A Source Book for Ancient Church History - Mirrors

613themselves to sincere penitence that, having rejected their earlyerror, they may receive the venerable rite of baptism, for in thisway let them steadfastly receive the true faith of the orthodoxand not again fall back into their former error.(6) But those who, for the sake of retaining their military rankor their dignity or their goods, shall in pretence accept savingbaptism, but have left their wives and children and others whoare in their households in the error of pagans, we commandthat they be deprived of their goods and have no part in ourcommonwealth, since it is manifest that they have not receivedholy baptism in good faith.(7) These things, therefore, we decree against the abominablepagans and the Manichæans, of which Manichæans the Borboraniare a part.§ 95. The Definitive Type of Religion in the East: Dionysius theAreopagiteThe works of Dionysius the Areopagite first appear in the controversiesin the reign of Justinian, when they are quoted in theConference with the Severians, 531 or 533. There are citationsfrom the works of the Areopagite fifteen or twenty years earlierin the works of Severus, the Monophysite patriarch of Antioch.In this is given the latest date to which they may be assigned.They cannot be earlier than 476, because the author is acquaintedwith the works of Proclus (411-485) and uses them; also he refersto the practice of singing the Credo in divine service, which wasfirst introduced by the Monophysites at Antioch in 476. Nocloser determination of the date is possible. The author is whollyunknown. [561]That he was Dionysius the Areopagite (Acts 17:34) is maintainedby no scholar to-day. His standpoint is that of the laterEastern religious feeling and practice, with its strong desire for