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To Sixtus II

Dionysius of Alexandria

Salutation / Introduction

About this work

Author: Dionysius of Alexandria

Epistle IX.—To Sixtus II.

For truly, brother

,

I

have

need

of

advice

,

and

I

crave

your

judgment

,

lest

perchance

I

should

be

mistaken

upon

the

matters

which

in

such

wise

happen

to

me

.

One

of

the

brethren

who

come

together

to

the

church

,

who

for

some

time

has

been

esteemed

as

a

believer

,

and

who

before

my

ordination

,

and

,

if

I

am

not

deceived

,

before

even

the

episcopate

of

Heraclas

himself

,

had

been

a

partaker

of

the

assembly

of

the

faithful

,

when

he

had

been

concerned

in

the

baptism

of

those

who

were

lately

baptized

,

and

had

heard

the

interrogatories

and

their

answers

,

came

to

me

in

tears

,

and

bewailing

his

lot

.

And

throwing

himself

at

my

feet

,

he

began

to

confess

and

to

protest

that

this

baptism

by

which

he

had

been

initiated

among

heretics

was

not

of

this

kind

,

nor

had

it

anything

whatever

in

common

with

this

of

ours

,

because

that

it

was

full

of

blasphemy

and

impiety

.

And

he

said

that

his

soul

was

pierced

with

a

very

bitter

sense

of

sorrow

,

and

that

he

did

not

dare

even

to

lift

up

his

eyes

to

God

,

because

he

had

been

initiated

by

those

wicked

words

and

things

.

Wherefore

he

besought

that

,

by

this

purest

laver

,

he

might

be

endowed

with

adoption

and

grace

.

And

I

,

indeed

,

have

not

dared

to

do

this

;

but

I

have

said

that

the

long

course

of

communion

had

been

sufficient

for

this

.

For

I

should

not

dare

to

renew

afresh

,

after

all

,

one

who

had

heard

the

giving

of

thanks

,

and

who

had

answered

with

others

Amen

;

who

had

stood

at

the

holy

table

,

and

had

stretched

forth

his

hands

to

receive

the

blessed

food

,

and

had

received

it

,

and

for

a

very

long

time

had

been

a

partaker

of

the

body

and

blood

of

our

Lord

Jesus

Christ

.

Henceforth

I

bade

him

be

of

good

courage

,

and

approach

to

the

sacred

elements

with

a

firm

faith

and

a

good

conscience

,

and

become

a

partaker

of

them

.

But

he

makes

no

end

of

his

wailing

,

and

shrinks

from

approaching

to

the

table

;

and

scarcely

,

when

entreated

,

can

he

bear

to

be

present

at

the

prayers

.

Notes

1
Of a man who sought to be introduced to the Church by baptism, although he said that he had received baptism, with other words and matters among the heretics.
2
[Vol. v. See a reference to Cyril’s Catechetical Lectures.]