V.—The
Epistle to Bishop Basilides.746
| 746
Containing explanations which were given as answers to questions
proposed by that bishop on various topics, and which have been received
as canons. [The Scholium, p. 79, is transposed from
here.] |
————————————
Canon I.
Dionysius to Basilides, my beloved son, and my brother,
a fellow-minister with me in holy things, and an obedient servant of
God, in the Lord greeting.
You have sent to me, most faithful and
accomplished son, in order to inquire what is the proper hour for
bringing the fast to a close747
| 747
ἀπονηστίζεσθαι
δεῖ. Gentianus Hervetus renders this by
jejunandus sit dies Paschæ; and thus he translates the word
by jejunare, “to fast,” wherever it occurs, whereas
it rather means always, jejunium solvere, “to have
done fasting.” In this sense the word is used in the
Apostolic Constitutions repeatedly: see book v. chap. 12,
18, etc. It occurs in the same sense in the 89th Canon of the
Concilium Trullanum. The usage must evidently be the same
here: so that it does not mean, What is the proper hour for
fasting on the day of Pentecost? but, What is the hour at which the
ante-paschal fast ought to be terminated—whether on the evening
preceding the paschal festival itself, or at cockcrowing, or at another
time?—Gall. See also the very full
article in Suicer, s.v. |
on the day of
Pentecost.
748
| 748 I
give the beginning of this epistle of Dionysius of Alexandria also as
it is found in not a few manuscripts, viz., ἐπέστειλάς
μοι…τῇ τοῦ πάσχα
περιλύσει,—the
common reading being, τὴν
τοῦ πάσχα
ἡμέραν. And the
περίλυσις
τοῦ πάσχα
denotes the close of the paschal fast, as Eusebius (Hist.
Eccles. v. 23) uses the phrase τὰς τῶν
ἀσιτιῶν
ἐπιλύσεις,—the
verbs περιλύειν,
ἀπολύειν,
ἐπιλύειν,
καταλύειν,
being often used in this sense.—Cotelerius on the Apostolic Constitutions, v.
15. |
For you say that there are some
of the
brethren who hold that that should be done at cockcrow, and
others who hold that it should be at nightfall.
749
For the
brethren in
Rome, as they
say, wait for the
cock; whereas, regarding those here, you told us that
they would have it earlier.
750
| 750 [Note this
and the Nicene decision which made the Alexandrian bishop the authority
concerning the paschal annually, vol. ii. Elucidation II. p.
343.] |
And it is your anxious desire,
accordingly, to have the hour presented accurately, and determined with
perfect exactness,
751
which indeed is
a matter of difficulty and uncertainty. However, it will be
acknowledged cordially by all, that from the date of the resurrection
of our
Lord, those who up to that time have been humbling their
souls
with fastings, ought at once to begin their festal
joy and
gladness. But in what you have written to me you have made out
very clearly, and with an intelligent understanding of the Holy
Scriptures, that no very exact account seems to be offered in them of
the hour at which He rose. For the
evangelists have given
different descriptions of the parties who came to the
sepulchre one
after another,
752
| 752
κατὰ
καιροὺς
ἐνηλλαγμένους. |
and all have
declared that they found the
Lord risen already. It was “in
the end of the
Sabbath,” as Matthew has said;
753
it was “early, when it was yet
dark,” as John writes;
754
it
was “very early in the morning,” as Luke puts it; and it
was “very early in the morning, at the rising of the sun,”
as Mark tells us. Thus no one has shown us clearly the exact time
when He rose. It is admitted, however, that those who came to the
sepulchre in the end of the
Sabbath, as it began to
dawn toward the
first day of the
week,
755
| 755
τῇ
ἐπιφωσκούσῃ
μιᾷ
Σαββάτων. |
found Him no longer
lying in it. And let us not suppose that the
evangelists disagree or
contradict each other. But even although
there may seem to be
some
small difficulty as to the subject of our inquiry, if they all
agree that the
light of the
world, our
Lord, rose on that one
night,
while they differ with respect to the hour, we may well
seek with
wise
and
faithful mind to harmonize their statements. The narrative by
Matthew then, runs thus: “In the end of the
Sabbath as it
began to
dawn toward the first day of the
week,
756
| 756
τῆ
ἐπιφωσκούσῃ
εἰς μίαν
Σαββάτων. |
came
Mary Magdalene, and the other
Mary,
to see the
sepulchre. And, behold, there was a great
earthquake: for the
angel of the
Lord descended from
heaven, and
came and rolled back the
stone, and sat upon it. And his
countenance was like
lightning, and his
raiment white as
snow:
and for
fear of him the
keepers did shake, and became as dead
men. And the
angel answered and said unto the
women,
Fear not
ye: for I know that ye
seek Jesus, which was crucified. He
is not here; for He is risen, as He said.”
757
Now this phrase “in the
end” will be thought by some to signify, according to the common
use
758
of the word, the
evening of the
Sabbath; while others, with a better perception
of the fact, will say that it does not indicate that, but
a late
hour in the night,
759
as
the phrase “in the end”
760
denotes slowness and length of time.
Also because he speaks of
night, and not of
evening, he
has added the words, “as it began to
dawn toward the first day of
the
week.” And the parties here did not come yet, as the
others say, “bearing
spices,” but “to see the
sepulchre;” and they
discovered the occurrence of the
earthquake,
and the
angel sitting upon the
stone, and heard from him the
declaration, “He is not here, He is risen.” And to
the same effect is the
testimony of John. “The first day of
the
week,” says he, “came
Mary Magdalene early, when it was
yet
dark, unto the
sepulchre, and seeth the
stone taken away from the
sepulchre.”
761
Only,
according to this “when it was yet
dark,” she had come in
advance.
762
| 762
παρὰ
τοῦτο…προεληλύθει. |
And Luke
says: “They
rested the
Sabbath-day, according to the
commandment. Now, upon the first day of the
week, very early in
the morning, they came unto the
sepulchre, bringing the
spices which
they had prepared; and they found the
stone rolled away from the
sepulchre.”
763
This
phrase “very early in the morning”
764
probably indicates the early
dawn765
| 765
προϋποφαινομένην
αὐτὴν
ἐωθινὴν
ἐμφανίζει. |
of the first day
of the
week; and thus, when the
Sabbath itself was wholly past, and
also the whole
night succeeding it, and when another day had begun,
they came, bringing
spices and
myrrh, and then it became apparent that
He had already risen long before. And Mark follows this, and
says: “They had
bought sweet
spices, in order that they
might come and
anoint Him. And very early (in the morning), the
first day of the
week, they come unto the
sepulchre at the rising of
the sun.”
766
For this
evangelist also has used the term “very early,” which is
just the same as the “very early in the morning” employed
by the former; and he has added, “at the rising of the
sun.” Thus they set out, and took their way first when it
was “very early in the morning,” or (as Mark says) when it
was “very early;” but on the road, and by their stay at the
sepulchre, they spent the time till it was sunrise. And then the
young man clad in white said to them, “He is risen, He is not
here.” As the case stands thus, we make the following
statement and explanation to those who
seek an exact account of the
specific hour, or half-hour, or quarter of an hour, at which it is
proper to begin their rejoicing over our
Lord’s rising from the
dead. Those who are too hasty, and give up even before
midnight,
767
| 767
πρὸ
νυκτὸς ἔγγυς
ἤδη μεσούσης
ἀνιέντας. |
we reprehend as
remiss and intemperate, and as almost
breaking off from their course in
their precipitation,
768
| 768
ὡς παρ᾽ ὀλίγον
προκαταλύοντας
τὸν δρὸμον. |
for it is a
wise man’s word, “That is not little in
life
which is within a little.” And those who hold out and
continue for a very long time, and persevere even on to the fourth
watch, which is also the time at which our Saviour manifested Himself
walking upon the
sea to those who were then on the
deep, we receive as
noble and laborious
disciples. On those, again, who pause and
refresh themselves in the course as they are moved or as they are able,
let us not press very hard:
769
for all do not carry out the six
days of
fasting770
| 770 That is,
as Balsamon explains, the six days of the week of our Lord’s
passion. |
either equally or
alike; but some pass even all the days as a fast, remaining without
food through the whole; while others take but two, and others three,
and others four, and others not even one. And to those who have
laboured painfully through these protracted fasts. and have thereafter
become exhausted and well-nigh undone, pardon ought to be extended if
they are somewhat precipitate in taking
food. But if there are
any who not only decline such protracted
fasting, but refuse at the
first to fast at all, and rather indulge themselves luxuriously during
the first four days, and then when they reach the last two
days—viz., the preparation and the Sabbath—fast with due
rigour during these, and these alone, and think that they do something
grand and brilliant if they hold out till the morning, I cannot think
that they have gone through the time on equal terms with those who have been practising
the same during several days before. This is the counsel which,
in accordance with my apprehension of the question, I have offered you
in writing on these matters.
771
| 771 To
these canons are appended the comments of Balsamon and Zonaras, which
it is not necessary to give here. |
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