/ A FRAGMENT OFA LETTER OF DIONYSIUS OF ALEXANDRIA TO POPE STEPHEN. PREFACE. To thesubjoinedfragmentEusebiussays,by way ofintroduction: " Dionysiusinditedto Stephenthe firstof thoseletterswhichwere writtenon thesubjectofbaptism,when no smallcontroversyhadarisen whethertheywho areconvertedfrom anykindof heresyoughttobe purgedby baptism; becausean ancientcustomhad prevailed,thatin receivingsuchthereshouldonlybehandslaidupon themwithprayers. Cyprian,who thenruledthechurchof Carthage,was thefirstwho judgedthattheymustnotbeadmittedtocommunionunlesstheywere firstpurifiedfromerrorby baptism;butStephen,thinkingthatnothing shouldbeinnovatedcontrarytothetraditionwhichhadalreadyobtained in thatmatterfrom the beginning,was indignantat this.And as Dionysiushad alreadywrittento him on thisargumentmany letters, he intimatesto him finally,thatallthechurcheseverywhere,now that the furyofpersecutionwas abated,detestingtheturbulentnoveltyof Novatian,1had establishedpeacewithone another."And thushe writes:1— dents' UT know, my brother,that all the churches throughout the East,and those that are placed beyond,which formerlywere separated,are now at length returnedto unity; and allthe presi- [of the churches] everywhere think one and the 1EusebiuscallshimNovatus. * Euseb.B. viii.ch.ii.iii.andiv. vpo'sruTSi.