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did he happen to be? And again he adds: was it not through cowardice and love of life that in the time of persecution he denied that he was a presbyter? For being requested and urged by the deacons to come out of the little house in which he had shut himself up, and to help the brethren as is right and as is possible for a presbyter to help brethren who are in danger and in need of assistance, he was so far from obeying the deacons who urged him, that he went away angry and departed. For he said that he no longer wished to be a presbyter; for he was a lover of another philosophy. 456 Then he adds after a little: For this illustrious man, having left the church of God, in which on believing he was counted worthy of the presbyterate by the grace of the bishop who laid his hand upon him for the office of presbyter, who, though hindered by all the clergy, and also by many of the laity, since it was not lawful for one who had been sprinkled on a sick-bed because of illness, as this man was, to be admitted to any clerical office, requested that he might be permitted to ordain this one man only. To these things Cornelius adds the most absurd instance of Novatus's irreverence, saying: For having made the offerings and distributing to each one his portion and giving it, instead of the blessing he compels the wretched men to swear, holding with both his hands the hands of the one receiving, and not letting go until they say these things while swearing (for I will use his own words): 'Swear to me by the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ never to leave me and return to Cornelius.' And the miserable man does not taste until he first curses himself. And instead of saying 'Amen' on receiving that bread, he says, 'I will not return to Cornelius.' For Cornelius wrote the foregoing things of necessity to Fabius, bishop of Antioch, who was wavering concerning Novatus, and how the many, leaving him, were running back to the church, in which he also wrote about Moses the blessed martyr, how he had excommunicated Novatus before his martyrdom, condemning his audacity, together with his five fellow schismatic presbyters, adding, at the end of the letter, he has made a catalogue, by name and parish, of the bishops who assembled in Rome against him, and of those who did not assemble because of some necessary circumstances, but who approved by their own letters the divine judgment against him. And consistent with these things, Dionysius the Great of Alexandria, writing to this same Fabius concerning repentance, adds something worthy both of memory and of wonder, after recounting to him the martyrdom of those recently in Alexandria and the rest of the history. 457 From the letter of Dionysius to Fabius against Novatus I will set forth for you this one example which happened among us: There was among us a certain Serapion, a faithful old man, who had lived a great while blamelessly, but who had fallen in the trial. This man often prayed, and no one paid attention to him; for he had sacrificed. And falling sick, he remained for three successive days speechless and senseless. But recovering a little on the fourth day, he called his grandson and said, "How long, my child, do you detain me? I beg you, make haste and release me quickly; call one of the presbyters for me." And having said these things, he was again speechless. The boy ran to the presbyter; but it was night and he was sick. He was therefore unable to come, but as I had given a command that those departing this life, if they requested it, and especially if they had previously made supplication, should be absolved, that they might depart with a good hope, he gave the boy a small portion of the eucharist, telling him to moisten it and drop it into the old man's mouth. The boy returned with it, and when he was near, before he entered, Serapion revived again and said, "You have come, my child? And the presbyter could not come, but do quickly what was commanded, and let me depart." The boy moistened it and at the same time poured it into his mouth, and he, having swallowed a little, immediately

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ἔτυχε; Καὶ αὖθις ἐπιφέρει· οὐ διὰ δειλίαν καὶ φιλοζωίαν ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τῆς διώ ξεως πρεσβύτερον εἶναι ἑαυτὸν ἀρνησάμενος; ἀξιούμενος γὰρ καὶ παρακα λούμενος ὑπὸ τῶν διακόνων ἐξελθεῖν τοῦ οἰκίσκου, ἐν ᾧ καθεῖρξεν ἑαυτόν, καὶ βοηθῆσαι τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς ὅσα θέμις καὶ ὅσα δυνατὸν πρεσβυτέρῳ κινδυ νεύουσιν ἀδελφοῖς καὶ ἐπικουρίας δεομένοις βοηθεῖν, τοσοῦτον ἀπέσχε τοῦ πειθαρχῆσαι καὶ παρακαλοῦσι τοῖς διακόνοις, ὡς καὶ χαλεπαίνοντα ἀπιέναι καὶ ἀπαλλάττεσθαι. μὴ γὰρ ἔτι βούλεσθαι πρεσβύτερος ἔφη· ἑτέρας γὰρ εἶναι φιλοσοφίας ἐραστής. 456 Εἶτ' ἐπιφέρει μετ' ὀλίγον· καταλιπὼν γὰρ ὁ λαμπρὸς οὗτος τὴν ἐκ κλησίαν τοῦ θεοῦ, ἐν ᾗ πιστεύσας κατηξιώθη τοῦ πρεσβυτερίου κατὰ χά ριν τοῦ ἐπισκόπου τοῦ ἐπιθέντος αὐτῷ χεῖρα εἰς πρεσβυτερίου κλῆρον, ὃς διακωλυόμενος ὑπὸ παντὸς τοῦ κλήρου, ἀλλὰ καὶ λαϊκῶν πολλῶν, ἐπεὶ μὴ ἐξὸν ἦν τὸν ἐπὶ κλίνῃ διὰ νόσον περιχυθέντα, ὥσπερ καὶ οὗτος, εἰς κλῆρόν τινα γενέσθαι, ἠξίωσε συγχωρηθῆναι αὐτὸν τοῦτον μόνον χειρο τονῆσαι. Τούτοις προστίθησιν ὁ Κορνήλιος τὸ ἀτοπώτατον τῆς Ναυάτου ἀνευ λαβείας φάσκων· ποιήσας γὰρ τὰς προσφορὰς καὶ διανέμων ἑκάστῳ τὸ μέρος καὶ ἐπιδιδοὺς τούτῳ ὀμνύειν ἀντὶ τοῦ εὐλογεῖν τοὺς ταλαιπώρους ἀνθρώπους ἀναγκάζει, κατέχων ἀμφοτέραις ταῖς χερσὶ τὰς τοῦ λαβόντος καὶ μὴ ἀφεὶς ἕως ἂν ὀμνύοντες εἴπωσι ταῦτα (τοῖς γὰρ ἐκείνου χρήσομαι λόγοις)· ὄμοσόν μοι κατὰ τοῦ σώματος καὶ τοῦ αἵματος τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ μηδέποτέ με καταλιπεῖν καὶ ἐπιστρέψαι πρὸς Κορνήλιον. καὶ ὁ ἄθλιος ἄνθρωπος οὐ πρότερον γεύεται, εἰ μὴ πρότερον ἑαυτῷ κατ αράσαιτο. καὶ ἀντὶ τοῦ εἰπεῖν λαμβάνοντα τὸν ἄρτον ἐκεῖνον τὸ ἀμήν, «οὐκ έτι ἐπανήξω πρὸς Κορνήλιον» λέγει. Φαβίῳ μὲν γὰρ Ἀντιοχείας ἐπισκόπῳ χωλαίνοντι περὶ Ναυάτου Κορνήλιος τὰ προτεταγμένα, καὶ ὅπως αὐτὸν οἱ πολλοὶ καταλιμπάνοντες τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ προσέτρεχον, ἔγραφεν ἀναγκαίως, ἐν οἷς καὶ τὰ περὶ Μωυσέως τοῦ μακαρίου μάρτυρος, ὅπως αὐτὸν ἀκοι νώνητον ἐποίησε τὸν Ναυᾶτον πρὸ τοῦ μαρτυρίου, καταγνοὺς αὐτοῦ τῆς θρασύτητος, ἅμα τοῖς συναποσχισταῖς αὐτοῦ πέντε πρεσβυτέροις, προσ θείς, ἐν τῷ τέλει τῆς ἐπιστολῆς τῶν συνελθόντων ἐν Ῥώμῃ ἐπισκόπων κατ' αὐτοῦ τὸν κατάλογον πεποίηται κατ' ὄνομα καὶ παροικίαν, τῶν τε μὴ συνελθόντων διά τινας ἀναγκαίας περιστάσεις, εὐδοκησάντων δὲ γράμ μασιν οἰκείοις τῇ θείᾳ κατ' αὐτοῦ κρίσει. ἀκόλουθα δὲ τούτοις καὶ ∆ιο νύσιος ὁ μέγας Ἀλεξανδρείας τούτῳ ταὐτῷ Φαβίῳ περὶ μετανοίας ἐπιστέλ λων, μνήμης ὁμοῦ καὶ θαύματος ἄξιόν τι προστίθησι, μετὰ τὴν τῶν ἔναγ χος ἐπ' Ἀλεξανδρείας μαρτυρησάντων καὶ τὴν λοιπὴν ἱστορίαν αὐτῷ διεξιών. 457 Ἐκ τῆς ∆ιονυσίου πρὸς Φάβιον ἐπιστολῆς κατὰ Ναυάτου Ἓν δέ σοι τοῦτο παράδειγμα παρ' ἡμῖν συμβεβηκὸς ἐκθήσομαι· Σαρα πίων τις ἦν παρ' ἡμῖν πιστὸς γέρων, ἄμεμπτος μὲν τὸν πολὺν διαβιώσας χρόνον, ἐν δὲ τῷ πειρασμῷ πεσών. οὗτος πολλάκις ἐδεῖτο καὶ οὐδεὶς προσ εῖχεν αὐτῷ· καὶ γὰρ ἐτεθύκει. ἐν νόσῳ δὲ γενόμενος τριῶν ἑξῆς ἡμερῶν ἄφωνος καὶ ἀναίσθητος διετέλεσε. βραχὺ δὲ ἀνασφήλας τῇ τετάρτῃ προσ εκαλέσατο τὸν θυγατριδοῦν καὶ «μέχρι τίνος, φησίν, ὦ τέκνον, μὲ κατέχετε; δέομαι σπεύσατε καί με θᾶττον ἀπολύσατε, τῶν πρεσβυτέρων μοί τινα κάλεσον.» καὶ ταῦτα εἰπὼν πάλιν ἦν ἄφωνος. ἔδραμεν ὁ παῖς ἐπὶ τὸν πρε σβύτερον· νὺξ δὲ ἦν κἀκεῖνος ἠσθένει. ἀφικνεῖσθαι μὲν οὖν οὐκ ἠδυνήθη, ἐντολῆς δὲ ὑπ' ἐμοῦ δεδομένης τοὺς ἀπαλλαττομένους τοῦ βίου, εἰ δέοιντο, καὶ μάλιστα εἰ καὶ πρότερον ἱκετεύσαντες τύχοιεν, ἀφίεσθαι, ἵν' εὐέλπιδες ἀπαλλάττωνται, βραχὺ τῆς εὐχαριστίας ἔδωκε τῷ παιδαρίῳ, ἀποβρέξαι κελεύσας καὶ τῷ πρεσβύτῃ κατὰ τοῦ στόματος ἐπιστάξαι. ἐπανῆκεν ὁ παῖς φέρων, ἐγγύς τε γενομένῳ τῷ παιδὶ πρὶν τοῦ εἰσελθεῖν ἀνενέγκας πά λιν ὁ Σαραπίων «ἧκες, ἔφη, τέκνον; καὶ ὁ μὲν πρεσβύτερος ἐλθεῖν οὐκ ἠδυνήθη, σὺ δὲ ποίησον ταχέως τὸ προσταχθέν, καὶ ἀπαλλάττομαι.» ἀπέ βρεξεν ὁ παῖς καὶ ἅμα ἐνέχεε τῷ στόματι, καὶ μικρὸν ἐκεῖνος καταβροχθί σας εὐθέως