Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite

Litencyc Editors (Independent Scholar - Europe)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.7.1.01: Byzantine Writing and culture, 476-1453.
Vol. editors: Vaios Liapis (Open University of Cyprus)

Dates

Born c. 500
Died c. 580
Activity c. 520-c. 580

Places

Born in Syria
Active in

Activities

Primary

Monk
Philosopher
Theologian

Resources

Pseudo-Dionysius' Works

Save to Bookshelf

Pseudo-Dionysius was probably a Syrian monk who, known only by his pseudonym, wrote a series of Greek treatises and letters for the purpose of uniting Neoplatonic philosophy with Christian theology and mystical experience. These writings established a definite Neoplatonic trend in a large segment of medieval Christian doctrine and spirituality—especially in the Western Latin Church—that has determined facets of its religious and devotional character to the present time. Historical research has been unable to identify the author, who, having assumed the name of the New Testament convert of St. Paul (Acts 17:34), could have been one of several Christian writers familiar with the Neoplatonic system of the 5th-century Athenian Proclus. In the 9th century Dionysius was confused with St.…

Please log in to consult the article in its entirety. If you are a member (student of staff) of a subscribing institution (see List), you should be able to access the LE on campus directly (without the need to log in), and off-campus either via the institutional log in we offer, or via your institution's remote access facilities, or by creating a personal user account with your institutional email address. If you are not a member of a subscribing institution, you will need to purchase a personal subscription. For more information on how to subscribe as an individual user, please see under Individual Subcriptions.

544 words

Citation: Editors, Litencyc. "Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 17 July 2008 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=12220, accessed 31 October 2024.]