DIONYSIUS EXIGUUS.
DI•…•…, surnam'd Exigu••••, was born in Sc••thia, a Monk by Profession, flourish'd after the be∣ginning of the sixth Age, till the Ye••r 540: He understood very well Greek and Latin, and had also studied the Holy Scripture. Cassi••dorus, who convers'd with him, wrote his Panegyrick in the 23th Chapter of his Book of Divine Learning. At the desire of Stephen Bishop of Salenae, he made a Collection of C••••on•• that were ••••••ely translated, which contains, besides these which were in the Code of the Universal Church, the 50 first Canons of the Apostles, those of the Council of Sa••dic••, and 138 Canons of the Councils of Afric. This Code of Canons was approv'd and recei∣ved by the Church of R••m••, according to the Testimony of Cassiodorus, and by the Church of France and other Latin Churc••e••, according to that of Hinemarus. It was printed by the care of Mr. Justel in 1628, with a Vers••on of the Letter of St. Cyril, and of the Council of Alexandria against Ne∣storius, which is also the Transla••ion of Di••nysius Exigu••••. This Work being finish'd, he thought fit to joyn with them the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 of the Popes, and therefore made a Collection of them, which be∣gins with those of Siricius, which are the ••••rst, and ends with those of Anasta••ius: There has been since added to them ••••ose of Hilary, Simplici••••, Felix and other Popes down to St. Gregory. This second Collection w•••• ins••rted by 〈◊〉〈◊〉 into his Bibli••theea of Canon Law. At the beginning of this Collection there are the Epi••tles of Popes, a Letter of the Author address'd to Julianus a Priest by the Title of St. Anasta••••a▪ wherein he praise•• Pope Gelasius.
This Diony•••••••• Exig••••s was the first who introduc'd the way of counting the years from the Birth of Je•••••• Christ, an•• who fix'd it according to the Epecha of the vulgar Aera, which is not there∣fore the ••rue one. He wrote also two Letters upon E••ster in 525, and 526, which were publish'd by Father ••••tav••us, and by Bucherius, and made a Cycle of 95 years. F. Mabi•…•…on publish'd a Let∣ter of h•••• written to E••gippius, about the Translation which he made of a Book of Gregory Nyssen, concerning the Creation of Man, p. 2. A•…•…ct. p. 1.
〈◊〉〈◊〉 assures that he understood the Greek so perfectly, that casting his Eyes upon a Greek Book he could read it in Latin, and a Latin Book in Greek. This Talent of his makes it very pro∣bable that he Translated Greek Books well. Yet we have nothing under his Name but the Versions of the Canons, the Version of the Letter of St. Cyril, the Version of a Letter of Pr••terius about