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Epistle to Dionysius Bishop of Rome

Dionysius of Alexandria

Section 14

About this work

Author: Dionysius of Alexandria

14. Even as our mind emits from itself a

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word

,

—

as

says

the

prophet

,

“

My

heart

hath

uttered

forth

a

good

word

,

”

—

and

each

of

the

two

is

distinct

the

one

from

the

other

,

and

maintaining

a

peculiar

place

,

and

one

that

is

distinguished

from

the

other

;

since

the

former

indeed

abides

and

is

stirred

in

the

heart

,

while

the

latter

has

its

place

in

the

tongue

and

in

the

mouth

.

And

yet

they

are

not

apart

from

one

another

,

nor

deprived

of

one

another

;

neither

is

the

mind

without

the

word

,

nor

is

the

word

without

the

mind

;

but

the

mind

makes

the

word

and

appears

in

the

word

,

and

the

word

exhibits

the

mind

wherein

it

was

made

.

And

the

mind

indeed

is

,

as

it

were

,

the

word

immanent

,

while

the

word

is

the

mind

breaking

forth

.

The

mind

passes

into

the

word

,

and

the

word

transmits

the

mind

to

the

surrounding

hearers

;

and

thus

the

mind

by

means

of

the

word

takes

its

place

in

the

souls

of

the

hearers

,

entering

in

at

the

same

time

as

the

word

.

And

indeed

the

mind

is

,

as

it

were

,

the

father

of

the

word

,

existing

in

itself

;

but

the

word

is

as

the

son

of

the

mind

,

and

cannot

be

made

before

it

nor

without

it

,

but

exists

with

it

,

whence

it

has

taken

its

seed

and

origin

.

In

the

same

manner

,

also

,

the

Almighty

Father

and

Universal

Mind

has

before

all

things

the

Son

,

the

Word

,

and

the

discourse

,

as

the

interpreter

and

messenger

of

Himself

.

Notes

1
Ex Athan., Ep. de decret. Nic. Syn., 4. 25. [P. 94, notes 1, 2, infra.]
2
Ps. xlv. 1.
3
Emanant. [P. 49, supra, and vol. iii. p. 299, this series.]
4
Sermonem. [So Tertullian, Sermo, vol. iii. p. 299, note 19.]