4.23.1
ΧΧΙΙΙ. καὶ πρῶτόν γε.περὶ Διονυσίου φατέον ὅτι τε τῆς ἐν Κορίνθῳ παροικίας τὸν τῆς ἐπισκοπῆς ἐγκεχείριστο θρόνον, καὶ ὡς τῆς ἐνθέου φιλοπονίας οὐ μόνοις τοῖς ὑπ’ αὐτόν, ἀλλ’ ἤδη καὶ τοῖς ἐπὶ τῆς ἀλλοδαπῆς ἀφθόνως ἐκοινώνει, Χρησιμώτατον ἅπασιν ἑαυτὸν καθιστὰς ἐν αἷς ὑπετυποῦτο καθο- λικαῖς πρὸς τὰς ἐκκλησίας ἐπιστολαῖς· ὧν ἐστιν ἡ μὲν πρὸς Λακεδαιμονίους ὀρθοδοξίας κατηχητικὴ εἰρήνης τε καὶ ἑνώσεως ὑποθετική, ἢ δὲ πρὸς Ἀθηναίους διεγερτικὴ πῖστεως καὶ τῆς κατὰ τὸ εὐαγγέλιον πολιτείας, ἧς ὀλιγωρήσαντας ἐλέγχει ὡς ἂν μικροῦ δεῖν ἀποστάντας του 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 διὰ τῆς αὐτοῦ σπουδῆς ἐπισυναχθέντων καὶ τῆς πίστεως ἀναζωπύρησιν εἰληχότων· δηλοῖ δ’ ἐπὶ τούτοις ὡς καὶ Διονύσιος ὁ Ἀρεοπαγίτης ὑπὸ τοῦ ἀποστόλου Παύλου προτραπεὶς ἐπὶ τὴν πίστιν κατὰ τὰ ἐν ταῖς Πράξεσιν δεδηλωμένα, πρῶτος τῆς Ἀθήνησι παροικίας τὴν ἐπισκοπὴν ἐγκεχείριστο. ὤη δ’ ἐπιστολή τις αὐτοῦ πρὸς Νικομηδέας φέρεται, ἐν ᾖ τὴν Μαρκίωνος αἵρεσιν πολεμῶν τῷ τῆς ἀληθείας παρίσταται κανόνι. καὶ τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ δὲ τῇ παροικούδῃ Γόρτυναν ἅμα ταῖς λοιπαῖς κατὰ Κρήτην παροικίαις ἐπιστείλας, Φίλιππον ἐπίσκοπον αὐτῶν ἀποδέχεται ἅτε δὴ ἐπὶ πλείσταις μαρτυρουμένης ἀνδραγαθίαις τῆς ὑπ’ αὐτὸν ἐκ- λησίας, τήν τε τῶν αἱρετικῶν διαστροφὴν ὑπομιμνήσκει φυλάττεσθαι. καὶ τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ δὲ τῇ παροικούσῃ Ἄμαστριν ἅμα ταῖς κατὰ παροικούσῃ Βακχυλίδου μὲν καὶ Ἐλπίστου ὡς ἂν αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τὸ γραφαὶ προτρεψάντων μέμνηται, γραφῶν τε θείων ἐξηγήσεις παρατέθειται, ἐπί. σκοπὸν 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 πρὸς Κνωσίους ἐπιστολή, ἐν ἡ Πινυτὸν τῆς παροικίας ἐπίσκοπον παρακαλεῖ μὴ βαρὺ φορτίον ἐπάναγκες τὸ περὶ ἁγνείας τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς ἐπιτιθέναι, τῆς δὲ τῶν πολλῶν καταστοχάζεσθαι ἀσθενείας· πρὸς ἢν ὁ Πινυτὸς ἀντιγρόαφων, θαυμάζει μὲν καὶ ἀποδέχεται τὸν Διονύσιον, ἀντιπαρακαλεῖ δὲ στερροτέρας ἤδη ποτὲ μεταδιδόναι τροφῆς, τελειοτέροις γράμμασιν εἰς αὖθις ’τον παρ’ αὐτῷ λαὸν ὑποθρέψαντα, ὡς μὴ διὰ τέλους τοῖς γαλακτώδεσιν ἐνδιατρίβοντες λόγοις τῆ νηπιώδει ἀγωγῆ λάθοιεν καταγηράσαντες· δι’ ἧς ἐπιστολῆς καὶ ἢ τοῦ Πινυτοῦ περὶ τὴν πίστιν ὀρθοδοξία τε καὶ φροντὶς τῆς τῶν ὑπηκόων ὠφελείας τ’ ὁ τε λόγιον καὶ ἡ περὶ τὰ θεῖα σύνεσις ὡς δι’ ἀκριβεστάτης εἰκόνος.
XXIII. Concerning Dionysius it must first be said that he was appointed to the throne of the episcopate of the diocese of Corinth, and that he communicated his divine industry ungrudgingly not only to those under him but also to those at a distance, rendering himself most useful to all in the general epistles which he drew up for the churches. Among them the letter to the Lacedaemonians is an instruction in orthodoxy on the subject of peace and unity, and the letter to the Athenians is a call to faith and to life according to the gospel, and for despising this he rebukes them as all but apostates from the truth since the martyrdom of Publius, their leader, in the persecution of that time. He mentions that Quadratus was appointed their bishop after the martyrdom of Publius and testifies that through his zeal they had been brought together and received a revival of their faith. Moreover, he mentions that Dionysius the Areopagite was converted by the Apostle Paul to the faith, according to the narrative in the Acts, and was the first to be appointed to the bishopric of the diocese of Athens. There is another extant letter of his to the Nicomedians in which he condemns the heresy of Marcion and compares it with the rule of the truth. He also wrote to the church sojourning in Gortyna together with the other Cretan dioceses, and welcomes their bishop Philip for the reputation of the church in his charge for many noble acts, and he enjoins care against heretical error. He also wrote to the church sojourning in Amastris, together with the churches in Pontus, and mentions that Bacchylides and Elpistus had urged him to write; he adduces interpretations of the divine scriptures, and mentions by name their bishop Palmas. He gave them many exhortations about marriage and chastity, and orders them to receive those who are converted from any backsliding, whether of conduct or heretical error. To this list has been added another epistle to Cnossus, in which he exhorts Pinytos, the bishop of the diocese, not to put on the brethren a heavy compulsory burden concerning chastity and to consider the weaknesses of the many. To this Pinytos replied that he admired and welcomed Dionysius, but exhorted him in turn to provide at some time more solid food, and to nourish the people under him with another more advanced letter, so that they might not be fed continually on milky words, and be caught unaware by old age while still treated as children. In this letter the orthodoxy of Pinytos in the faith, his care for those under him, his learning and theological understanding are shown as in a most accurate image.