St. Dionysius the Areopagite, Bishop of Athens

• ABOUT:
  • 1912 Catholic Encyclopedia: (Read with caution)
  • Kevin Corrigan and Michael Harrington: Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite. Long article reflecting mainstream scholarly views, with a fine bibliography and a useful outline of the contents of the Areopagetic writings. From The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. --- Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
  • Mark Lamarre: Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite. Mostly a detailed outline of the content of each of St. Dionysius' works. --- Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy
  • I. P. Sheldon-Williams: The pseudo-Areopagite, (1967). Chapter 30 of The Cambridge History of Later Greek and Early Medieval Philosophy edited by A. H. Armstrong, (Cambridge, 1967).

  • On the Theology of St. Dionysius:
    • Fr. Alexander Golitzin: Et introibo ad altare Dei: the mystagogy of Dionysius Areopagita, with special reference to its predecessors in the Eastern Christian tradition, (1994). Fr. Alexander is both an Orthodox priest and one of the world's most noted academic authorities on the history of mystical theology. Thessalonica: Patriarchikon Hidryma Paterikon Meleton, 1994.
    • Vladimir Lossky: Mystical Theology of the Eastern Church, (1944). The most important XX Century work on apophatic theology in general and St. Dionysius in particular; considered by many to be an example of a modern text which will eventually be viewed as patristic in its own right. Crestwood: SVS, 1976.
    • Fr. Andrew Louth: Denys the Areopagite, (1989). Argues that St. Dionysius viewed hierarchy not as a ladder to be climbed but as a theophany composing the cosmic liturgy. "[O]n the one hand, [Dionysius'] understanding of hierarchy makes possible a rich symbolic system in terms of which we can understand God and cosmos and our place within it, and, on the other, he finds room within this strictly hierarchical society for an escape from it, beyond it, by transcending symbols and realizing directly one's relationship with God as his creature, the creature of his love." Fr. Andrew thus refutes those critics (in particular Fr. John Meyendorff) who see the Areopagetic writings as "mystagogical", individualistic, and damaging to Orthodoxy; rather, he in effect argues, they present a liturgical vision of theology not dissimilar from that which Meyendorff and Schmemann themselves advocated. London: Continuum, 1989.
    • Fr. Jean (John) Meyendorff: Notes sur l'influence dionysienne en Orient, (1957). Fr. John believed that the importance of Dionysius has been exaggerated. From Studia Patristica, 2: 547.
    • Paul Rorem: The Uplifting Spirituality of Pseudo-Dionysius, (1989). From Christian Spirituality, Vol. I, edited by Bernard McGinn and Fr. John Meyendorff (New York: Crossroad, 1989): p. 132.

  • Influence on Later Thought:
    • Eugene Afonasin: Dionysius the Areopagite in the Context of Byzantine-Slavonic Literary Relations. --- NSU
    • Pierre Gandil: Les études grecques à l'abbaye de Saint-Denis au XIIe siècle, (2003). Outline only online. --- Sorbonne
    • John Parker: Preface to the Divine Names of Dionysius, (1897). Argues that the Areopagetic writings are the source of certain Hindu ideas, an hypothesis well worth exploring in far more depth. --- Tertullian

    • See also: Hilduin of St.-Denis; St. John of Damascus; John Scotus Eriugena; John of Scythopolis; Vladimir Lossky; Andrew Louth; St. Maximus the Confessor; Nicetas Stethatus; St. Nicholas Cabasilas; Origen; Plotinus; Symeon the Graceful;

  • "Pseudo"-Dionysius?
    • I. Hausherr: Doutes au sujet du "Devin Denys", (1936). Summarises the history of scepticism about the authenticity of the Areopagetic writings. From Orientalia Christiana Periodica, 2: 484.
    • Hugo Koch: Pseudo-Dionysius Areopagita in seinen Beziehungen zum Neoplatonismus und Mysterienwesen, (1900). This is the main scholarly reference on the "Pseudo-Dionysius" question; I suspect it is cited more often than read.
    • J. Stiglmayr: Der Neoplatoniker Proklus als Vorlage der sogenanten Dionysius Areopagita in der Lehre vom Uebel, (1895). Stiglmayr arrived at the same conclusions as Koch, independently and simultaneously. From Historische Jahrbuch des Gottesgesellschaften, 16: 253 and 721.
    • John Parker: Against the Objections to the Genuineness of the Writings of Dionysius, (1897). Someone should write a more convincing essay along these lines. --- Tertullian
    • John Parker: Dionysius the Areopagite and the Alexandrine School, (1897). Scroll half-way down page to find essay. Parker is much derided, but I have yet to see a convincing refutation of his main argument, to whit: how can one be sure a priori that the Areopagite quotes Plotinus and Origen rather than vice versa? --- Tertullian

  • The lunar crater Dionysius: Perhaps because of his description of the moon turning to blood during the Passion, St. Dionysius is among the handful of Orthodox saints whose name the secular astronomical establishment has allowed as a space toponym.
    • Wikipedia entry
    • Dionysius Crater. Image from NASA's Clementine spacecraft. --- LPI

• WORKS: Except for the Syrian liturgy, all are found in Volume III of Patrologia Græca.
  • Pseudo-Dionysius, The Complete Works. Translated by Colm Luibheid and Paul Rorem. The most readable and widely-available print translation, but not without its faults. Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press (Classics of Western Spirituality), 1987.
  • The Works of Dionysius the Areopagite. Translated by John Parker. Very literal, and therefore in places almost unintelligible, translation, but it retains Dionysius' I Century terminology, which later translators tend to ignore. This is curious, because even if the writings are the work of "Pseudo-Dionysius", these terms must have been stylistically important as archaisms meant to enhance the feeling of authenticity, and thus worth noting. London: James Parker, 1897. --- CCEL

  • The Celestial Hierarchy. Parker translation, 1897. --- Tertullian
  • The Ecclesiastical Hierarchy. Parker translation, 1897. --- Tertullian
  • The Mystical Theology. Parker translation, 1897. --- Tertullian
  • Letters: Parker translation, 1897. --- SPL
    • Letter I To Gaius Therapeutes: God's existence is beyond existence and beyond knowledge.
    • Letter II To the same Gaius Therapeutes: Even such terms as "good" and "divine" fail to describe God.
    • Letter III To the same Gaius Therapeutes: Christ remains unknown in His essence even after the Incarnation.
    • Letter IV To the same Gaius Therapeutes: Concerning the "Theandric Energy" of the Incarnation.
    • Letter V To Dorotheus, Leitourgoros: The Divine Darkness shines forth Light, through which God may be known as fully as possible.
    • Letter VI To Sopatros, Priest: It is better to speak the truth than to attack error.
    • Letter VII To Polycarp, Hierarch: The Law of Truth (the proclamation of which is more important than the refutation of Greek errors); Response to Sophists, (especially Apollophanes, who was with Dionysius on the Day of the Crucifixion).
    • Letter VIII To Demophilos, Therapeutes, about minding one's own business, and kindness: Demophilos took it upon himself to judge a priest who was overly kind to sinners. This letter also contains the famous and moving story of the vision of St. Carpus.
    • Letter IX To Titus, Hierarch, asking by letter what is the house of wisdom, what the bowl, and what are its meats and drinks?:
    • Letter X To John the Apostle: Of exile from the world and exile from God.
    • Letter XI Dionysius to Apollophanes, Philosopher:

  • The Liturgy of St. Dionysius, Bishop of the Athenians. Based on the Areopagite mystical writings; used by the [Non-Chalcedonian] Syrian Jacobite Church. Parker translation, 1896. SPL