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I do not endure overthrowing their counsels, to cast them into strife and contention; for you shall not remove, he says, the landmarks of your neighbor, which your fathers have set. The great Dionysius writes these things also in his third epistle concerning baptism, and in his fourth epistle concerning baptism, which he sends to Dionysius, presbyter of Rome, a learned and wonderful man who shortly after succeeded to the throne, he says these things: From the fourth epistle concerning baptism by Dionysius, bishop of Alexandria, written to Dionysius, presbyter of Rome. For we justly detest Novatian, for having divided the church and drawn away some of the brethren into impieties and blasphemies, and for having introduced a most unholy teaching concerning God, and for slandering our merciful Lord 464 Jesus Christ as unmerciful, and besides all these things, for setting aside the holy laver, and overthrowing the faith and confession which precede it, and for completely driving away the Holy Spirit from them, even if there was any hope of His remaining or returning to them. And his fifth was also written to Xystus, bishop of the Romans, in which, after saying many things against the heretics, he sets forth a certain event that had happened to him, saying: For truly, brother, I both need counsel and ask for your judgment, since a certain case of this sort has come before me, fearing lest I be mistaken. For one of the brethren who assemble, who was considered a believer of old and from before my ordination, and I think even before the appointment of the blessed Heraclas, having been present at a recent baptism and having heard the questions and answers, came to me weeping and bewailing himself, and falling at my feet, confessing and protesting that the baptism with which he was baptized by the heretics was not of this sort, and that it was not possible at all to raise one’s eyes to God, proceeding from those lawless words and deeds, and for this reason he begged to receive this most pure cleansing and admission and grace; which I did not dare to do, saying that his long-continued communion had been sufficient for this. For one who has listened to the eucharist and joined in saying the Amen, and stood at the table and stretched out his hands to receive the holy food, and has received it and partaken for a considerable time of the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, I would not dare to build up again from the beginning; But I bade him to be of good courage, and with firm faith and good hope to approach the partaking of the holy things. But he does not cease from mourning, and shudders to approach the table, and though earnestly entreated, can scarcely bear to join in the prayers. Besides the aforementioned, there is extant also another epistle of the same on baptism, addressed by him and the parish which he led to Xystus and the church at Rome, in which through a long 465 proof he extends the discussion concerning the subject in question. And another of his is also extant after these, to Dionysius at Rome, concerning Lucian. And concerning these things, so much.

YEARS OF THE WORLD 5748 Years of the divine incarnation 248 26th of the Romans

Valerian and Gallienus reigned 15 years. 3rd of the Persians, Hormizd reigned one year. 4th of the Persians, Vararanes reigned 3 years. 24th bishop of Rome, Stephen, 2 years. 25th bishop of Rome, Xystus, 9 years. 26th bishop of Rome, Dionysius, 8 years. 14th bishop of Antioch, Demetrianus, 4 years. 15th bishop of Antioch, Paul of Samosata, 8 years. This one was expelled by divine vote and judgment of holy fathers, for having revived the heresy of Artemon. 16th bishop of Antioch, Domninus, 3 years. 14th bishop of Alexandria, Dionysius, 17 years. 15th bishop of Alexandria, Maximus

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τὰς βουλὰς ἀνατρέπων εἰς ἔριν αὐτοὺς καὶ φιλονεικίαν ἐμβάλλειν οὐχ ὑπομένω· οὐ γὰρ μετακινήσεις, φησίν, ὅρια τοῦ πλησίον σου, ἃ ἔθεντο οἱ πατέρες σου. ταῦτα καὶ ἐν τῇ τρίτῃ ἐπιστολῇ περὶ βαπτίσματος ὁ μέγας ∆ιονύσιος γράφει, ἐν δὲ τῇ τετάρτῃ αὐτοῦ περὶ βαπτίσματος ἐπιστολῇ, ἣν ∆ιονυσίῳ πρεσβυτέρῳ Ῥώμης ἐπιστέλλει τῷ καὶ τὸν θρόνον μετὰ βραχὺ διαδεξαμένῳ ἀνδρὶ λογίῳ καὶ θαυμαστῷ, ταῦτά φησιν· Ἐκ τῆς ∆ιονυσίου Ἀλεξανδρείας ἐπισκόπου δʹ ἐπιστολῆς περὶ βαπτίσματος γραφείσης ∆ιονυσίῳ πρεσβυτέρῳ Ῥώμησ Ναυατιανῷ μὲν γὰρ εὐλόγως ἀπεχθανόμεθα διακόψαντι τὴν ἐκκλησίαν καί τινας τῶν ἀδελφῶν εἰς ἀσεβείας καὶ βλασφημίας ἐκλύσαντι καὶ ταῖς περὶ τοῦ θεοῦ διδασκαλίαις ἀνοσιωτάτην ἐπικλύσαντι καὶ τῷ τὸν κύριον 464 ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν ὡς ἀνηλεῆ συκοφαντοῦντι, ἐπὶ πᾶσι δὲ τούτοις καὶ τὸ λουτρὸν ἀθετοῦντι τὸ ἅγιον καὶ τήν τε πρὸ αὐτοῦ πίστιν καὶ ὁμο λογίαν 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 ἐγέγραπτο, ἐν ᾗ πολλὰ κατὰ τῶν αἱρετικῶν εἰπὼν τοιοῦτόν τι κατ' αὐτὸν γεγονὸς ἐκτίθεται λέγων· καὶ γὰρ ὄντως, ἀδελφέ, καὶ συμβουλῆς δέομαι καὶ γνῶ σιν αἰτῶ παρὰ σοῦ, τοιούτου τινός μοι προσελθόντος πράγματος, δεδιὼς μὴ παρασφάλλομαι. τῶν γὰρ συναγομένων ἀδελφῶν πιστὸς νομιζόμενος ἀρχαῖος καὶ πρὸ τῆς ἐμῆς χειροτονίας, οἶμαι δὲ καὶ τῆς τοῦ μακαρίου Ἡρακλᾶ καταστάσεως τῆς συναγωγῆς ὑπόγυον βαπτιζόμενος περιτυχὼν καὶ τῶν ἐπερωτήσεων καὶ τῶν ἀποκρίσεων ἐπακούσας, προσῆλθέ μοι κλαίων καὶ καταθρηνῶν ἑαυτὸν καὶ πίπτων πρὸ ποδῶν μου, ἐξομολογούμε νος μὲν καὶ ἐξομνύμενος τὸ βάπτισμα, ὃ παρὰ τοῖς αἱρετικοῖς βεβάπτισται, μὴ τοιοῦτον εἶναι, μηδὲ ὅλως ἔχειν τι ἐπᾶραι τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς πρὸς τὸν θεὸν ἀπὸ τῶν ἀνόμων ἐκείνων ῥημάτων καὶ πραγμάτων ὁρμώμενος, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο δεόμενος τῆς εἰλικρινεστάτης ταύτης καθάρσεως καὶ παραδοχῆς καὶ χάριτος τυχεῖν· ὅπερ ἐγὼ μὲν οὐκ ἐτόλμησα ποιῆσαι, φήσας αὐταρκῆ τὴν πολυχρόνιον αὐτῷ κοινωνίαν εἰς τοῦτο γεγονέναι. εὐχαριστίας γὰρ ὑπακούσαντα καὶ συνεπιφθεγξάμενον τὸ ἀμὴν καὶ τραπέζῃ παραστάντα καὶ χεῖρας εἰς ὑποδοχὴν τῆς ἁγίας τροφῆς ἐκτείναντα καὶ ταύτην κατα δεξάμενον καὶ τοῦ σώματος καὶ τοῦ αἵματος τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ μετασχόντα ἱκανὸν χρόνον οὐκ ἂν ἐξ ὑπαρχῆς ἀνασκευάζειν ἐπιτολμήσαιμι· θαρσεῖν δὲ ἐκέλευον καὶ μετὰ βεβαίας πίστεως καὶ ἀγα θῆς ἐλπίδος τῇ μετοχῇ τῶν ἁγίων προσιέναι. ὁ δὲ οὔτε πενθῶν παύεται πέφρικέ τε τῇ τραπέζῃ προσιέναι καὶ μόλις παρακαλούμενος συνεστάναι ταῖς προσευχαῖς ἀνέχεται. ἐπὶ ταῖς προειρημέναις φέρεταί τις καὶ ἄλλη τοῦ αὐτοῦ περὶ βαπτίσματος ἐπιστολή, ἐξ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἧς ἡγεῖτο παροικίας Ξύστῳ καὶ τῇ κατὰ Ῥώμην ἐκκλησίᾳ προσπεφωνημένη, ἐν ᾗ διὰ μακρᾶς 465 ἀποδείξεως τὸν περὶ τοῦ ὑποκειμένου ζητήματος παρατείνει λόγον. καὶ ἄλλη δέ τις αὐτοῦ μετὰ ταῦτα φέρεται πρὸς τὸν κατὰ Ῥώμην ∆ιονύσιον ἡ περὶ Λουκιανοῦ. καὶ περὶ μὲν τούτων τοσαῦτα.

ΚΟΣΜΟΥ ΕΤΗ ΕΨΜΗ Τῆς θείας σαρκώσεως ἔτη σμηʹ Ῥωμαίων κςʹ

ἐβασίλευσεν Οὐαλεριανὸς καὶ Γαλιηνὸς ἔτη ιεʹ. Περσῶν γʹ ἐβασίλευσεν Ὁρμίσδας ἔτος ἕν. Περσῶν δʹ ἐβασίλευσεν Οὐαραράνης ἔτη γʹ. Ῥώμης κδʹ ἐπίσκοπος Στέφανος ἔτη βʹ. Ῥώμης κεʹ ἐπίσκοπος Ξύστος ἔτη θʹ. Ῥώμης κςʹ ἐπίσκοπος ∆ιονύσιος ἔτη ηʹ. Ἀντιοχείας ιδʹ ἐπίσκοπος ∆ημητριανὸς ἔτη δʹ. Ἀντιοχείας ιεʹ ἐπίσκοπος Παῦλος ὁ Σαμοσατεὺς ἔτη ηʹ. Οὗτος ἐξώσθη θείᾳ ψήφῳ καὶ κρίσει πατέρων ἁγίων τὴν Ἀρτέμωνος ἀνανεωσάμενος αἵρεσιν. Ἀντιοχείας ιςʹ ἐπίσκοπος ∆ομνῖνος ἔτη γʹ. Ἀλεξανδρείας ιδʹ ἐπίσκοπος ∆ιονύσιος ἔτη ιζʹ. Ἀλεξανδρείας ιεʹ ἐπίσκοπος Μάξιμος