rdis, and also a collection of the
decretals of the popes from Siricius (385) to Anastasius II. (498).
These collections, which had great authority in the West (see CANON
LAW), were published by Justel in 1628. Dionysius did good service to
his contemporaries by his translations of many Greek works into Latin;
and by these translations some works, the originals of which have
perished, have been handed down to us. His name, however, is now perhaps
chiefly remembered for his chronological labours. It was Dionysius who
introduced the method of reckoning the Christian era which we now use
(see CHRONOLOGY). His friend Cassiodorus depicts in glowing terms the
character of Dionysius as a saintly ascetic, and praises his wisdom and
simplicity, his accomplishments and his lowly-mindedness, his power of
eloquent speech and his capacity of silence. He died at Rome, some time
before A.D. 550.

His works have been published in Migne, _Patrologia Latina_, tome 67;
see especially A. Tardif, _Histoire des sources du droit canonique_
(Paris, 1887), and D. Pitra, _Analecta novissima, Spicilegii
Solesmensis continuatio_, vol. i. p. 36 (Paris, 1885).

DIONYSIUS HALICARNASSENSIS ("of Halicarnassus"), Greek historian and
teacher of rhetoric, flourished during the reign of Augustus. He went to
Rome after the termination of the civil wars, and spent twenty-two years
in studying the Latin language and literature and preparing materials
for his history. During this period he gave lessons in rhetoric, and
enjoyed the society of many distinguished men. The date of his death is
unknown. His great work, entitled [Greek: Romaike archaiologia] (Roman
Antiquities), embraced the history of Rome from the mythical period to
the beginning of the first Punic War. It was divided into twenty
books,--of which the first nine remain entire, the tenth and eleventh
are nearly complete, and the remaining books exist in fragments in the
excerpts of Constantine Porphyrogenitus and an epitome discovered by
Angelo Mai in a Milan MS. The first three books of Appian, and
Plutarch's _Life of Camillus_ also embody much of Dionysius. His chief
object was to reconcile the Greeks to the rule of Rome, by dilating upon
the good qualities of their conquerors. According to him, history is
philosophy teaching by examples, and this idea he has carried out from
the point of view of the Greek rhetorician. But he has carefully
consulted the best authorities, and his wor