After serving his first term as Patriarch, Dionysius IV was appointed the Metropolitan of Philippopolis (Plovdiv).
[1] During his second term, in 1678 Dionysius IV merged eparchies of Gothia and Caffa in Crimea on decision of the Holy Synod.
After his third term (1682–1684), when Parthenius IV of Constantinople (1684–1685) was restored for his fourth time, he moved to Chalcedon until 1686.
James retaliated by offering a large sum to the Grand vizier and overthrew Dionysius IV on 12 October 1687.
During his time of patriarchy, he dealt with many religious and political subjects including the position of the Orthodox Church against the Protestant confessions and Calvinist theologians.