι τῶν ἑτεροδιδασκαλούντων, ἀπελάσας τῆς ἐκκλησίας, δεομένους οὐ προσήκατο, ἕως δημοσίᾳ πάντα ὅσα ἀκηκόασιν παρὰ τοῖς ἀντιδιατιθεμένοις ἐξέφρασαν, καὶ τότε συνήγαγεν αὐτούς, οὐ δεηθεὶς ἐπ' αὐτῶν ἑτέρου βαπτίσματος· τοῦ γὰρ ἁγίου πρότερον παρ' αὐτοῦ τετυχήκεσαν». 7.7.5 πάλιν δὲ ἐπὶ πολὺ γυμνάσας τὸ πρόβλημα, ταῦτ' ἐπιλέγει· «μεμάθηκα καὶ τοῦτο ὅτι μὴ νῦν οἱ ἐν Ἀφρικῇ μόνον τοῦτο παρεισήγαγον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸ πολλοῦ κατὰ τοὺς πρὸ ἡμῶν ἐπισκόπους ἐν ταῖς πολυανθρωποτάταις ἐκκλησίαις καὶ ταῖς συνόδοις τῶν ἀδελφῶν, ἐν Ἰκονίῳ καὶ Συνάδοις καὶ παρὰ πολλοῖς, τοῦτο ἔδοξεν· ὧν τὰς βουλὰς ἀνατρέπων εἰς ἔριν αὐτοὺς καὶ φιλονεικίαν ἐμβαλεῖν οὐχ ὑπομένω. οὐ γὰρ μετακινήσεις, φησίν, ὅρια τοῦ πλησίον σου, ἃ ἔθεντο οἱ πατέρες σου». 7.7.6 Ἡ τετάρτη αὐτοῦ τῶν περὶ βαπτίσματος ἐπιστολῶν πρὸς τὸν κατὰ Ῥώμην ἐγράφη ∆ιονύσιον, τότε μὲν πρεσβείου ἠξιωμένον, οὐκ εἰς μακρὸν δὲ καὶ τὴν ἐπισκοπὴν τῶν ἐκεῖσε παρειληφότα· ἐξ ἧς γνῶναι πάρεστιν ὅπως καὶ αὐτὸς οὗτος λόγιός τε καὶ θαυμάσιος πρὸς τοῦ κατ' Ἀλεξάνδρειαν ∆ιονυσίου μεμαρτύρηται. γράφει δὲ αὐτῷ μεθ' ἕτερα τῶν κατὰ Νοουάτον μνημονεύων ἐν τούτοις· 7.8.1 «Νοουατιανῷ μὲν γὰρ εὐλόγως ἀπεχθανόμεθα, διακόψαντι τὴν ἐκκλησίαν καί τινας τῶν ἀδελφῶν εἰς ἀσεβείας καὶ βλασφημίας ἑλκύσαντι καὶ περὶ τοῦ θεοῦ διδασκαλίαν ἀνοσιωτάτην ἐπεισκυκλήσαντι καὶ τὸν χρηστότατον κύριον ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν ὡς ἀνηλεῆ συκοφαντοῦντι, ἐπὶ πᾶσι δὲ τούτοις τὸ λουτρὸν ἀθετοῦντι τὸ ἅγιον καὶ τήν τε πρὸ αὐτοῦ πίστιν καὶ ὁμολογίαν ἀνατρέποντι τό τε πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον ἐξ αὐτῶν, εἰ καί τις ἦν ἐλπὶς τοῦ παραμεῖναι ἢ καὶ ἐπανελθεῖν πρὸς αὐτούς, παντελῶς φυγαδεύοντι». Καὶ ἡ πέμπτη δὲ αὐτῷ πρὸς τὸν Ῥωμαίων ἐπίσκοπον Ξύστον γέγραπτο· ἐν ᾗ πολλὰ κατὰ τῶν αἱρετικῶν εἰπών, τοιοῦτόν τι γεγονὸς κατ' αὐτὸν ἐκτίθεται, λέγων· «καὶ