[99]A confession of faith has always been required before baptism: this Novatian virtually ignored by his action.
[100]Here as elsewhere Dionysius shows his breadth of view about God in recognizing that the Holy Spirit might in some measure remain even with the lapsed.
[101]It is strange that so old a believer should never have noticed the difference before, but baptism was almost entirely confined at that time to Easter and Whitsuntide, and he may have always been absent.
[102]Cp. 1 Cor. xiv. 16. The Amen is either that after the Consecration of the Elements or at the Reception of them.
[103]“Standing” was, and is still, the posture in the East: Scudamore, Not. Euch., p. 637.
[104]A somewhat rare word for “Altar” without some descriptive epithet like “holy” or “mystic.”
[105]The Consistentes were the last order of penitents, who were allowed to remain after the dismissal of the catechumens and other penitents, but did not join in the oblation or communion itself: cf. Canons of Nicæa, No. xi.
[106]The letter from which this is supposed to be an extract is said by Eusebius (H. E. vi. 46, 2) to have been on the subject of Repentance, and may possibly be “the instruction” which Dionysius says he had given on [p. 42 above.]
[107]Viz. under the impression that they were going to die.
[108]i. e. after thus pledging ourselves to them.