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To Fabius, Bishop of Antioch

Dionysius of Alexandria

Section 2

About this work

A fragmentary letter recounting persecution in Alexandria and the varied responses of Christians under pressure, preserving vivid stories of confession, suffering, flight, and martyrdom during imperial crisis.

Author: Dionysius of Alexandria
Date: c. AD 250s
Origin: Alexandria
Genre: Letter

The letter survives through excerpts rather than as a complete independent manuscript.

2. First, then, they seized

‹ Section 1 Section 3 ›

an

old

man

of

the

name

of

Metras

,

and

commanded

him

to

utter

words

of

impiety

;

and

as

he

refused

,

they

beat

his

body

with

clubs

,

and

lacerated

his

face

and

eyes

with

sharp

reeds

,

and

then

dragged

him

off

to

the

suburbs

and

stoned

him

there

.

carried

off

a

woman

named

Quinta

,

who

was

a

believer

,

to

an

idol

temple

,

and

compelled

her

to

worship

the

idol

;

and

when

she

turned

away

from

it

,

and

showed

how

she

detested

it

,

they

bound

her

feet

and

dragged

her

through

the

whole

city

along

the

rough

stone

-

paved

streets

,

knocking

her

at

the

same

time

against

the

millstones

,

and

scourging

her

,

until

they

brought

her

to

the

same

place

,

and

stoned

her

also

there

.

Then

with

one

impulse

they

all

rushed

upon

the

houses

of

the

God

-

fearing

,

and

whatever

pious

persons

any

of

them

knew

individually

as

neighbours

,

after

these

they

hurried

and

bore

them

with

them

,

and

robbed

and

plundered

them

,

setting

aside

the

more

valuable

portions

of

their

property

for

themselves

,

and

scattering

about

the

commoner

articles

,

and

such

as

were

made

of

wood

,

and

burning

them

on

the

roads

,

so

that

they

made

these

parts

present

the

spectacle

of

a

city

taken

by

the

enemy

.

The

brethren

,

however

,

simply

gave

way

and

withdrew

,

and

,

like

those

to

whom

Paul

bears

witness

,

they

took

the

spoiling

of

their

goods

with

joy

.

And

I

know

not

that

any

of

them

—

except

possibly

some

solitary

individual

who

may

have

chanced

to

fall

into

their

hands

—

thus

far

has

denied

the

Lord

.

Notes

4
Heb. x. 30.