Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite (redirected from Dionysius the Pseudo-Areopagite)

Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite

(flourished c. 500) Probably a Syrian monk. Under the pseudonym Dionysius the Areopagite, he wrote a series of treatises that united Neoplatonic philosophy (see Neoplatonism), Christian theology, and mystical experience. Their doctrinal content covers the Trinity, the angelic world, and the Incarnation and redemption and provides an explanation of all that is. His treatise “On Divine Names” discusses the nature and effects of contemplative prayer. The Dionysian corpus was absorbed into Greek and Eastern Christian theologies and also influenced mystics in the Western church. Thomas Aquinas was among those who wrote commentaries on the works.