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To the Alexandrians

Dionysius of Alexandria

Section 2

About this work

Author: Dionysius of Alexandria

2. Many terrible calamities, it is true, have

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also

befallen

us

before

this

.

For

first

they

drove

us

away

;

and

though

we

were

quite

alone

,

and

pursued

by

all

,

and

in

the

way

of

being

slain

,

we

kept

our

festival

,

even

at

such

a

time

.

And

every

place

that

had

been

the

scene

of

some

of

the

successive

sufferings

which

befell

any

of

us

,

became

a

seat

for

our

solemn

assemblies

,

—

the

field

,

the

desert

,

the

ship

,

the

inn

,

the

prison

,

—

all

alike

.

The

most

gladsome

festival

of

all

,

however

,

has

been

celebrated

by

those

perfect

martyrs

who

have

sat

down

at

the

feast

in

heaven

.

And

after

these

things

war

and

famine

surprised

us

.

These

were

calamities

which

we

shared

,

indeed

,

with

the

heathen

.

But

we

had

also

to

bear

by

ourselves

alone

those

ills

with

which

they

outraged

us

,

and

we

had

at

the

same

time

to

sustain

our

part

in

those

things

which

they

either

did

to

each

other

or

suffered

at

each

other’s

hands

;

while

again

we

rejoiced

deeply

in

that

peace

of

Christ

which

He

imparted

to

us

alone

.