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Epistle to Dionysius Bishop of Rome

Dionysius of Alexandria

Section 6

About this work

Author: Dionysius of Alexandria

6. But when I spoke of things created,

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and

certain

works

to

be

considered

,

I

hastily

put

forward

illustrations

of

such

things

,

as

it

were

little

appropriate

,

when

I

said

neither

is

the

plant

the

same

as

the

husbandman

,

nor

the

boat

the

same

as

the

boatbuilder

.

But

then

I

lingered

rather

upon

things

suitable

and

more

adapted

to

the

nature

of

the

thing

,

and

I

unfolded

in

many

words

,

by

various

carefully

considered

arguments

,

what

things

were

more

true

;

which

things

,

moreover

,

I

have

set

forth

to

you

in

another

letter

.

And

in

these

things

I

have

also

proved

the

falsehood

of

the

charge

which

they

bring

against

me

—

to

wit

,

that

I

do

not

maintain

that

Christ

is

consubstantial

with

God

.

For

although

I

say

that

I

have

never

either

found

or

read

this

word

in

the

sacred

Scriptures

,

yet

other

reasonings

,

which

I

immediately

subjoined

,

are

in

no

wise

discrepant

from

this

view

,

because

I

brought

forward

as

an

illustration

human

offspring

,

which

assuredly

is

of

the

same

kind

as

the

begetter

;

and

I

said

that

parents

are

absolutely

distinguished

from

their

children

by

the

fact

alone

that

they

themselves

are

not

their

children

,

or

that

it

would

assuredly

be

a

matter

of

necessity

that

there

would

neither

be

parents

nor

children

.

But

,

as

I

said

before

,

I

have

not

the

letter

in

my

possession

,

on

account

of

the

present

condition

of

affairs

;

otherwise

I

would

have

sent

you

the

very

words

that

I

then

wrote

,

yea

,

and

a

copy

of

the

whole

letter

,

and

I

will

send

it

if

at

any

time

I

shall

have

the

opportunity

.

I

remember

,

further

,

that

I

added

many

similitudes

from

things

kindred

to

one

another

.

For

I

said

that

the

plant

,

whether

it

grows

up

from

seed

or

from

a

root

,

is

different

from

that

whence

it

sprouted

,

although

it

is

absolutely

of

the

same

nature

;

and

similarly

,

that

a

river

flowing

from

a

spring

takes

another

form

and

name

:

for

that

neither

is

the

spring

called

the

river

,

nor

the

river

the

spring

,

but

that

these

are

two

things

,

and

that

the

spring

indeed

is

,

as

it

were

,

the

father

,

while

the

river

is

the

water

from

the

spring

.

But

they

feign

that

they

do

not

see

these

things

and

the

like

to

them

which

are

written

,

as

if

they

were

blind

;

but

they

endeavour

to

assail

me

from

a

distance

with

expressions

too

carelessly

used

,

as

if

they

were

stones

,

not

observing

that

on

things

of

which

they

are

ignorant

,

and

which

require

interpretation

to

be

understood

,

illustrations

that

are

not

only

remote

,

but

even

contrary

,

will

often

throw

light

.

Notes

1
From Athan., Ep. de decret. Nic. Syn., 4. 18. [See remarks on inevitable discrepancies of language and figurative illustrations at this formative period, vol. iv. p. 223.]