Dionysius of Alexandria
Home > Church Fathers > Dionysius of Alexandria Dionysius of Alexandria At a Glance Treatise Genre: (4/5) ***** Reliability of Dating: (3/5) *** Length of Text: Greek Original Language: Ancient Translations: Modern Translations: English Estimated Range of Dating: 230-265 A.D. Chronological List of Early Christian Writings Discuss this text on the Early Writings forum. Text The works of Gregory Thaumaturgus, Dionysius of Alexandria and Archelaus St. Dionysius of Alexandria Letters and Treatises Letters of Dionysius of Alexandria to the Popes Stephen and Xystus Conybeare: Letters of Dionysius of Alexandria Resources Dionysius of Alexandria Offsite Links Gallery of Philologists A Note on Dionysius of Alexandria's Letter to Novatian in Light of Third-Century Papyri Books Claudio Moreschini and Enrico Norelli, Early Christian Greek and Latin Literature, Vol.
1, pp. 305-308 Johannes Quasten, Patrology (4 Volume Set), Vol. 2, pp. 101-109 Siegmar Dpp and Wilhelm Geerlings, Dictionary of Early Christian Literature, pp. 177-178 Recommended Books for the Study of Early Christian Writings Information on Dionysius of Alexandria Dionysius studied under Origen and Heraclas in Alexandria, and he would go on to succeed Heraclas as the head of the catechetical school in 231. Dionysius became the bishop of Alexandria in 248. His correspondence survives primarily through quotations from Eusebius. During the Decian persecution, he went into hiding. Later he would side with those who wanted to accept the lapsed, who had disowned their faith during the persecution, back into the church.
He did not favor rebaptism for the lapsed or heretics. In the controversy between Novatian and Cornelius over the bishopric of Rome, he sided with Cornelius. Dionysius used the title "Theotokos," mother of God, for Mary, a phrase first used by Origen. Dionysius was an opponent of chiliasm, an eschatological belief in a 1000-year reign of Christ on earth. In this connection he has a famous passage, quoted in the seventh book of Eusebius' Ecclesiastical History, in which he reflects on the book of Revelation and considers that it could not have been written by the author of the Gospel of John, saying, "On the character of each, on the linguistic style, and on the general tone, as it is called, of Revelation, I base my opinion that the author was not the same." Dionysius was born in the late second or early third century.
He died of an illness in 264 or 265. Some Contemporary Texts Acts of Perpetua and Felicitas (203 A.D.) Origen (203-250 A.D.) Lucian of Antioch (210-245 A.D.) Callistus (217-222 A.D.) Dionysius of Alexandria (230-265 A.D.) Firmilian of Caesarea (230-268 A.D.) Commodian (240-260 A.D.) Cyprian (246-258 A.D.) Gospel of Mani (250-274 A.D.) Go to the Chronological List of all Early Christian Writings Please buy the CD to support the site, view it without ads, and get bonus stuff! Early Christian Writings is copyright © Peter Kirby <E-Mail&gt. Follow @mrpeterkirby MLA Style Kirby, Peter. "Dionysius of Alexandria." Early Christian Writings. <http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/dionysiusalexandria.html>.
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