Passages /
Book 6 /
Section 40
6.40.1
XL. Τά γέ τοι κατὰ Διονύσιον ἐκ τῆς πρὸς Γερμανὸν ἐπιστολῆς αὐτοῦ παραθήσομαι, ἔνθα τοῦτον περὶ ἑαυτοῦ λέγων ἱστορεῖ τὸν τρόπον· “ἐγὼ δὲ καὶ ἐνώπιον τοῦ θεοῦ λαλῶ, καὶ αὐτὸς οἶδεν εἰ ψεύδομαι· οὐδεμίαν ἐπ’ ἐμαυτοῦ βαλλόμενος οὐδὲ ἀθεεὶ πεποίημαι τὴν φυγήν, ἀλλὰ καὶ πρότερον, τοῦ κατὰ Δέκιον προτεθέντος διωγμοῦ, Σαβῖνος αὐτῆς ὥρας φρουμεντάριον ἔπεμψεν εἰς ἀωαζήτησίν μου, κἀγὼ μὲν τεσσάρων ἡμερῶν ἐπὶ τῆς οἰκίας ἔμεινα, τὴν ἄφιξιν τοῦ φρουμενταρίου προσδοκῶν, ὃ δὲ πάντα μὲν περιῆλθεν ἀνερευνῶν, τὰς ὁδοὺς τοὺς ποταμοὺς τοὺς ἀγρούς, ἔνθα κρύπτεσθαί με ἢ βαδίζειν ὑπενόησεν, ἀορασάᾳ δὲ εἴχετο μὴ εὑ τὴν τὴν οἰκίαν· οὐ γὰρ ἐπίστευεν οἴκοι με διωκόμενον μένειν. καὶ μόλις, μετὰ τὴν τετάρτην ἡμέραν, κελεύσαντός μοι μεταστῆναι τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ παραδόξως ὁδοποιήσαντος, ἐγώ τε καὶ οἱ παῖδες καὶ πολλοὶ τῶν ἀδελφῶν ἅμα συνεξήλθομεν. καὶ ὅτι τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ προνοίας ἔργον ἐκεῖνο γέγονεν, τὰ ἑξῆς ἐδήλωσεν, ἐν οἷς τάχα τισὶν γεγόναμεν χρήσιμοι.”
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XL. As to that which befell Dionysius, I shall quote from a letter of his against Germanus, where, speaking of himself, he gives the following account: “Now I for my part speak also before God, and He knows if I lie. Acting not on my own judgment, nor apart from God, have I taken flight; but on a former occasion also, when the persecution under Decius was publicly proclaimed, that selfsame hour Sabinus sent a frumentarius to seek me out, and I on my part remained four days at my house, expecting the arrival of the frumentarius; but he went around searching everything, the roads, the rivers, the fields, where he suspected I was hidden or walking, but was blinded and did not find the house. For he did not believe that, pursued as I was, I was staying at home. And after the fourth day, when God bade me depart, and miraculously made a way, I and the boys and many of the brethren set out together. And that this was the work of Divine Providence, the sequel showed, in which we proved helpful, it may be, to some.”
6.40.2
Εἶτά τινα μεταξὺ εἰπών, τὰ μετὰ τὴν φυγὴν αὐτῷ συμβεβηκότα δηλοῖ, ταῦτα ἐπιφέρων· “ἐγὼ μὲν γὰρ περὶ ἡλίου δυσμὰς ἅμα τοῖς αὺν ἐμοὶ γενόμενος ὑπὸ τοῖς στρατιώταις, εἰς Ταπόσιριν ἤχθην, ὁ δὲ Τιμόθεος κατὰ τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ πρόνοιαν ἔτυχεν μὴ παρὼν μηδὲ καταληφθείς, ἐλθὼν δὲ ὕστερον εὗρεν τὸν οἶκον ἔρημον καὶ φρουροῦντας αὐτὸν ὑπηρέτας, ἡμᾶς δέ ἐξηνδραποδισμένους.”
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Then, after some intervening remarks, he tells what happened to him after the flight, adding as follows: “For I, indeed, falling about sunset into the hands of the soldiers, together with those who were with me, was brought to Taposiris; but Timothy, by the divine Providence, happened to be absent and not to be seized; but coming afterwards he found the house deserted and the servants guarding it, and us completely enslaved.”
6.40.3
Kαὶ μεθ’ ἕτερά φησιν· “καὶ τίς ὁ τῆς θαυμασίας οἰκονομίας αὐτοῦ τρόπος; τὰ γὰρ ἀληθῆ λεχθήσεται. ἀπήντετό τις τῶν χωριτῶν ὑποφεύγοντι τῷ Τιμοθέῳ καὶ τεταραγμένῳ, καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν τῆς ἐπείξεως ἐπύθετο. ὁ δὲ τἀληθὲς ἐξεῖπεν, κἀκεῖνος ἀκούσας (ἀπῄει δ’ εὐωχησόμενος γάμους, διαπαννυχίζειν γὰρ αὐτοῖς ἐν ταῖς τοιαύταις συνόδοις ἔθος) εἰσελθὼν ἀπήγγειλεν τοῖς κατακειμένοις· οἵ δὲ ὁρμῇ μιᾷ, καθάπερ ὑπὸ συνθήματι, ἐξανέστησαν, καὶ δρόμῳ φερόμενοι τάχιστα ἧκον, ἐπεισπεσόντες τε ἡμῖν ἠλάλαξαν, καὶ φυγῆς εὐθέως τῶν φρουρούντων ἡμᾶς στρατιωτῶν γενομένης, ἐπέστησαν ἡμῖν, ὡς εἴχομεν ἐπὶ τῶν ἀστρώτων σκιμπόδων κατακείμενοι. κἀγὼ μέν, οἶδεν ὁ θεὸς ὡς λῃστὰς εἶναι πρότερον ἡγούμενος ἐπὶ σύλησιν καὶ ἁρπαγὴν ἀφικομένους, μένων ἐπὶ τῆς εὐνῆς, ἤμην γυμνὸς ἐν τῷ λινῷ ἐσθήματι, τὴν δὲ λοιπὴν ἐσθῆτα παρακειμένην αὐτοῖς ὤρεγον· οἳ δὲ ἐξανίστασθαί τε ἐκέλευον καὶ τὴν ταχίστην ἐξιέναι. καὶ τότε συνεὶς ἐφ’ ᾧ παρῆσαν, ἀνέκραγον δεόμενος αὐτῶν καὶ ἱκετεύων ἀπιέναι καὶ ἡμᾶς ἐᾶν, εἰ δὲ βούλονταί τι χρηστὸν ἐργάσασθαι, τοὺς ἀπάγοντάς με Φθάσαι καὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν αὐτοὺς τὴν ἐμὴν ἀποτεμεῖν ἠξίουν. καὶ τοιαῦτα βοῶντος, ὡς ἴσασιν οἱ κοινωνοί μου καὶ μέτοχοι πάντων γενόμενοι, ἀνίστασαν πρὸς βίαν. κἀγὼ μὲν παρῆ ἐμαυτὸν ὕπτιον εἰς τοὔδαφος, οἳ δὲ διαλαβόντες χειρῶν καὶ ποδῶν σύροντες ἐξήγαγον, ἐπηκολούθουι δέ μοι οἱ τούτων πάντων μάρτυρες, Γάιος Φαῦστος Πέτρος Παῦλος· οἳ καὶ ὑπολαβόντες με Φοράδηι ἐξήγαγον τοῦ πολιχνίου καὶ ὄνῳ γυμνῷ ἐπιβιβάσαν· τες ἀπήγαγον.” ταῦτα περὶ ἑαυτοῦ ὁ Διονύσιος.
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And further on he says: “And what was the way which He wonderfully brought it about? For the truth shall be told. One of the country-folk met Timothy fleeing and distraught, and inquired the reason of his haste. And he spoke out the truth, and when the other heard it (now he was off to take part in a marriage-feast, for it is their custom to spend the tire night in such gatherings) he went in and told those who were reclining at table. And they all, with single impulse, as if at a preconcerted signal, rose, and came running with all speed; and bursting upon us they gave a shout, and when the soldiers who were guarding us straightway took to flight, they came up to us, lying as we were on pallets without bedding. And I—God knows that at first I thought they were robbers coming to plunder and steal—remained on the bed, naked save for my linen shirt, and the rest of my garments that were lying by I held out to them. But they bade me get up and go out with all speed. And then, gathering why they were there, I cried out, begging and beseeching them to go away and leave us alone; and I asked them, if they had to do me a good turn, to anticipate those who were leading me away and to cut off my head themselves. And while I was thus shouting, as those who were my companions and partakers in everything know, they raised me up forcibly. And I let myself fall on my back to the ground, but they seized me by hands and feet and dragged and brought me outside. And there followed me the witnesses of all these things, Gaius, Faustus, Peter and Paul; who took me up in their arms and brought me out of the little town, and setting me on the bare back of an ass led me away.” Such is the account concerning himself of Dionysius.