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Against Bishop Germanus

Dionysius of Alexandria

Section 4

About this work

Author: Dionysius of Alexandria

4. I fear that I run the risk of

‹ Section 3 Section 5 ›

being

charged

with

great

folly

and

senselessness

,

placed

as

I

am

under

the

necessity

of

giving

a

narrative

of

the

wonderful

dispensation

of

God’s

providence

in

our

case

.

Since

,

however

,

as

one

says

,

it

is

good

to

keep

close

the

secret

of

a

king

,

but

it

is

honourable

to

reveal

the

works

of

God

,

I

shall

come

to

close

quarters

with

the

violence

of

Germanus

.

I

came

to

Æmilianus

not

alone

;

for

there

accompanied

me

also

my

co

-

presbyter

Maximus

,

and

the

deacons

Faustus

and

Eusebius

and

Chæremon

;

and

one

of

the

brethren

who

had

come

from

Rome

went

also

with

us

.

Æmilianus

,

then

,

did

not

lead

off

by

saying

to

me

,

“

Hold

no

assemblies

.

”

That

was

indeed

a

thing

superfluous

for

him

to

do

,

and

the

last

thing

which

one

would

do

who

meant

to

go

back

to

what

was

first

and

of

prime

importance

:

for

his

concern

was

not

about

our

gathering

others

together

in

assembly

,

but

about

our

not

being

Christians

ourselves

.

From

this

,

therefore

,

he

commanded

me

to

desist

,

thinking

,

doubtless

,

that

if

I

myself

should

recant

,

the

others

would

also

follow

me

in

that

.

But

I

answered

him

neither

unreasonably

nor

in

many

words

,

“

We

must

obey

God

rather

than

men

.

”

Moreover

,

I

testified

openly

that

I

worshipped

the

only

true

God

and

none

other

,

and

that

I

could

neither

alter

that

position

nor

ever

cease

to

be

a

Christian

.

Thereupon

he

ordered

us

to

go

away

to

a

village

near

the

desert

,

called

Cephro

.

Notes

10
Tobit xii. 7.
11
τὸ τελευταῖον ἐπι τὸ πρῶτον ἀνατρέχοντι, i.e., to begin by interdicting him from holding Christian assemblies, while the great question was whether he was a Christian at all, would have been to place first what was last in order and consequence.
12
Acts v. 29.