St. Dionysius of Alexandria: Letters and TreatisesDionysius, of Alexandria, Saint
Religion
St. Dionysius of Alexandria: Letters and Treatises
Dionysius, of Alexandria, Saint
Church history -- Primitive and early church, ca. 30-600 -- Sources
I truly desire counsel, brother, and ask an opinion from you, being
afraid lest after all I am wrong in my treatment of a case that has come
before me as follows—
One who is reckoned faithful among the brethren who meet together, of old
standing, having been a member even before my ordination (as Bishop), and
I fancy even before the appointment of the blessed Heraclas, had been
present at a recent baptism and heard the questions and answers (in that
service). He came to me weeping and bemoaning himself and falling at my
feet, confessing and protesting that the baptism he had received among
the heretics was not this, nor had anything in common with it: for that
was full of impiety and blasphemies:[101] and he said that he was now
sore pricked in the soul and had no courage even to lift up his eyes to
God, because he had started with such unholy words and rites, and so he
begged to obtain this thorough means of purification and acceptance and
grace. But this I did not venture to do, saying that his so long being in
communion with us was sufficient for the purpose. For as he had heard the
Giving of Thanks (Eucharist) and joined in saying the Amen,[102] and
stood[103] at the Table[104] and stretched forth his hands to receive the
holy Food and had taken it and partaken of the Body and Blood of our Lord
Jesus Christ for a considerable period, I should not venture to put him
back to the beginning once more. So I bade him take courage and approach
for the receiving of the Holy Things with sure faith and good hope. But
he ceases not to grieve, and shrinks from approaching the Table and can
with difficulty be persuaded to stand with (the _Consistentes_)[105] for
the Prayers.
To Conon[106]
(Pitra, _Spic. Sol._ i. 15, from a Bodl. MS. dated 1062)
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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