mercredi 8 avril 2015

Saint DENIS (DIONYSIUS, DENYS) de CORINTHE, évêque et martyr


Ruines de l'Acropole de Corinthe.

Saint Denis de Corinthe, évêque et martyr

Evêque de Corinthe, il était un des principaux chefs de l'Église du IIème siècle. Plusieurs de ses lettres à différentes Eglises existent toujours. Son récit du martyre des Saints Pierre et Paul à Rome est particulièrement important. Les Grecs le vénèrent comme martyr.

SOURCE : http://www.paroisse-saint-aygulf.fr/index.php/prieres-et-liturgie/saints-par-mois/icalrepeat.detail/2015/04/08/5995/-/saint-denis-de-corinthe-eveque-et-martyr

Saint Denys de Corinthe

Évêque (+ 180)

Confesseur.

Selon l'historien Eusèbe, il exerça une large influence par ses lettres adressées à diverses Églises, où il exhortait à la paix, à l'unité et à la fidélité à l'Évangile.

Commémoraison de saint Denis, évêque de Corinthe, vers 180. Par sa connaissance admirable de la parole de Dieu, il instruisit non seulement les fidèles de sa cité, mais encore, par ses lettres, les évêques des autres villes et des autres provinces.

Martyrologe romain

St. Dionysius
Bishop of Corinth about 170. The date is fixed by the fact that he wrote to Pope Soter (c. 168 to 176; Harnack gives 165-67 to 173-5). Eusebius in his Chronicle placed his "floruit" in the eleventh year of Marcus Aurelius (171). When Hegesippus was at Corinth in the time of Pope Anicetus, Primus was bishop (about 150-5), while Bacchyllus was Bishop of Corinth at the time of the Paschal controversy (about 190-8). Dionysius is only known to use through Eusebius, for St. Jerome (Illustrious Men 27) has used no other authority. Eusebius knew a collection of seven of the "Catholic Letters to the Churches" of Dionysius, together with a letter to him from Pinytus, Bishop of Cnossus, and a private letter of spiritual advice to a lady named Chrysophora, who had written to him.

Eusebius first mentions a letter to the Lacedaemonians, teaching orthodoxy, and enjoining peace and union. A second was to the Athenians, stirring up their faith exhorting them to live according to the Gospel, since they were not far from apostasy. Dionysius spoke of the recent martyrdom of their bishop, Publius (in the persecution of Marcus Aurelius), and says that Dionysius the Areopagite was the first Bishop of Athens. To the Nicomedians he wrote against Marcionism. Writing to Gortyna and the other dioceses of Crete, he praised the bishop, Philip, for his aversion to heresy. To the Church of Amastris in Pontus he wrote at the instance of Bacchylides and Elpistus (otherwise unknown), mentioning the bishop's name as Palmas; he spoke in this letter of marriage and continence, and recommended the charitable treatment of those who had fallen away into sin or heresy. Writing to the Cnossians, he recommended their bishop, Pinytus, not to lay the yoke of continence too heavily on the brethren, but to consider the weakness of most. Pinytus replied, after polite words, that he hoped Dionysius would send strong meat next time, that his people might not grow up on the milk of babes. This severe prelate is mentioned by Eusebius (IV, xxi) as an ecclesiastical writer, and the historian praises the tone of his letter.

But the most important letter is that to the Romans, the only one from which extracts have been preserved. Pope Soter had sent alms and a letter to the Corinthians:

For this has been your custom from the beginning, to do good to all the brethren in many ways, and to send alms to many Churches in different cities, now relieving the poverty of those who asked aid, now assisting the brethren in the mines by the alms you send, Romans keeping up the traditional custom of Romans, which your blessed bishop, Soter, has not only maintained, but has even increased, by affording to the brethren the abundance which he has supplied, and by comforting with blessed words the brethren who came to him, as a father his children.

Again:

You also by this instruction have mingled together the Romans and Corinthians who are the planting of Peter and Paul. For they both came to our Corinth and planted us, and taught alike; and alike going to Italy and teaching there, were martyred at the same time.

Again:

Today we have kept the holy Lord's day, on which we have read your letter, which we shall ever possess to read and to be admonished, even as the former one written to us through Clement.

The testimony to the generosity of the Roman Church is carried on by the witness of Dionysius of Alexandria in the third century; and Eusebius in the fourth declares that it was still seen in his own day in the great persecution. The witness to the martyrdom of Sts. Peter and Paul, kata ton auton kairon, is of first-rate importance, and so is the mention of the Epistle of Clement and the public reading of it. The letter of the pope was written "as a father to his children".

Dionysius's own letters were evidently much prized, for in the last extract he says that he wrote them by request, and that they have been falsified "by the apostles of the devil". No wonder, he adds, that the Scriptures are falsified by such persons.

Chapman, John. "St. Dionysius." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 5. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1909. 7 Apr. 2015 <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05010a.htm>.

Transcription. This article was transcribed for New Advent by Christine J. Murray.

Ecclesiastical approbation. Nihil Obstat. May 1, 1909. Remy Lafort, Censor. Imprimatur. +John M. Farley, Archbishop of New York.
Copyright © 2020 by Kevin Knight. Dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Dionysius of Corinth B (RM)

Died c. 180; feast day in the Greek Church is November 20 or 29. Bishop Dionysius of Corinth was an outstanding leader of the Church in the second century, as well as an eloquent preacher. He is now best remembered as an ecclesiastical writer with which he attempted to instruct, exhort, and comfort those at a distance. Several of his letters to various churches are still extant. Especially noteworthy is that in which he records the martyrdom of SS. Peter and Paul in Rome. He says that after initiating the faith at Corinth, the Apostles both went to Italy, and there sealed their testimony with their blood. The Church historian Eusebius mentions several of his instructive letters to other churches. One extends thanks to the church of Rome, under the pontificate of Saint Soter, for the traditional alms received from them. He writes: "From the beginning, it is your custom to bestow your alms in all places, and to furnish subsistence to many churches. You send relief to the needy, especially to those who work in the mines; in which you follow the example of your fathers. Your blessed bishop Soter is so far from degenerating from your ancestors in that respect, that he goes beyond them; not to mention the comfort and advice he, with the bowels of a tender father towards his children, affords all that come to him. On this day we celebrated together the Lord's day, and read your letter, as we do that which was heretofore written to us by Clement." He means that they read these letters of instruction in the church after the reading of the holy Scriptures, and the celebration of the divine mysteries.

In another place Dionysius complains about the rampant heresies that sprang from the adoption of pagan philosophical principles, rather than from any perverse interpretation of the scriptures. Dionysius point out the source of the heretical errors and the philosophical sect from which each heresy arose.

The Greeks honor Saint Dionysius as a martyr because he suffered much for the faith, though he seems to have died in peace; while the Latin Church styles him a confessor. Pope Innocent III translated his relics to Saint Denys Abbey near Paris, where the monks believed him to be Dionysius the Areopagite (Benedictines, Husenbeth).


April 8

St. Dionysius of Corinth, Bishop and Confessor

From Eusebius, b. 4. c. 23. St. Jerom, Cat. c. 30

Second Age

ST. DIONYSIUS, bishop of Corinth, flourished under the Emperor Marcus Aurelius, and was one of the most holy and eloquent pastors of the church in the second age. Not content assiduously to instruct his own flock with the word of life, he comforted and exhorted others at a distance. Eusebius mentions several of his instructive letters to other churches, and one of thanks to the church of Rome, under the pontificate of St. Soter, for the alms received from them according to custom. “From the beginning,” says he, “it is your custom to bestow your alms in all places, and to furnish subsistence to many churches.—You send relief to the needy, especially to those who work in the mines; in which you follow the example of your fathers. Your blessed bishop Soter is so far from degenerating from your ancestors in that respect, that he goes beyond them; not to mention the comfort and advice he, with the bowels of a tender father towards his children, affords all that come to him. On this day we celebrated together the Lord’s day, and read your letter, as we do that which was heretofore written to us by Clement.” He means that they read these letters of instruction in the church after the reading of the holy scriptures, and the celebration of the divine mysteries. This primitive father says that SS. Peter and Paul, after planting the faith at Corinth, went both into Italy, and there sealed their testimony with their blood. He in another place complains that the ministers of the devil, that is, the heretics, had adulterated his works, and corrupted them by their poison. The monstrous heresies of the three first centuries sprang mostly, not from any perverse interpretation of the scriptures, but from erroneous principles of the heathenish schools of philosophy; whence it happened that those heresies generally bordered on some superstitious notions of idolatry. St. Dionysius, to point out the source of the heretical errors, showed from what sect of philosophers each heresy took its rise. The Greeks honour St. Dionysius as a martyr on the 29th of November, because he suffered much for the faith, though he seems to have died in peace: the Latins keep his festival on this day, and style him only confessor. Pope Innocent III. sent to the abbey of St. Denys, near Paris, the body of a saint of that name brought from Greece. The monks, who were persuaded that they were before possessed of the body of the Areopagite, take this second to be the body of St. Dionysius of Corinth, whose festival they also celebrate.

We adore the inscrutable judgments of God, and praise the excess of his mercy in calling us to his holy faith, when we see many to whom it was announced with all the reasonable proofs of conviction, reject its bright light, and resist the voice of heaven: also others who had so far despised all worldly considerations as to have embraced this divine religion, afterwards fall from this grace, and become the authors or abettors of monstrous heresies, by which they drew upon themselves the most dreadful curses. The source of their errors was originally in the disorder of their hearts, by which their understanding was misled. All those who have made shipwreck of their faith, fell because they wanted true simplicity of heart. This virtue has no affinity with worldly simplicity, which is a vice and defect, implying a want of prudence and understanding. But Christian simplicity is true wisdom and a most sublime virtue. It is a singleness of heart, by which a person both in his intention and all his desires and affections has no other object but the pure and holy will of God. This is grounded in self-knowledge, and in sincere humility and ardent charity. The three main enemies which destroy it, are, an attachment to creatures without us, an inordinate love of ourselves, and dissimulation or double dealing. This last, though most infamous and base, is a much more common vice than is generally imagined, for there are very few who are thoroughly sincere in their whole conduct towards God, their neighbour, and themselves. Perfect sincerity and an invariable uprightness is an essential part, yet only one ingredient of Christian simplicity. Nor is it enough to be also disengaged from all inordinate attachments to exterior objects: many who are free from the hurry and disturbance of things without them, nevertheless are strangers to simplicity and purity of heart, being full of themselves, and referring their thoughts and actions to themselves, taking an inordinate complacency in what concerns them, and full of anxieties and fear about what befals, or may befal them. Simplicity of the heart, on the contrary, settles the soul in perfect interior peace: as a child is secure in the mother’s arms, so is such a soul at rest in the bosom of her God, resigned to his   will, and desiring only to accomplish it in all things. The inexpressible happiness and advantages of this simplicity can only be discovered by experience. This virtue disposes the heart to embrace the divine revelation when duly manifested, and removes those clouds which the passions raise, and which so darken the understanding, that it is not able to discern the light of faith.

Rev. Alban Butler (1711–73).  Volume IV: April. The Lives of the Saints.  1866.

SOURCE : http://www.bartleby.com/210/4/081.html

Saint Dionysius of Corinth
Profile

During the persecution of Emperor Valerian he was arrested for his faith, tortured, and martyred with a group of fellow Christians.

Born
  • thrown to wild animals
  • when they would not harm him, he was beheaded c.258 in Corinth, Greece
Dionysius (3) , bp. of Corinth, probably the successor of Primus, placed by Eusebius in his Chronicle under a.d. 171, (see also Eus. H. E. ii. 25, iii. 4, iv. 21, 23, 35; Hieron. Catal. 27). He was the writer of certain pastoral letters, which gained so much authority in his own lifetime that heretics (probably the followers of Marcion) found it worth while, as he complains, to circulate copies falsified by interpolations and omissions. Eusebius mentions having met with 8 of these letters—viz. seven which he calls "Catholic Epistles," addressed to Lacedemon, Athens, Nicomedia, Gortyna and other churches in Crete, Amastris and other churches in Pontus, Cnossus and Rome; and one to "his most faithful sister Chrysophora." Probably the letters were already collected into a volume and enumerated by Eusebius in the order they occurred there, or he would probably have mentioned the two Cretan letters consecutively. Nothing remains of them, except the short account of their contents given by Eusebius, and a few fragments of the letter to the Roman church which, though very scanty, throw considerable light on the state of the church at the time. Eusebius praises Dionysius for having given a share in his "inspired industry" to those in foreign lands. A bp. of Corinth might consider Lacedaemon and Athens as under his metropolitan superintendence, but that he should send letters of admonition to Crete, Bithynia, and Paphlagonia not only proves the reputation of the writer, but indicates the unity of the Christian community. A still more interesting proof of this is furnished by the letter to the Roman church, which would seem to be one of thanks for a gift of money, and in which he speaks of it as a custom of that church from the earliest times to send supplies to churches in every city to relieve poverty, and to support the brethren condemned to work in the mines, "a custom not only preserved, but increased by the blessed bp. Soter, who administered their bounty to the saints, and with blessed words exhorted the brethren that came up as an affectionate father his children." The epithet here applied to Soter is usually used of those deceased in Christ; but there are instances of its application to living persons, and Eusebius speaks of him as still bishop when the letter of Dionysius was written. This letter is remarkable also as containing the earliest testimony that St. Peter suffered martyrdom in Italy at the same time as St. Paul. The letters indicate the general prevalence of episcopal government when they were written. In most of them the bishop of the church addressed is mentioned with honour; Palmas in Pontus, Philip and Pinytus in Crete, Soter at Rome. That to the Athenians reminds them of a former bp. Publius, who had suffered martyrdom during persecutions which reduced that church very low, from which condition it was revived by the zeal of Quadratus, the successor of Publius. This form of government was then supposed to date from apostolic times, for in the same letter Dionysius the Areopagite is counted as the first bp. of Athens; but the importance of the bishop seems to be still subordinate to that of his church. The letters, including that to Rome, are each addressed to the church, not to the bishop; and Soter's own letter, like Clement's former one, was written not in his own name, but that of his church ( ὑμῶν τὴν ἐπιστολὴν ). The letters, indeed, of Dionysius himself were written in his own name, and he uses the 1st pers. sing. in speaking of them, but adds that they were written at the request of brethren. Eusebius mentions two, Bacchylides and Elpistus, at whose instance that to the churches of Pontus was written.

The letters also illustrate the value attached by Christians to their sacred literature. Dionysius informs the church of Rome that the day on which he wrote, being the Lord's day, had been kept holy, and that they had then read the letter of the Roman church, and would continue from time to time to read it for their instruction, as they were in the habit of reading the letter formerly written from the same church by the hand of Clement; and speaking of the falsification of his own letters, he adds, "No marvel, then, that some have attempted to tamper with the Scriptures of the Lord, since they have attempted it on writings not comparable to them (οὐ τοιαύταις )." Thus we learn that it was then customary to read sacred books in the Christian assemblies; that this practice was not limited to our canonical books; that attempts were made by men regarded as heretics to corrupt these writings, and that such attempts were jealously guarded against. The value attached by Christians to writings was regulated rather by the character of their contents than by the dignity of the writer; for while there is no trace that the letter of Soter thus honoured at Corinth passed beyond that church, the letter of Dionysius himself became the property of the whole Christian community. But we learn the preeminent authority enjoyed by certain books, called the Scriptures of the Lord, which we cannot be wrong in identifying with some of the writings of our N.T. Dionysius, in the very brief fragments remaining, shews signs of acquaintance with the St. Matt., the Acts, I. Thess., and the Apocalypse. There is, therefore, no reason for limiting to the O.T. the "expositions of the divine Scriptures," which Eusebius tells us were contained in the letter of Dionysius to the churches of Pontus. In speaking of attempts to corrupt the Scriptures, Dionysius probably refers to the heresy of Marcion, against which, we are told, he wrote in his letter to the church of Nicomedia, "defending the rule of truth." We cannot lay much stress on a rhetorical passage where Jerome (Ep. ad Magnum, 83) includes Dionysius among those who had applied secular learning to the refutation of heresy, tracing each heresy to its source in the writings of the philosophers. Dionysius had probably also Marcionism in view, when he exhorted the church of Gortyna "to beware of the perversion of heretics," for we are told that its bp. Philip had found it necessary to compose a treatise against Marcion. We may see traces of the same heresy in the subjects treated of in the letter to the churches of Pontus (the home of Marcion), to which Dionysius gave instructions concerning marriage and chastity (marriage having been proscribed by Marcion), and which he also exhorted to receive back those who returned after any fall, whether into irregularity of living or into heretical error. But the rigorist tendencies here combated were exhibited also, not only among the then rising sects of the Encratites and Montanists, but by men of undoubted orthodoxy. Writing to the Cnossians Dionysius exhorts Pinytus the bp., a man highly commended by Eusebius for piety, orthodoxy, and learning, not to impose on the brethren too heavy a burden of chastity, but to regard the weakness of the many. Eusebius reports Pinytus as replying with expressions of high respect for Dionysius, which were understood by Rufinus to imply an adoption of his views. But he apparently persevered in his own opinion, for he exhorts Dionysius to impart to his people some more advanced instruction, lest if he fed them always with milk instead of with more solid food, they should continue in the state of children.

We are not told anything of the time or manner of the death of Dionysius. It must have been before the Paschal disputes in a.d. 198, when we find Palmas of Pontus still alive, but a new bishop (Bacchylus) at Corinth. The Greek church counts Dionysius among martyrs, and the Menaea name the sword as the instrument of his death; but there is no authority for his martyrdom earlier than Cedrenus, i.e. the end of the 11th cent. The Roman church only counts him among confessors. The abbey of St. Denis in France claimed to be in possession of the body of Dionysius of Corinth, alleged to have been brought from Greece to Rome, and given them in 1215 by Innocent III. The pope's bull is given by the Bollandists under April 8. See Routh, Rel. Sac. (2nd ed.), i. 178-201.
[G.S.]

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Bibliography Information

Wace, Henry. Entry for 'Dionysius (3), Bishop of Corinth'. A Dictionary of Early Christian Biography. http://.studylight.org/dictionaries/hwd/view.cgi?n=208. 1911.

Dionysius of Corinth

Dionysius, Bishop of Corinth.

Fragments from a Letter to the Roman Church.

 [a.d. 170.] Eusebius is almost diffuse in what he tells us of this Dionysius, "who was appointed over the church at Corinth, and imparted freely, not only to his own people, but to others, and those abroad also, the blessings of his divine labours." He wrote "Catholic Epistles; "he addressed an epistle to the Spartans and the Athenians; and, as Eusebius says, Dionysius the Areopagite, the convert of St. Paul, was the first bishop of Athens. He wrote to the Nicomedians, refuting Marcion, and closely adhering to "the rule of faith." In an epistle to the Gortynians and others in Crete, he praises Philip for his courageous ministry, and warns them against the heretics. He seems to recognise Palmas as bishop of Amastris and Pontus, and adds expositions of Scripture, and rules regarding marriage, its purity and sanctity. He also inculcates tenderness to penitent lapsers and backsliders. With Pinytus, bishop of the Gnossians, he corresponds on similar subjects; but Pinytus, while he thanks him and commends his clemency, evidently regards him as too much inclined to furnish "food for babes," and counsels him to add "strong meat for those of full age." He also writes to Chrysophora, his most faithful sister, imparting spiritual instruction.

I.

For this has been your custom from the beginning, to do good to all the brethren in various ways, and to send resources to many churches which are in every city, thus refreshing the poverty of the needy, and granting subsidies to the brethren who are in the mines. Through the resources which ye have sent from the beginning, ye Romans, keep up the custom of the Romans handed down by the fathers, which your blessed Bishop Sorer has not only preserved, but added to, sending a splendid gift to the saints, and exhorting with blessed words those brethren who go up to Rome, as an affectionate father his children.

II.

From the same epistle.

We passed this holy Lord's day, in which we read your letter, from the constant reading of which we shall be able to draw admonition, even as from the reading of the former one you sent us written through Clement.

III.

From the same.

Therefore you also have by such admonition joined in close union the churches that were planted by Peter and Paul, that of the Romans and that of the Corinthians: for both of them went to our Corinth, and taught us in the same way as they taught you when they went to Italy; and having taught you, they suffered martyrdom at the same time.

IV.

From the same.

For I wrote letters when the brethren requested me to write. And these letters the apostles of the devil have filled with tares, taking away some things and adding others, for whom a woe is in store. It is not wonderful, then, if some have attempted to adulterate the Lord's writings, when they have formed designs against those which are not such.

Go to the Chronological List of all Early Christian Writings

SOURCE : http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/dionysius.html

DIONYSIUS OF CORINTH, ST.

An outstanding writer among the non-Romans who corresponded with Pope soter c. 170. He was bishop of Corinth under Emperor Marcus Aurelius and was one of the most holy and zealous pastors of the Church in the second century. Eusebius gives us an account of the letters of Dionysius (Histoire ecclesiastique 4.23). Since none of the original letters are extant, the report of Eusebius is important.

In his letter to Soter, Dionysius thanked the bishop of Rome for his generosity in sending alms to the needy throughout the empire. This same letter mentions the letter of Pope St. clement to the Christians of Corinth. It is interesting to note in what esteem the letter of Clement was held. Dionysius' letter to the Lacedaemonians is an instruction in orthodoxy on the subject of peace and unity. Another letter to the Nicomedians combats the heresy of marcion. Dionysius wrote also to the Church while sojourning in Amastris, together with the churches in Pontus, adducing interpretations of the Scriptures and giving them many exhortations about marriage and chastity. In this same letter he also orders the faithful to receive those who are converted from any backsliding, whether of conduct or of heretical error.

From the account of Eusebius it appears that the letters of Dionysius must have been extant in one volume, which could have been completed while the writer was still living. It is also evident that his letters were held in high esteem by the different Christian communities, because he himself reported that the heretics tried to falsify them.

Feast: April 8 (Western Church); Nov. 29 (Eastern Church).

Bibliography: Eusebius, Histoire ecclesiastique 4.23. J. Quasten, Patrology, 3 v. (Westminster, MD 1950–) 1:280–282. I. Tsavare, Concordantia in Dionysii Periegetae descriptionem orbis terrarum (Hildesheim 1992), in Greek with an Eng. preface. P. Nautin, Dictionnaire d'histoire et de géographie ecclésiastiques (Paris 1912–), 14:261–262. B. Altaner, Patrology, tr. h. graef (New York 1960) 148.

[D. P. Kelleher]

SOURCE : https://www.encyclopedia.com/religion/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/dionysius-corinth-st

Chapter XXIII.—Dionysius, Bishop of Corinth, and the Epistles which he wrote.1245

1. And first we must speak of Dionysius, who was appointed bishop of the church in Corinth, and communicated freely of his inspired labors not only to his own people, but also to those in foreign lands, and rendered the greatest service to all in the catholic epistles which he wrote to the churches.

2. Among these is the one addressed to the Lacedæmonians,1246 containing instruction in the orthodox faith and an admonition to peace and unity; the one also addressed to the Athenians, exciting them to faith and to the life prescribed by the Gospel, which he accuses them of esteeming lightly, as if they had almost apostatized from the faith since the martyrdom of their ruler Publius,1247 which had taken place during the persecutions of those days.

3. He mentions Quadratus1248 also, stating that he was appointed their bishop after the martyrdom of Publius, and testifying that through his zeal they were brought together again and their faith revived. He records, moreover, that Dionysius the Areopagite,1249201who was converted to the faith by the apostle Paul, according to the statement in the Acts of the Apostles,1250 first obtained the episcopate of the church at Athens.

4. And there is extant another epistle of his addressed to the Nicomedians,1251 in which he attacks the heresy of Marcion, and stands fast by the canon of the truth.

5. Writing also to the church that is in Gortyna,1252 together with the other parishes in Crete, he commends their bishop Philip,1253 because of the many acts of fortitude which are testified to as performed by the church under him, and he warns them to be on their guard against the aberrations of the heretics.

6. And writing to the church that is in Amastris,1254 together with those in Pontus, he refers to Bacchylides1255 and Elpistus, as having urged him to write, and he adds explanations of passages of the divine Scriptures, and mentions their bishop Palmas1256 by name. He gives them much advice also in regard to marriage and chastity, and commands them to receive those who come back again after any fall, whether it be delinquency or heresy.1257

7. Among these is inserted also another epistle addressed to the Cnosians,1258 in which he exhorts Pinytus, bishop of the parish, not to lay upon the brethren a grievous and compulsory burden in regard to chastity, but to have regard to the weakness of the multitude.

8. Pinytus, replying to this epistle, admires and commends Dionysius, but exhorts him in turn to impart some time more solid food, and to feed the people under him, when he wrote again, with more advanced teaching, that they might not be fed continually on these milky doctrines and imperceptibly grow old under a training calculated for children. In this epistle also Pinytus’ orthodoxy in the faith and his care for the welfare of those placed under him, his learning and his comprehension of divine things, are revealed as in a most perfect image.

9. There is extant also another epistle written by Dionysius to the Romans, and addressed to Soter,1259 who was bishop at that time. We cannot do better than to subjoin some passages from this epistle, in which he commends the practice of the Romans which has been retained down to the persecution in our own days. His words are as follows:

10. “For from the beginning it has been your practice to do good to all the brethren in various ways, and to send contributions to many churches in every city. Thus relieving the want of the needy, and making provision for the brethren in the mines by the gifts which you have sent from the beginning, you Romans keep up the hereditary customs of the Romans, which your blessed bishop Soter has not only maintained, but also added to, furnishing an abundance of supplies to the saints, and encouraging the brethren from abroad with blessed words, as a loving father his children.”

11. In this same epistle he makes mention also of Clement’s epistle to the Corinthians,1260 showing that it had been the custom from the beginning to read it in the church. His words are as follows: “To-day we have passed the Lord’s holy day, in which we have read your epistle. From it, whenever we read it, we shall always be able to draw advice, as also from the former epistle, which was written to us through Clement.”

12. The same writer also speaks as follows concerning his own epistles, alleging that they had been mutilated: “As the brethren desired me to write epistles, I wrote. And these epistles the apostles of the devil have filled with tares, cutting out some things and adding others.1261 For them a woe is reserved.1262 It is, therefore, not to be wondered 202at if some have attempted to adulterate the Lord’s writings also,1263 since they have formed designs even against writings which are of less account.”1264

There is extant, in addition to these, another epistle of Dionysius, written to Chrysophora,1265 a most faithful sister. In it he writes what is suitable, and imparts to her also the proper spiritual food. So much concerning Dionysius.


1245    Eusebius speaks, in this chapter, of seven Catholic epistles, and of one addressed to an individual. None of these epistles are now extant, though Eusebius here, and in Bk. II. chap. 25, gives us four brief but interesting fragments from the Epistle to the Romans. We know of the other epistles only what Eusebius tells us in this chapter. That Dionysius was held in high esteem as a writer of epistles to the churches is clear, not only from Eusebius’ statement, but also from the fact that heretics thought it worth while to circulate interpolated and mutilated copies of them, as stated below. The fact that he wrote epistles to churches so widely scattered shows that he possessed an extended reputation.
   Of Dionysius himself (who is, without foundation, called a martyr by the Greek Church, and a confessor by the Latin Church) we know only what we are told by Eusebius, for Jerome (de vir ill. 27) adds nothing to the account given in this chapter. In his Chron. Eusebius mentions Dionysius in connection with the eleventh year of Marcus Aurelius. According to Eusebius’ statement in this same chapter, Dionysius’ Epistle to the Romans was addressed to the bishop Soter, and as Eusebius had the epistle before him, there is no reason for doubting his report. Soter was bishop from about 167 to 175 (see above, chap. 19, note 4), and therefore the statements of the Chron. and the History are in accord. When Dionysius died we do not know, but he was no longer living in 199, for Bacchylus was bishop of Corinth at that time (see Bk. V. chap. 22). It is commonly said that Dionysius was the immediate successor of Primus, bishop of Corinth. This may be true, but we have no ground for the assumption. We know only that Primus’ episcopate was synchronous, at least in part, with that of Pius of Rome (see the previous chapter, note 2), who was bishop from about 139 or 141 to 154 or 156, and that Dionysius’ episcopate was synchronous at least an part with that of Soter of Rome (about 167 to 175).

1246    This is, so far as I am aware, the earliest mention of a church at Lacedæmon or Sparta. The bishop of Sparta is mentioned in the synodical letter of the province of Hellas to the emperor Leo (457–477 a.d.), and also still later in the Acts of the Sixth and Eighth General Synods, according to Wiltsch’s Geography and Statistics of the Church (London ed. p. 134 and 466).

1247    Of this Publius we know only what Eusebius tells us here. What particular persecution is referred to we cannot tell, but Publius’ martyrdom seems to have occurred in the reign of Antoninus Pius or Marcus Aurelius; for he was the immediate predecessor of Quadratus, who was apparently bishop at the time Dionysius was writing.

1248    We know nothing more about this Quadratus, for he is to be distinguished from the prophet and from the apologist (see chap. 3, note 2). Eusebius’ words seem to imply that he was bishop at the time Dionysius was writing.

1249    On Dionysius the Areopagite, see Bk. III. chap. 4, note 20.

1250    See Acts xvii. 34.

1251    The extent of Dionysius’ influence is shown by his writing an epistle to so distant a church as that of Nicomedia in Bithynia, and also to the churches of Pontus (see below). The fact that he considers it necessary to attack Marcionism in this epistle to the Nicomedians is an indication of the wide and rapid spread of that sect,—which indeed is known to us from many sources.

1252    Gortyna was an important city in Crete, which was early the seat of a bishop. Tradition, indeed, makes Titus the first bishop of the church there.

1253    Of this Philip, bishop of Gortyna, and a contemporary of Dionysius, we know only what Eusebius tells us here and in chap. 25.

1254    Amastris was a city of Pontus, which is here mentioned for the first time as the seat of a Christian church. Its bishop is referred to frequently in the Acts of Councils during the next few centuries (see also note 12, below).

1255    This Bacchylides is perhaps identical with the Bacchylus who was afterward bishop of Corinth (Bk. V. chap. 22). Elpistus is an otherwise unknown personage.

1256    This Palmas, bishop of Amastris in Pontus, presided as senior bishop over a council of the bishops of Pontus held toward the close of the century on the paschal question (see Bk. V. chap. 23). Nothing more is known of him.

1257    It is quite likely, as Salmon suggests (in the Dict. of Christ. Biog.), that Dionysius, who wrote against Marcion in this epistle to the Nicomedians, also had Marcionism in view in writing on life and discipline to the churches of Pontus and Crete. It was probably in consequence of reaction against their strict discipline that he advocated the readmission to the Church of excommunicated offenders, in this anticipating the later practice of the Roman church, which was introduced by Callixtus and soon afterward became general, though not without bitter opposition from many quarters. Harnack (Dogmengeschichte, p. 332, note 4) throws doubt upon the correctness of this report of Eusebius; but such doubt is unwarranted, for Eusebius had Dionysius’ epistle before him, and the position which he represents him as taking is quite in accord with the mildness which he recommends to Pinytus, and is therefore just what we should expect. The fact that Callixtus’ principle is looked upon by Tertullian and Hippolytus as an innovation does not militate at all against the possibility that Dionysius in Corinth, or other individuals in other minor churches, held the same principles some time before.

1258    Cnossus, or Cnosus, was the capital city of Crete.
   This epistle is no longer extant, nor do we know anything about Pinytus himself except what is told us here and in chap. 21, above, where he is mentioned among the ecclesiastical writers of the day. Jerome (de vir. ill. 28) only repeats what Eusebius says, and Rufinus, in stating that Pinytus was convinced by the epistle of Dionysius and changed his course, seems simply to have misunderstood what Eusebius says about his admiration for and praise of Dionysius. It is evident from the tone of his reply that Pinytus was not led by Dionysius’ epistle to agree with him.

1259    On Soter, see chap. 19, note 2.
   This practice of the Roman church combined with other causes to secure it that position of influence and prominence which resulted in the primacy of its bishop, and finally in the papacy. The position of the Roman church, as well as its prosperity and numerical strength, gave it early a feeling that it was called upon in an especial way to exercise oversight and to care for weaker sister churches, and thus its own good offices helped to promote its influence and its power.

1260    On Clement’s Epistle to the Corinthians, see Bk. III. chap. 16.

1261    See above, note 1.

1262    Compare Rev. xxii. 18.

1263    A probable, though not exclusive, reference to Marcion, for he was by no means the only one of that age that interpolated and mutilated the works of the apostles to fit his theories. Apostolic works—true and false—circulated in great numbers, and were made the basis for the speculations and moral requirements of many of the heretical schools of the second century.

1264    οὐ τοιαύταις

1265    Chrysophora is an otherwise unknown person.

SOURCE : https://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf201.iii.ix.xxiii.html

San Dionigi di Corinto Vescovo


Corinto, sec. II

Venne nominato vescovo della sua città. Le poche notizie sicure che si hanno di lui risalgono a S. Girolamo e soprattutto ad Eusebio di Cesarea. Eusebio ci ha conservato frammenti interessanti di otto sue lettere, inviate alla Chiesa di Atene, di Lacedemone, di Amastri nel Ponto, di Cnosso in Creta. Tali frammenti, nonostante siano privi di notizie su S. Dionigi sono comunque documenti importanti e unici. Da essi si ricavano informazioni preziose sulla religiosità di alcune città e regioni, durante il pontificato di S. Sotere. Dionigi viene ricordato come martire nel Martirologio Romano ma anche sulla sua morte, non ci sono informazioni certe.

Etimologia: Dionigi = consacrato a Dioniso (è il dio Bacco)

Emblema: Bastone pastorale

Martirologio Romano: Commemorazione di san Dionigi, vescovo di Corinto, che, dotato di una mirabile conoscenza della parola di Dio, istruì con la predicazione i fedeli della sua città e con lettere anche i vescovi di altre città e province.

E' noto dalle brevi notizie di san Girolamo (De viris illustribus, XXVII) e, soprattutto, di Eusebio di Cesarea, che ne loda lo zelo apostolico e ci ha conservato importanti frammenti di otto sue lettere inviate alle Chiese di Atene, di cui era vescovo Publio, ucciso per la fede all'inizio dell'impero di Marco Aurelio, di Lacedemone, di Nicomedia, di Gortina in Creta (oggi Gerópotamos), di Amastri nel Ponto, di Cnosso in Creta, il cui vescovo Pinito rispose in termini di somma deferenza, e di Roma. Un'altra fu indirizzata a certa Crisofora, una buona cristiana peraltro ignota.

Questi frammenti danno notizie preziose sulle condizioni religiose di alcune città e regioni durante il pontificato di san Sotero (166-75). 

Degno di nota è un frammento della lettera ai fedeli di Roma: «Vobis consuetudo est, jam inde ab ipso religionis exordio, ut fratres omnes vario beneficiorum genere affìciatis, et Ecclesiis quam plurimis, quae in singulis urbibus constitutae sunt, necessaria vitae subsidia transmittatis. Et hac ratione tum egentium inopiam sublevatis, turn fratribus, qui in metallis opus faciunt, necessaria suppeditatis: per haec quae ab initio transmittere consuevistis munera, morem institutumque Romanorum, a maioribus vestris acceptum, Romani retinentes. Atque hunc morem beatus Episcopus vester Soter, non servavit solum, verum etiam adauxit, turn munera sanctis destinata copiose subministrans, turn fratres peregre advenientes, tamquam liberos suos pater amantissimus, beatis sermonibus consolando».

«Avete ereditato dagli avi l’usanza di prendervi cura in vario modo di tutti i fratelli, e di inviare aiuti a molte Chiese presenti in ogni città; avete alleviato così le sofferenze dei bisognosi e siete venuti incontro ai fratelli condannati ai lavori forzati nelle miniere con quei sussidi che voi, o Romani, inviate da sempre, secondo l’usanza dei vostri padri; E il vostro beato vescovo Sotero l’ha non solamente conservata, ma anche incrementata; egli li ha beneficiati con gli aiuti inviati ai santi ed esortando i fratelli con parole di beatitudine, come fa un padre affettuoso con i figli»: con queste parole, il vescovo di Corinto sottolinea sia la preminenza della Chiesa di Roma, che soccorre le Chiese figlie in un’epoca in cui non si era ancora affermato il primato della sede romana, sia la carità cristiana che ha profondamente segnato il pontificato di san Sotero, animato dall’amore di padre verso i fratelli sull’esempio del Vangelo.

Il Sinassario Costantinopolitano lo ricorda il 29 novembre come martire, benché non si conosca nulla di certo sulla sua morte. In Occidente per primo Usuardo lo introdusse nel suo Martirologio, donde passò nel Martirologio Romano all'8 aprile. L'elogio di questo è formato in gran parte dalle parole di san Girolamo.

Il suo corpo, trasferito a Roma, fu dato da Innocenzo III (1198-1216) ad Emerico, priore del monastero di San Dionigi in agro parisiensi.

Autore: Pietro Burchi