Fragments
Fragmenta
The Roman Custom of Charity§1
1For it is your custom from the beginning to do good to all brothers in various ways, and to send supplies to many churches throughout the whole city; in this way you refresh the poor who are in need, and in this way you provide for brothers who are in wealth.
Through these you send the first supplies, a custom handed down from fathers which Romans preserve among Romans; which not only your blessed bishop Soter maintained, but also increased, providing the abundance sent out to the saints, and with blessed words encouraging the suffering brothers as a fatherly, loving parent does.
In this letter also he mentions the letter of Clement to the Corinthians, declaring from of old that it is the custom to perform the reading of it for the church. He says, therefore: We lead the present Lord's Day, the holy day, in which we read your letter; which we shall always have reading to be admonished, just as we had the former written to us through Clement.
These things also you do through such much admonition, the [...]
Greek · §1
Fragmenta BEATI DIONYSII, CORINTHII EPISCOPI, MEDIO QUI SAECULO SECUNDO FLORUIT, FRAGMENTA. EX EPISTOLA AD ROMANOS QUAM AD SOTEREM EPISCOPUM EORUM SCRIPSIT. Ἐξ ἀρχῆς γὰρ ὑμῖν ἔθος ἐστὶ τοῦτο, πάντας μὲν ἀδελφοὺς ποικίλως εὐεργετεῖν, ἐκκλησίαις τε πολλαῖς ταῖς κατὰ πᾶσαν πόλιν ἐφόδια πέμπειν· ὧδε μὲν τὴν τῶν δεομένων πενίαν ἀναψύχοντας· ἐν μετάλλοις δὲ ἀδελφοῖς ὑπάρχουσιν ἐπιχορηγοῦντας· δι' ὧν πέμπετε ἀρχῆθεν ἐφοδίων, πατροπαράδοτον ἔθος Ῥωμαίων Ῥωμαῖοι διαφυλάττοντες· ὃ οὐ μόνον διατετήρηκεν ὁ μακάριος ὑμῶν ἐπίσκοπος Σωτὴρ, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπηύξηκεν· ἐπιχορηγῶν μὲν τὴν διαπεμπομένην δαψίλειαν τὴν εἰς τοὺς ἁγίους· λόγοις δὲ μακαρίοις τοὺς ἀνιόντας ἀδελφοὺς ὡς τέκνα πατὴρ φιλόστοργος παρακαλῶν. ηαεξ αττυλιτ ευσεβιυς λιβ. ιῃ. ηιστ. ξ. 23. 180 εχ εαδεμ επιστολα. Ἐν αὐτῇ δὲ ταύτῃ (επιστολα) καὶ τῆς Κλήμεντος πρὸς Κορινθίους μέμνηται ἐπιστολῆς, (ῃερβα ευσεβιι συντ ιν λοξο μοδο σιγνατο) δηλῶν ἀνέκαθεν ἐξ ἀρχαίου ἔθους ἐπὶ τῆς ἐκκλησίας τὴν ἀνάγνωσιν αὐτῆς ποιεῖσθαι. λέγει γοῦν (διονψσιυς)· Τὴν σήμερον οὖν Κυριακὴν ἁγίαν ἡμέραν διηγάγομεν, ἐν ᾗ ἀνέγνωμεν ὑμῶν τὴν ἐπιστολήν· ἣν ἕξομεν ἀεί ποτε ἀναγινώσκοντες νουθετεῖσθαι, ὡς καὶ τὴν προτέραν ἡμῖν διὰ Κλήμεντος γραφεῖσαν. εχ εαδεμ επιστολα. Ταῦτα (ῃαλεσιυς εμενδατ ταύτῃ) καὶ ὑμεῖς διὰ τῆς τοσαύτης νουθεσίας, τὴν
The Apostolic Planting and Forged Epistles§2
2Having been made a planting from Peter and Paul, you harvested both Romans and Corinthians. For both of them, having planted us even into our own Corinth, taught identically.
And having taught similarly even into Italy, they bore witness at the same time. And yet the same person says these things concerning his own letters, as if they had been forged.
For I wrote, having been deemed worthy to write the letters of brothers. And the apostles of the devil have filled these with weeds: some things they take away, and some things they add; to which the woe appliess. It is not therefore a wonder if some have cast forged things upon even the Lord's letters, since they have cast attacks upon those not such.
And first it must be said concerning Dionysius: that he had been entrusted with the throne of the episcopate of the residing in Corinthand how, of the divine philanthropy, he shared abundantly not only with those under him, but already also with those in foreign lands; most useful...
Greek · §2
ἀπὸ Πέτρου καὶ Παύλου φυτείαν γενηθεῖσαν Ῥωμαίων τε καὶ Κορινθίων συνεκεράσατε. καὶ γὰρ ἄμφω καὶ εἰς τὴν ἡμετέραν Κόρινθον φυτεύσαντες ἡμᾶς, ὁμοίως ἐδίδαξαν. ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ εἰς τὴν Ἰταλίαν ὁμόσε διδάξαντες, ἐμαρτύρησαν κατὰ τὸν αὐτὸν καιρόν. προτυλιτ ηαεξ ευσεβιυς λιβ. ιι. ηιστ. ξ. 25. 181 εχ εαδεμ επιστολα. Ἔτι δὲ ὁ αὐτὸς καὶ περὶ τῶν ἰδίων ἐπιστολῶν (ῃερβα ευσεβιι συντ ιν λιβ. ιῃ. ηιστ. ξ. 23.) ὡς ῥᾳδιουργηθεισῶν. ταῦτα φησίν. Ἐπιστολὰς γὰρ ἀδελφῶν ἀξιωσάντων με γράψαι, ἔγραψα. καὶ ταύτας οἱ τοῦ διαβόλου ἀπόστολοι ζιζανίων γεγέμικαν· ἃ μὲν ἐξαιροῦντες, ἃ δὲ προστιθέντες· οἷς τὸ οὐαὶ κεῖται. οὐ θαυμαστὸν ἄρα εἰ καὶ τῶν Κυριακῶν ῥαδιουργῆσαί τινες (φορ. λεγενδ. τινας) ἐπιβέβληνται γραφῶν, ὁπότε καὶ ταῖς οὐ τοιαύταις ἐπιβεβλήκασι (αλιι ἐπιβουλεύκασι). δε ρελιθυις σεπτεμ επιστολις ηαεξ ποσυιτ ιβιδεμ ευσεβιυς. Καὶ πρῶτόν γε περὶ ∆ιονυσίου φατέον· ὅτι τε τῆς ἐν Κορίνθῳ παροικίας τὸν τῆς ἐπισκοπῆς ἐγκεχείριστο θρόνον· καὶ ὡς τῆς ἐνθέου φιλοπονίας οὐ μόνον τοῖς ὑπ' αὐτὸν, ἀλλ' ἤδη καὶ τοῖς ἐπὶ τῆς ἀλλοδαπῆς ἀφθόνως ἐκοινώνει· χρησιμώτατον
Description of the Epistles§3
3Having made himself known to all, in which he represented himself through universal letters to the churches. Of these, the one to the Lacedaemonians is catechetical regarding orthodoxy, and foundational for peace and unity.
The one to the Athenians is an awakening of faith and of the way of life according to the Gospel; which, having grown small, he reproves, saying that they must be little ones departing from the Word, from whom he testifies of their leader Puplius regarding the persecutions that happened then. And he remembers Kodratus standing as their bishop after the one who testified, Puplius; testifying how, through his zeal, they had been gathered together and had received a rekindling of faith.
And he shows upon this, how even Dionysius the Areopagite, having been turned to faith by the apostle Paul according to what was made manifest in the deeds Acts 17:34, was first entrusted with the oversight of the residence in Athens.
And another of his letter to Nicomedes is brought forward; in which, warring against the heresy of Marcion, he presents the rule to the truth. And to the church residing at Corinth, along with the others, according to [...]
Greek · §3
ἅπασιν ἑαυτὸν καθιστὰς, ἐν αἷς ὑπετυποῦτο καθολικαῖς πρὸς τὰς ἐκκλησίας ἐπιστολαῖς. ὧν ἐστιν, Ἡ ΜΕΝ ΠΡΟΣ ΛΑΚΕ∆ΑΙΜΟΝΙΟΥΣ, ὀρθοδοξίας κατηχητικὴ, εἰρήνης τε καὶ ἑνώσεως ὑποθετική. 182 Ἡ ∆Ε ΠΡΟΣ ΑΘΗΝΑΙΟΥΣ, διεγερτικὴ πίστεως καὶ τῆς κατὰ τὸ εὐαγγέλιον πολιτείας· ἧς ὀλιγωρήσαντας ἐλέγχει, ὡς ἂν μικροῦ δεῖν ἀποστάντας τοῦ λόγου, ἐξ οὗπερ τὸν προεστῶτα αὐτῶν Πούπλιον μαρτυρῆσαι κατὰ τοὺς τότε συνέβη διωγμούς. Κοδράτου δὲ μετὰ τὸν μαρτυρήσαντα Πούπλιον καταστάντος αὐτῶν ἐπισκόπου μέμνηται· ἐπιμαρτυρῶν, ὡς ἂν διὰ τῆς αὐτοῦ σπουδῆς ἐπισυναχθέντων, καὶ τῆς πίστεως ἀναζωπύρησιν εἰληχότων· δηλοῖ δ' ἐπὶ τούτοις, ὡς καὶ ∆ιονύσιος ὁ Ἀρεοπαγίτης ὑπὸ τοῦ ἀποστόλου Παύλου προτραπεὶς ἐπὶ τὴν πίστιν κατὰ τὰ ἐν ταῖς πράξεσι δεδηλωμένα, πρῶτος τῆς ἐν Ἀθήναις παροικίας τὴν ἐπισκοπὴν ἐγκεχείριστο. 1 Ἄλλη δ' ἐπιστολή τις αὐτοῦ ΠΡΟΣ ΝΙΚΟΜΗ∆ΕΑΣ φέρεται· ἐν ᾗ τὴν Μαρκίωνος αἵρεσιν πολεμῶν, τῷ τῆς ἀληθείας παρίσταται κανόνι. Καὶ τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ δὲ τῇ παροικούσῃ ΓΟΡΤΥΝΑΝ ἉΜΑ ΤΑΙΣ ΛΟΙΠΑΙΣ ΚΑΤΑ
Summary of Letters§4
4He sent letters to the resident aliens in Crete, and receives Philip as their bishop, while the great courage of the church under him is being testified; he reminds them to guard against the perversion of the heretics.
And regarding the church residing in Amastris, he sent letters to them by way of Pontus, and he remembers having urged Bakchylides and Elpis to write to him; he sets forth explanations of divine writings; he marks out Palman as their bishop; and he advises the same people much concerning marriage and chastity. He also commands that those who are turning back from whatever fall, whether from fault or from heretical error, should be received.
By these means another letter was sent toward the Knossians, in which he exhorts Pinutos, the bishop of the resident aliens, not to always lay the heavy burden of chastity upon the brothers, but to observe the weakness of the many.
And another letter of Dionysius is brought alongside these, having been sent to a most faithful sister, Chrysophoros. In which, by writing the appropriate things, she also shared in the logical food that was fitting for her.
Greek · §4
ΚΡΗΤΗΝ ΠΑΡΟΙΚΙΑΙΣ ἐπιστείλας, Φίλιππον ἐπίσκοπον αὐτῶν ἀποδέχεται, ἅτε δὴ ἐπὶ πλείσταις μαρτυρουμένης ἀνδραγαθίαις τῆς ὑπ' αὐτὸν ἐκκλησίας· τήν τε τῶν αἱρετικῶν διαστροφὴν ὑπομιμνήσκει φυλάττεσθαι. Καὶ τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ δὲ τῇ παροικούσῃ ΑΜΑΣΤΡΙΝ ἉΜΑ ΤΑΙΣ ΚΑΤΑ ΠΟΝΤΟΝ ἐπιστείλας, Βακχυλίδου μὲν καὶ Ἐλπίστου, ὡς ἂν αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τὸ γράψαι προτρεψάντων μέμνηται· γραφῶν τε θείων 183 ἐξηγήσεις παρατέθειται· ἐπίσκοπον αὐτῶν ὀνόματι Πάλμαν ὑποσημαίνων· πολλὰ δὲ περὶ γάμου καὶ ἁγνείας τοῖς αὐτοῖς παραινεῖ. καὶ τοὺς ἐξ οἵας δ' οὖν ἀποπτώσεως, εἴτε πλημμελείας, εἴτε μὴν αἱρετικῆς πλάνης ἐπιστρέφοντας, δεξιοῦσθαι προστάττει. Ταύταις ἄλλη ἐγκατείλεκται ΠΡΟΣ ΚΝΩΣΣΙΟΥΣ ἐπιστολὴ, ἐν ᾗ Πινυτὸν τῆς παροικίας ἐπίσκοπον παρακαλεῖ, μὴ βαρὺ φορτίον ἐπάναγκες τὸ περὶ ἁγνείας τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς ἐπιτιθέναι, τῆς δὲ τῶν πολλῶν καταστοχάζεσθαι ἀσθενείας. – Καὶ ἄλλη δέ τις παρὰ ταύτας ἐπιστολὴ τοῦ ∆ιονυσίου φέρεται, ΧΡΥΣΟΦΟΡΑΙ πιστοτάτῃ ἀδελφῇ ἐπιστείλαντος. ᾗ τὰ κατάλληλα γράφων, τῆς προσηκούσης καὶ αὐτῇ μετεδίδου λογικῆς τροφῆς. 2