Fragments of the Letters · §2 · Dionysius of Corinth

Public reading of the Roman and Clementine letters on the Lord's day

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Dionysius is writing to the Roman church, recalling how he and his church read the Romans' letter on the Lord's day and will keep reading it for admonition, just as they do the earlier letter written through Clement.

In this same letter he also mentions Clement's letter to the Corinthians, making clear that from the beginning, from ancient custom, its reading was done in the church. Dionysius says: "Today we spent the holy Lord's day, and on it we read your letter. We will always have it to read for our admonition, just as we do the former one written to us through Clement."

Greek

Ἐν αὐτῇ δὲ ταύτῃ (epistola) καὶ τῆς Κλήμεντος πρὸς Κορινθίους μέμνηται ἐπιστολῆς, (verba Eusebii sunt in loco modo signato) δηλῶν ἀνέκαθεν ἐξ ἀρχαίου ἔθους ἐπὶ τῆς ἐκκλησίας τὴν ἀνάγνωσιν αὐτῆς ποιεῖσθαι. λέγει γοῦν (Dionysius) 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.

About this text

Fragments of letters from Dionysius, bishop of Corinth, to churches across the Greek world, quoted by Eusebius.

Dionysius was bishop of Corinth in the mid-second century. He wrote pastoral letters to churches and individuals across the Greek-speaking world, including Rome, Sparta, Athens, Nicomedia, Gortyn in Crete, Amastris in Pontus, Cnossus, and a Christian woman named Chrysophora. He wrote to address local needs, encourage sound teaching, and respond to requests from fellow believers.

The letters survive only in fragments quoted by the church historian Eusebius. Dionysius wrote in a period when his letters carried enough authority that heretical groups tried to alter them by adding or removing material. He himself warns that his writings had been corrupted by agents of the devil. The fragments show his wide pastoral concern for orthodoxy, peace, and moral discipline across many churches.

A reader will meet Soter, bishop of Rome, praised for his generosity in sending aid to needy churches and to Christians condemned to forced labor in the mines. Dionysius recalls reading the Romans' letter publicly on the Lord's day and says the Corinthians will keep reading it, just as they do the earlier letter written through Clement. He praises the Romans and Corinthians for blending together the planting made by the apostles Peter and Paul, who taught together in Italy and were martyred at the same time. He also mentions Publius, a leader of the Athenian church who was martyred, and Quadratus, bishop of Athens after him. Dionysius the Areopagite, a member of the Athenian council converted by Paul according to the Acts of the Apostles, appears as the first bishop of Athens. Other figures include Philip, bishop of Gortyn, and Pinytus, bishop of Cnossus, whom Dionysius urged not to impose too heavy a burden of purity on the brethren. Bacchylides and Elpistus are two men who urged Dionysius to write to the church at Amastris. The fragments also refer to the heresy of Marcion, a false teaching judged by the standard of truth.

New English from the Greek base text; no published English used as wording.

Printed text used

Translated from Reliquiae sacrae Martin Joseph Routh Dionysius Corinthius Oxford University Press Oxford 1846 (Greek)

This work has passed this project's source check. This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. Open Greek on each section for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.