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Head of the Catholic Church from 259 to 268
Pope Dionysius
(
Greek
: Διον?σιο?) was the
bishop of Rome
from 22 July 259 CE to his death on 26 December 268. His task was to reorganise the
Catholic Church
, after the persecutions of
Emperor
Valerian I
, and the edict of toleration by his successor
Gallienus
. He also helped rebuild the churches of
Cappadocia
, devastated by the marauding
Goths
.
Pontificate
[
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]
Dionysius may have been born in
Magna Græcia
, but this has not been verified. He was
elected pope
in 259, after the martyrdom of
Sixtus II
in 258. The
Holy See
had been vacant for nearly a year because it was difficult to elect a new pope during the violent persecution which
Christians
faced.
[1]
When the oppression had begun to subside, Dionysius was raised to the office of Bishop of Rome.
Emperor Valerian I
, who had led the tyranny, was captured and killed by the
King of Persia
in 260.
[1]
The new emperor,
Gallienus
, issued an edict of
toleration
, restoring the churches, cemeteries and other properties it had held, ushering in the nearly 40-year "
Little Peace of the Church
".
[2]
To the new pope fell the task of reshaping the Catholic Church, which had fallen into great disorder.
Teaching regarding the relation of God to the
Logos
had arisen from
Bishop Dionysius
in
Alexandria
. The pope in Rome called for explanations; a satisfactory response duly arrived back, notwithstanding expostulation about the propriety of all this from some of the Alexandrian Christians.
[1]
To rebuild, and to ransom those held captive, Pope Dionysius sent large sums of money to the churches of
Cappadocia
, devastated by marauding
Goths
. Following Emperor Gallienus' edict of toleration, he brought order to the church and helped secure a peace that lasted until 303, some 35 years after his death on 26 December 268.
[1]
In art, Dionysius is portrayed in
papal vestments
, along with a book.
[1]
See also
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Notes
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- ^
a
b
c
d
e
Kirsch, Johann Peter (1909). "Pope St. Dionysius" in
The Catholic Encyclopedia
. Vol. 5. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
- ^
Eusebius,
Historia Ecclesiastica
, 7.13; translated by G.A. Williamson,
Eusebius: The History of the Church
(Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1965), p. 299
References
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Literature
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External links
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