Dionysius The Great
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Dionysius The Great
Dionysius the Great () was the 14th Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria from 28 December 248 until his death on 22 March 264. Most information known about him comes from a large corpus of correspondence. Only one complete letter survives; the remaining letters are excerpted in the works of Eusebius. Called "the Great" by Eusebius, Basil of Caesarea and others, he was characterized by the ''Catholic Encyclopedia'' as "undoubtedly, after St. Cyprian, the most eminent bishop of the third century... like St. Cyprian, less a great theologian than a great administrator." Early life Dionysius was born to a wealthy polytheistic family around 190. He spent much time reading books and carefully studying the traditions of polytheists. He converted to Christianity at a relatively young age. Dionysius converted to Christianity when he had a vision from God, in which he was commanded to study and refute the heresies facing the early Christians. After his conversion, he joined the Catechetical ...
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Pope
The pope is the bishop of Rome and the Head of the Church#Catholic Church, visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. He is also known as the supreme pontiff, Roman pontiff, or sovereign pontiff. From the 8th century until 1870, the pope was the sovereign or head of state of the Papal States, and since 1929 of the much smaller Vatican City state. From a Catholic viewpoint, the primacy of the bishop of Rome is largely derived from his role as the apostolic successor to Saint Peter, to whom Petrine primacy, primacy was conferred by Jesus, who gave Peter the Keys of Heaven and the powers of "binding and loosing", naming him as the "rock" upon which the Church would be built. The current pope is Leo XIV, who was elected on 8 May 2025 on the second day of the 2025 papal conclave. Although his office is called the papacy, the ecclesiastical jurisdiction, jurisdiction of the episcopal see is called the Holy See. The word "see" comes from the Latin for 'seat' or 'chair' (, refe ...
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Eusebius
Eusebius of Caesarea (30 May AD 339), also known as Eusebius Pamphilius, was a historian of Christianity, exegete, and Christian polemicist from the Roman province of Syria Palaestina. In about AD 314 he became the bishop of Caesarea Maritima. Together with Pamphilus, Eusebius was a scholar of the biblical canon and is regarded as one of the most learned Christians during late antiquity. He wrote the ''Demonstrations of the Gospel'', '' Preparations for the Gospel'' and ''On Discrepancies between the Gospels'', studies of the biblical text. His work '' Onomasticon'' is an early geographical lexicon of places in the Holy Land mentioned in the Bible. As "Father of Church History" (not to be confused with the title of Church Father), he produced the ''Ecclesiastical History'', ''On the Life of Pamphilus'', the ''Chronicle'' and ''On the Martyrs''. He also produced a biographical work on Constantine the Great, the first Christian Roman emperor, who was ''Augustus'' between A ...
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Pope Cornelius
Pope Cornelius () was the bishop of Rome from 6th or 13 March 251 until his martyrdom in June 253. He was pope during and following a period of persecution of the church, while a schism occurred over how Lapsi (Christianity), repentant church members who had practiced pagan sacrifices to protect themselves could be readmitted to the church. He agreed with Cyprian of Carthage that those who had lapsed could be restored to communion after varying forms of Initiation, Reinitiation and Penance. This position was in contrast to the Novatianism, Novatianists, who held that those who failed to maintain their confession of faith under persecution would not be received again into communion with the church. This resulted in a short-lived schism in the Church of Rome that spread as each side sought to gather support. Cornelius held a synod that confirmed his election and excommunicated Novatian, but the controversy regarding lapsed members continued for years. The persecutions resumed in 251 ...
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Libyan Desert
The Libyan Desert (not to be confused with the Libyan Sahara) is a geographical region filling the northeastern Sahara Desert, from eastern Libya to the Western Desert (Egypt), Western Desert of Egypt and far northwestern Sudan. On medieval maps, its use predates today's Sahara, and parts of the Libyan Desert include the Sahara's most arid and least populated regions; this is chiefly what sets the Libyan Desert apart from the greater Sahara. The consequent absence of grazing, and near absence of waterholes or wells needed to sustain camel caravans, prevented Trans-Saharan trade between Kharga (the Darb al Arbein) close to the Nile, and Murzuk in the Libyan Fezzan. This obscurity saw the region overlooked by early European explorers, and it was not until the early 20th century and the advent of the motor car before the Libyan Desert started to be fully explored. Nomenclature The term ''Libyan Desert'' began to appear widely on European maps in the last decades of the 19th centu ...
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Aurelius Appius Sabinus
The gens Appia was a plebeian family at Rome. Its nomen, ''Appius'', is a patronymic surname based on the praenomen ''Appius''. The gens does not appear to have been very large, and few of its members achieved great importance. Members * Sextus Appius Sex. f. Severus, quaestor to Titus. * Lucius Appius Maximus Norbanus, an accomplished general under Domitian and Trajan. He put down the revolt of Lucius Antonius Saturninus in Germania Superior, AD 91. He was consul in 103. Although he enjoyed success in the Dacian War, he was defeated and killed in the Parthian War, AD 115. * Aurelius Appius Sabinus, ''praefectus'' of Egypt from AD 249 to 250.Bastianini, "Lista dei prefetti d'Egitto", p. 312. See also * List of Roman gentes References Bibliography * Marcus Valerius Martialis (Martial), ''Epigrammata'' (Epigrams). * Gaius Plinius Caecilius Secundus (Pliny the Younger), '' Epistulae'' (Letters). * Lucius Cassius Dio Cocceianus (Cassius Dio), ''Roman History''. * Sextus Aure ...
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Decian Persecution
Christians were persecuted in 250 AD under the Decius, Roman emperor Decius. He had issued an edict ordering everyone in the empire to perform a sacrifice to the Roman gods and the well-being of the emperor. The sacrifices had to be performed in the presence of a Magistrates of the Roman Empire, Roman magistrate, and be confirmed by a signed and witnessed certificate from the magistrate. Although the text of the edict has been Lost literary work, lost, many examples of the certificates have survived. Decius' edict was intended to act as an empire-wide loyalty oath to the new emperor (who had come to power in 249 AD), sanctified through the Roman religion. Christian monotheistic beliefs did not allow them to worship any other gods, so they were forced to choose between their religious beliefs and following the decree. Background Decius became Roman emperor in 249 as a result of military victories. He made efforts to revive Rome's "golden age", adding the name of one of ...
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Decius
Gaius Messius Quintus Trajanus Decius ( 201June 251), known as Trajan Decius or simply Decius (), was Roman emperor from 249 to 251. A distinguished politician during the reign of Philip the Arab, Decius was proclaimed emperor by his troops after putting down a rebellion in Moesia. In 249, he defeated and killed Philip Battle of Verona (249), near Verona and was recognized as emperor by the Roman Senate, Senate afterwards. During his reign, he attempted to strengthen the Roman state and its religion, leading to the Decian persecution, where a number of prominent Christians (including Pope Fabian) were put to death. In the last year of his reign, Decius co-ruled with his son Herennius Etruscus, until they were both killed by the Goths in the Battle of Abritus. Early life and rise to power Trajanus Decius was born Gaius Messius Quintus Decius Valerinus at Budalia, Illyricum (Roman province), Illyricum, near Sirmium in Pannonia Inferior.Lesley Adkins, Rot A. Adkins (2004). H ...
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Book Of Revelation
The Book of Revelation, also known as the Book of the Apocalypse or the Apocalypse of John, is the final book of the New Testament, and therefore the final book of the Bible#Christian Bible, Christian Bible. Written in Greek language, Greek, its title is derived from the Incipit, first word of the text, ''apocalypse'' (), which means "revelation" or "unveiling". The Book of Revelation is the only Apocalyptic literature, apocalyptic book in the Development of the New Testament canon, New Testament canon, and occupies a central place in Christian eschatology. The book spans three literary genres: the Letter (message), epistolary, the Apocalyptic literature, apocalyptic, and the prophetic. It begins with John, on the island of Patmos in the Aegean Sea, addressing letters to the "Seven Churches of Asia" with exhortations from Christ. He then describes a series of prophetic and symbolic Vision (spirituality), visions, including figures such as a Woman clothed with the sun with the ...
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Gospel Of John
The Gospel of John () is the fourth of the New Testament's four canonical Gospels. It contains a highly schematic account of the ministry of Jesus, with seven "Book of Signs, signs" culminating in the raising of Lazarus (foreshadowing the resurrection of Jesus) and seven "I am (biblical term), I am" discourses (concerned with issues of the Split of early Christianity and Judaism, church–synagogue debate at the time of composition) culminating in Thomas the Apostle, Thomas's proclamation of the risen Jesus as "my Lord and my God". The penultimate chapter's concluding verse set out its purpose, John 20:31, "that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name." John reached its final form around AD 90–110, although it contains signs of origins dating back to AD 70 and possibly even earlier. Like the three other gospels, it is anonymous, although it identifies an unnamed "disciple whom Jesus loved" as the source o ...
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Gospel Of Luke
The Gospel of Luke is the third of the New Testament's four canonical Gospels. It tells of the origins, Nativity of Jesus, birth, Ministry of Jesus, ministry, Crucifixion of Jesus, death, Resurrection of Jesus, resurrection, and Ascension of Jesus, ascension of Jesus. Together with the Acts of the Apostles, it makes up a two-volume work which scholars call Luke–Acts, accounting for 27.5% of the New Testament. The combined work divides the Christianity in the 1st century, history of first-century Christianity into three stages, with the gospel making up the first two of these – the life of Jesus the messiah (Christ (title), Christ) from his birth to the beginning of his mission in the meeting with John the Baptist, followed by his ministry with events such as the Sermon on the Plain and its Beatitudes, and his Passion of Jesus, Passion, death, and resurrection. Most modern scholars agree that the main sources used for Luke were (1) the Gospel of Mark; (2) a hypothetical col ...
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Origen
Origen of Alexandria (), also known as Origen Adamantius, was an Early Christianity, early Christian scholar, Asceticism#Christianity, ascetic, and Christian theology, theologian who was born and spent the first half of his career in Early centers of Christianity#Alexandria, Alexandria. He was a prolific writer who wrote roughly 2,000 treatises in multiple branches of theology, including textual criticism, exegesis, biblical exegesis and biblical hermeneutics, hermeneutics, homiletics, and spirituality. He was one of the most influential and controversial figures in early Christian theology, Christian apologetics, apologetics, and asceticism. He has been described by John Anthony McGuckin as "the greatest genius the early church ever produced". Overview Origen sought martyrdom with his father at a young age but was prevented from turning himself in to the authorities by his mother. When he was eighteen years old, Origen became a Catechesis, catechist at the or School of Alexand ...
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Polytheism
Polytheism is the belief in or worship of more than one god. According to Oxford Reference, it is not easy to count gods, and so not always obvious whether an apparently polytheistic religion, such as Chinese folk religions, is really so, or whether the apparent different objects of worship are to be thought of as manifestations of a singular divinity. Polytheistic belief is usually assembled into a pantheon of gods and goddesses, along with their own religious sects and rituals. Polytheism is a type of theism. Within theism, it contrasts with monotheism, the belief in a singular god who is, in most cases, transcendent. In religions that accept polytheism, the different gods and goddesses may be representations of forces of nature or ancestral principles; they can be viewed either as autonomous or as aspects or emanations of a creator deity or transcendental absolute principle ( monistic theologies), which manifests immanently in nature (panentheistic and pantheistic theo ...
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