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he gave up his spirit. Was it not clearly preserved and did it not remain, until it might be released and, its sin having been blotted out, it might be able to be acknowledged for the many good things it had done? He wrote to Novatian himself, word for word, something like this: "Dionysius to Novatian, his brother, greeting. If, as you say, you were led unwillingly, you will prove it if you withdraw willingly. For it was necessary to suffer anything whatsoever rather than to divide the church of God; and the martyrdom for the sake of not causing a schism was no less glorious than that for the sake of not committing idolatry; in my opinion, it is even greater. For in the one case, one testifies for the sake of his own single soul, but in the other, for the sake of the whole church. And now, if you should persuade or compel the brethren to come to one mind, your good deed will be greater than your fault, and the one will not be reckoned, while the other will be praised. But if you are unable because they are disobedient, 458 saving, save your own soul. I pray that you may fare well, holding to peace in the Lord." Wonderfully, through few words but most comprehensive thoughts, the divine Dionysius shut out all craftiness for Novatus, who alleged as a pretext the opposition of the brethren and not his own audacity for the schism from the church in Rome. But also to those in Egypt, the same most holy Dionysius writes concerning repentance and the reception of those who had fallen in the persecution after their conversion, excellently setting forth the degrees of the offenses, and he has composed a special treatise on repentance for Colon, bishop of the city of Hermopolis, and another hortatory one to the Alexandrians, and another on martyrdom to Origen, as he says, and not only this but also to the Laodiceans, when Thelymidres was their bishop, and to the Armenians, when Meruzanes was their presiding bishop. But when Helenus, bishop of Tarsus in Cilicia, and with him Firmilianus of Cappadocia and Theoctistus of Palestine, bishops, by letters urged this Dionysius to come together with them in Antioch to deliberate with them on the matters concerning Novatus, as Fabius, bishop of Antioch, and certain others were inclining to the schism, having received from Cornelius, bishop of Rome, the letter against Novatus, he writes back to him, reporting also the entreaties of the aforementioned men. But in the midst of these things, Fabius having fallen asleep, Demetrianus is appointed bishop of Antioch. And Dionysius, with other various letters and sacred treatises, strove earnestly to hold together the church of the Romans especially, which was being disturbed by Novatus, everywhere championing the cause of repentance and of concord, among which he also writes a diaconal letter concerning peace through Hippolytus to the Romans, and another concerning repentance, and a special one to the confessors who were carried away with the error of Novatus, and two to those of the confessors who had withdrawn from him and were united to the church.

YEARS OF THE WORLD 5746 Years of the divine incarnation 246 25th of the Romans reigned

Gallus and Volusianus. 22nd bishop of the Romans, Cornelius, for 3 years. 23rd bishop of the Romans, Lucius, for 2 years.

459 Novatus, a heresiarch, a presbyter of Rome, was becoming known. 13th bishop of Antioch, Fabianus, for 9 years. 14th bishop of Alexandria, Dionysius, for 17 years. 37th bishop of Jerusalem, Mazabanes, for 21 years. Scythians, who are called Goths, having crossed the river Ister in great numbers during the time of Decius, were overrunning the Roman dominion. These surrounded the Mysians fleeing to Nicopolis; but Decius, having come upon them, as Dexippus relates, and having killed thirty thousand, is worsted in the battle, so that he even lost Philippopolis, which was taken by them, and many Thracians were killed. And when the Scythians were returning to their own lands, the same Decius attacked them and was slain at Abrytus, in what is called the Forum of Thembronius, with his son, very miserably, that God-fighter, and the Scythians return with very many captives and spoils. And the army-camps Gallus, who had long ago become a certain consul, as emperor

206

ἀπέδωκε τὸ πνεῦμα. ἆρ' οὐκ ἐναργῶς διετηρήθη καὶ παρέ μεινεν, ἕως λυθῇ καὶ τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἐξαλειφθείσης ἐπὶ πολλοῖς οἷς ἔπραξε καλοῖς ὁμολογηθῆναι δυνηθῇ; Ἐπέστειλε δὲ αὐτῷ Ναυατιανῷ πρὸς λέξιν ὧδέ πως· ∆ιονύσιος Ναυα τιανῷ ἀδελφῷ χαίρειν. εἰ ἄκων, ὡς φῄς, ἤχθης, δείξεις, ἐὰν ἀναχωρήσῃς ἑκών. ἔδει μὲν γὰρ καὶ πᾶν ὁτιοῦν παθεῖν ὑπὲρ τοῦ μὴ διακόψαι τὴν ἐκ κλησίαν τοῦ θεοῦ· καὶ ἦν οὐκ ἀδοξοτέρα τῆς ἕνεκεν τοῦ μὴ εἰδωλολατρῆ σαι γενομένης ἢ ἕνεκεν τοῦ μὴ σχίσαι μαρτυρία· κατ' ἐμὲ δὲ καὶ μείζων. ἐκεῖ μὲν γὰρ ὑπὲρ μιᾶς τις τῆς ἑαυτοῦ ψυχῆς, ἐνταῦθα δὲ ὑπὲρ ὅλης τῆς ἐκκλησίας μαρτυρεῖ. καὶ νῦν δὲ εἰ πείσαις ἢ βιάσαιο τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς εἰς ὁμόνοιαν ἐλθεῖν, μεῖζον ἔσται σοι τοῦ σφάλματος τὸ κατόρθωμα, καὶ τὸ μὲν οὐ λογισθήσεται, τὸ δὲ ἐπαινεθήσεται. εἰ δὲ ἀπειθούντων ἀδυνατοίης, 458 σῴζων σῷζε τὴν σεαυτοῦ ψυχήν. ἐρρῶσθαί σε ἐχόμενον τῆς εἰρήνης ἐν κυρίῳ εὔχομαι. θαυμασίως διὰ βραχέων μὲν λόγων, συνεκτικωτάτων δὲ ἐννοιῶν ὁ θεῖος ∆ιονύσιος πᾶσαν πανουργίαν ἀπέκλεισε τῷ Ναυάτῳ, πρόφασιν αἰτιωμένῳ τὴν τῶν ἀδελφῶν ἔνστασιν καὶ οὐ τὴν ἰδίαν θρασύ τητα τῆς κατὰ Ῥώμην ἐκκλησίας ἀπόσχισιν. ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς κατ' Αἴγυπτον ὁ αὐτὸς ἱερώτατος γράφει ∆ιονύσιος περὶ μετανοίας καὶ τῆς τῶν ἐν τῷ διωγμῷ παραπεσόντων ἀποδοχῆς μετὰ τὴν ἐπιστροφήν, τὰς τῶν παραπτω μάτων τάξεις ἄριστα διεξελθών, καὶ πρὸς Κόλωνα τῆς Ἐρημουπολιτῶν πό λεως ἐπίσκοπον ἐξαίρετον περὶ μετανοίας γραφὴν πεποίηται, καὶ ἄλλην ἐπιστρεπτικὴν πρὸς Ἀλεξανδρέας καὶ ἑτέραν περὶ μαρτυρίου πρὸς Ὠριγένην, ὥς φησιν, οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ Λαοδικεῦσι Θηλυμίδρους ἐπισκοποῦντος αὐτῶν, Ἀρμενίοις τε Μερουζάνους προεστῶτος αὐτῶν ἐπισκόπου. ἐπειδὴ δὲ Ἕλενος Ταρσοῦ Κιλικίας ἐπίσκοπος καὶ οἱ σὺν αὐτῷ Φιρμιλιανός τε Καππαδοκίας καὶ Θεόκτιστος Παλαιστίνης ἐπίσκοποι γράμμασι ∆ιονύ σιον τοῦτον ἐδυσώπουν συνελθεῖν αὐτοῖς ἐν Ἀντιοχείᾳ διασκεψόμενον σὺν αὐτοῖς τὰ περὶ Ναυάτου, Φαβίου ἐπισκόπου Ἀντιοχείας καὶ ἄλλων τινῶν ὑποκατακλινομένων τῷ σχίσματι, δεξάμενος παρὰ Κορνηλίου ἐπισκόπου Ῥώμης τὴν κατὰ Ναυάτου ἐπιστολήν, ἀντιγράφει αὐτῷ δηλῶν καὶ τὰς παρακλήσεις τῶν εἰρημένων ἀνδρῶν. ἀλλ' ἐν τούτοις Φαβίου κοιμηθέντος ∆ημητριανὸς ἐπίσκοπος Ἀντιοχείας καθίσταται. ∆ιονύσιος δὲ καὶ ἄλλαις διαφόροις ἐπιστολαῖς καὶ λόγοις ἱεροῖς σπουδαίως τὴν Ῥωμαίων μάλιστα ἐκκλησίαν συνιστᾶν ὑπὸ Ναυάτου ταραττομένην ἠγωνίζετο, τὸν περὶ με τανοίας πρεσβεύων ἁπανταχοῦ καὶ ὁμονοίας λόγον, ἐν οἷς καὶ διακονικὴν ἐπιστολὴν περὶ εἰρήνης δι' Ἱππολύτου γράφει Ῥωμαίοις, καὶ ἄλλην περὶ μετανοίας, τοῖς τε συμπεριφερομένοις ὁμολογηταῖς τῇ τοῦ Ναυάτου πλάνῃ ἰδίαν, καὶ δύο τοῖς ἐξ αὐτῶν ὁμολογητῶν ἀποστᾶσιν αὐτοῦ καὶ τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ ἑνωθεῖσι.

ΚΟΣΜΟΥ ΕΤΗ ΕΨΜΣ Τῆς θείας σαρκώσεως ἔτη σμςʹ Ῥωμαίων κεʹ ἐβασίλευσε

Γάλλος καὶ Βουλουσιανός. Ῥωμαίων κβʹ ἐπίσκοπος Κορνήλιος ἔτη γʹ. Ῥωμαίων κγʹ ἐπίσκοπος Λούκιος ἔτη βʹ. 459 Ναυᾶτος αἱρεσιάρχης πρεσβύτερος Ῥώμης ἐγνωρίζετο. Ἀντιοχείας ιγʹ ἐπίσκοπος Φαβιανὸς ἔτη θʹ. Ἀλεξανδρείας ιδʹ ἐπίσκοπος ∆ιονύσιος ἔτη ιζʹ. Ἱεροσολύμων λζʹ ἐπίσκοπος Μαζαβάνης ἔτη καʹ. Σκύθαι περαιωθέντες οἱ λεγόμενοι Γότθοι τὸν Ἴστρον ποταμὸν ἐπὶ ∆εκίου πλεῖστοι τὴν Ῥωμαίων ἐπικράτειαν κατενέμοντο. οὗτοι τοὺς Μυσοὺς φεύγοντας εἰς Νικόπολιν περιέσχον· ∆έκιος δὲ ἐπελθὼν αὐτοῖς, ὡς ∆έξιππος ἱστορεῖ, καὶ τρισμυρίους κτείνας ἐλαττοῦται κατὰ τὴν μάχην, ὡς καὶ τὴν Φιλιππόπολιν ἀπολέσαι ληφθεῖσαν ὑπ' αὐτῶν καὶ Θρᾷκας πολ λοὺς ἀναιρεθῆναι. ἐπανιοῦσι δὲ Σκύθαις ἐπὶ τὰ σφέτερα ὁ αὐτὸς ∆έκιος ἐπιθέμενος ἀναιρεῖται ἐν Ἀβρύτῳ, τῷ λεγομένῳ φόρῳ Θεμβρωνίῳ, σὺν τῷ παιδὶ λίαν οἰκτρῶς ὁ θεομάχος, οἵ τε Σκύθαι μετὰ πλείστων αἰχμαλώ των καὶ λαφύρων ἐπανέρχονται. καὶ τὰ στρατόπεδα βασιλέα πάλαι τινὰ γενόμενον ὕπατον Γάλλον