The Canons of Dionysius

The Letter of the Blessed Dionysius, the Archbishop of Alexandria to Basilides the Bishop who made enquiries on various subjects, to which Dionysius made answer in this Epistle, which answers have been received as Canons.

AD 247

“Dionysius to my beloved son, and brother, and fellow minister in holy things, Basilides faithful to God, salutation in the Lord.”

Canon 2. “Menstruous women ought not to come to the Holy Table, or touch the Holy of Holies, nor to churches, but pray elsewhere.”

Note. Balsamon notes how the canon hints at the example of the woman who had had an issue of blood for twelve years and who therefore did not dare to touch the Lord, but only the "hem of his garment." He also notes that the question proposed, was whether Christian women should be excluded from the church and need follow the example of the Hebrews, who "when the menstrual flux was upon them, sat in a solitary place by themselves andwaited for seven days to pass, and their flux should be over."The answer given is as above.

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