traditions of the heretics. Thus, for the moment, I polluted
my soul, with their most vile devices. But this gave me the
advantage of confuting them in my own mind, and of
abominating them much more than I had previously done.
There was a certain brother who wanted to hinder me from
this practice, telling me that my mind would be injured and
contaminated with the same pollution of wickedness. I
thought that he might be right and would have listened to
him had I not seen a vision; in which the Lord confirmed me
in my way by telling me: “Study everything that shall come
into your hands, for you are capable of examining and
proving all things, and remember that it is this habit of
reading, which from the beginning was the occasion even of
your believing.” I received this vision as consistent with the
Apostolic exhortation to them that have powerful minds,
‘Be ye wise bankers’.^2
- Like his predecessor, Abba Dionysius had great
esteem for his illustrious teacher Origen, and so he also,
wrote to him asking him to return to Alexandria and resume
his work as Dean of the School. But again this gracious
offer was refused. "For", said Origen, "I have started a new
School in Caesarea (of Palestine), which needs my whole
attention, while the School of my beloved Alexandria is
already well established." - When Origen declined the offer, the Pope entrusted
the Catechetical School to the philosopher-theologian
Theognostus, who carried the tradition of scholarly teaching
throughout his life. Then, when Theognostus departed from
this life, Abba Dionysius appointed Pierius, who was equally
noted for his oratory, his learning and his scholarliness.
Fortunately for the Church, Pierius lived to a ripe old
age serving the School under five successors of St. Mark.