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.
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
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
Additional
Information
Book
of Saints, by the Monks of
Ramsgate
Our Sunday Visitor’s Encyclopedia of Saints
MLA
Citation
“Saint Dionysius of
Corinth“. CatholicSaints.Info. 9 March 2010. Web. 4 October 2024.
<https://catholicsaints.info/saint-dionysius-10-march/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/saint-dionysius-10-march/
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.
SOURCE : http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05010a.htm
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).
SOURCE : http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/0408.shtml
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
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.]
Copyright Statement
These files are public
domain.
Text Courtesy of BibleSupport.com.
Used by Permission.
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.
SOURCE : http://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/hwd/view.cgi?n=208
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]
New Catholic Encyclopedia
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
SOURCE : http://www.santiebeati.it/dettaglio/48800
Voir aussi : http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf201.iii.ix.xxiii.html
http://aren.org/prison/documents/religion/Church%20Fathers/Dionysius,%20Bishop%20of%20Corinth.pdf
