Certainly very many of our brethren, while, in their exceeding love and brotherly-kindness, they did not spare themselves, but kept by each other, and visited the sick without thought of their own peril, and ministered to them assiduously, and treated them for their healing in Christ, died from time to time most joyfully along with them, lading themselves with pains derived from others, and drawing upon themselves their neighbours\u2019 diseases, and willingly taking over to their own persons the burden of the sufferings of those around them. And many who had thus cured others of their sicknesses, and restored them to strength, died themselves, having transferred to their own bodies the death that lay upon these. And that common saying, which else seemed always to be only a polite form of address, they expressed in actual fact then, as they departed this life, like the \u201c off-scourings of all.\u201d Yea, the very best of our brethren have departed this life in this manner, including some presbyters and some deacons, and among the people those who were in highest reputation: so that this very form of death, in virtue of the distinguished piety and the steadfast faith which were exhibited in it, appeared to come in nothing beneath martyrdom itself. And they took the bodies of the saints on their upturned hands, and on their bosoms, and closed their eyes, and shut their mouths. And carrying them in company, and laying them out decently, they clung to them, and embraced them, and prepared them duly with washing and with attire. And then in a little while after they had the same services done for themselves, as those who survived were ever following those who departed before them.<\/p>\n
But among the heathen all was the very reverse. For they thrust aside any who began to be sick, and kept aloof even from their dearest friends, and cast the sufferers out upon the public roads half dead, and left them unburied, and treated them with utter contempt when they died, steadily avoiding any kind of communication and intercourse with death; which, however, it was not easy for them altogether to escape, in spite of the many precautions they employed.
\n— Dionysius of Alexandria: To the Alexandrians ANF06<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Certainly very many of our brethren, while, in their exceeding love and brotherly-kindness, they did not spare themselves, but kept by each other, and visited the sick without thought of their own peril, and ministered to them assiduously, and treated them for their healing in Christ, died from time to time most joyfully along with them, lading themselves with pains derived from others, and drawing upon themselves their neighbours\u2019 diseases, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[10],"tags":[101,116],"class_list":["post-1217","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-dionysius-of-alexandria","tag-martyrdom","tag-pestilence"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":21877,"url":"https:\/\/nemoslibrary.com\/patristics\/eusebius-dionysius-on-the-apocalypse\/","url_meta":{"origin":1217,"position":0},"title":"Eusebius: Dionysius on the Apocalypse","author":"Nemo","date":"January 7, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Some before us have set aside and rejected the [Apocalypse] altogether, criticising it chapter by chapter, and pronouncing it without sense or argument, and maintaining that the title is fraudulent. For they say that it is not the work of John, nor is it a revelation, because it is covered\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Dionysius of Alexandria"","block_context":{"text":"Dionysius of Alexandria","link":"https:\/\/nemoslibrary.com\/patristics\/category\/dionysius-of-alexandria\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1209,"url":"https:\/\/nemoslibrary.com\/patristics\/dionysius-on-the-authorship-of-the-revelation\/","url_meta":{"origin":1217,"position":1},"title":"Dionysius of Alexandria on the Authorship of the Revelation","author":"Nemo","date":"May 9, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"That this person was called John, therefore, and that this was the writing of a John, I do not deny. And I admit further, that it was also the work of some holy and inspired man. But I could not so easily admit that this was the apostle, the son\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Dionysius of Alexandria"","block_context":{"text":"Dionysius of Alexandria","link":"https:\/\/nemoslibrary.com\/patristics\/category\/dionysius-of-alexandria\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":21880,"url":"https:\/\/nemoslibrary.com\/patristics\/eusebius-excommunication-of-a-heretical-bishop\/","url_meta":{"origin":1217,"position":2},"title":"Eusebius: Excommunication of a Heretical Bishop","author":"Nemo","date":"January 7, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"[Paul of Samosata, bishop of Antioch,] held low and degraded views of Christ, namely, that in his nature he was a common man ... During Emperor Aurelian's reign a final synod composed of a great many bishops was held, and the leader of heresy in Antioch was detected, and his\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Eusebius of Caesarea"","block_context":{"text":"Eusebius of Caesarea","link":"https:\/\/nemoslibrary.com\/patristics\/category\/eusebius\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":21926,"url":"https:\/\/nemoslibrary.com\/patristics\/teaching-and-travel-of-the-apostles\/","url_meta":{"origin":1217,"position":3},"title":"Teaching and Travel of the Apostles","author":"Nemo","date":"January 9, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"In the year three hundred and thirty-nine of the kingdom of the Greeks, in the month Heziran, on the fourth day of the same, which is the first day of the week, and the end of Pentecost\u2014on the selfsame day came the disciples from Nazareth of Galilee, where the conception\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Church Fathers"","block_context":{"text":"Church Fathers","link":"https:\/\/nemoslibrary.com\/patristics\/category\/church-fathers\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":771,"url":"https:\/\/nemoslibrary.com\/patristics\/tertullian-apology\/","url_meta":{"origin":1217,"position":4},"title":"Tertullian: Apology","author":"Nemo","date":"January 13, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"The Persecution of Christians1. Christians were deprived of the right to defend themselves before their accusers and the court. They\u00a0were also denied the due process of law, for they were prosecuted differently from criminals, though condemned likewise, for \"the crime of murder, or sacrilege, or incest, or treason\u201d. And then,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Tertullian"","block_context":{"text":"Tertullian","link":"https:\/\/nemoslibrary.com\/patristics\/category\/tertullian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":397,"url":"https:\/\/nemoslibrary.com\/patristics\/clement-of-alexandria-christian-beauty\/","url_meta":{"origin":1217,"position":5},"title":"Clement Of Alexandria: Christian Beauty and Fragrance","author":"Nemo","date":"March 7, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"It is highly requisite for the men who belong to us to give forth the odour not of ointments, but of nobleness and goodness. 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