Dionysius (Bishop of Rome)

Fresco of Dionysius in the Seeon Monastery

Dionysius (* unknown; † December 26, 268 ) was Bishop of Rome from July 22, 260 until his death. The church and monastery of San Dionigi alle Qattro Fontane and San Silvestro in Capite in Rome are dedicated to him.

Life

Dionysius was probably born in Greece , his name means " consecrated to Dionysus " (Greek / Latin.). As a Roman presbyter, he was involved in a theological dispute over the validity of baptism by heretics .

After he was elected in 260 after the persecution of Emperor Valerian , he was given the task of reorganizing the Roman Church , which was in chaos at that time.

He struggled with the subordinatianism condemned as heresy by the church , which stood in contrast to the monarchianism fought under Calixt I : During his pontificate, Egyptian clergy turned to him about doctrinal disputes. He convened a synod that condemned Sabellianism and Subordinatianism. He communicated the resolutions of this synod to Dionysius of Alexandria in a text. In it he contrasted the creation of the Logos with his being- begotten : The Logos (“the Word”) cannot have become, since otherwise there would have to have been a time when the Logos was not; but he was always because he is in the Father and the Father's Logos, power and wisdom, without which God could never have been. Dionysius of Alexandria thereupon revoked his Christological view of the creature nature of the Logos and adopted the doctrine of the Roman Synod in a detailed work. In it he emphasized the eternity of the Logos and its essential unity with the Father. With this relenting, this theological dispute was overcome.

Dionysius sent large sums of money to the churches of Cappadocia , which had been devastated by marauding Goths , in order to rebuild them and to buy the prisoners free. The reorganization of the Church and the peace with Emperor Gallienus brought a period of calm for the Roman Church. Dionysius is the first bishop of Rome who definitely did not die a martyr: he died on December 26, 268.

Adoration

Memorial days

• Catholic: December 26th
• in Augsburg and France: Finding the bones: April 22nd

iconography

In San Paolo fuori le Mura he was depicted with a tunic , pallium and tonsure , in the Sistine Chapel he is shown in regalia with a book in the series of papal frescoes.

literature

• W. Möller; Hauck:  Dionysius, Bishop of Rome . In: Realencyklopadie for Protestant Theology and Church (RE). 3. Edition. Volume 4, Hinrichs, Leipzig 1898, pp. 702-703.
• Friedrich Wilhelm Bautz :  Dionysius. In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Volume 1, Bautz, Hamm 1975. 2nd, unchanged edition Hamm 1990, ISBN 3-88309-013-1 , Sp. 1318.
• Entry in the Catholic Encyclopedia , Robert Appleton Company, New York 1913.
• Adolf Jülicher : Dionysios 152 . In: Paulys Realencyclopadie der classischen Antiquity Science (RE). Volume V, 1, Stuttgart 1903, Col. 994 f.

Web links

Commons : Dionysius (Bishop of Rome)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Dionysius in the Ecumenical Lexicon of Saints
• Complete works of Migne Patrologia Latina with table of contents

predecessor	Office	successor
Sixtus II.	Bishop of Rome (the term Pope was first used after 384) approx. 260–268	Felix I.