The best short entry into the Nestorian controversy and why 'one Christ' mattered so much.
Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite
c. 470* – c. 530
* Date marked with an asterisk is a placeholder estimate (lifespan heuristic), not a sourced claim. Hover for the derivation.
TheologianMonk
Quick facts
- Born
- c. 470*
- Died
- c. 530
- Region
- syria
- Era
- post nicene
- Significance
- Major Father(3/4)
- Also known as
- Dionysius the Areopagite · Denys · Pseudo-Denys
Highlights
- Main contribution
- Anonymous late 5th/early 6th-century Syrian Christian Neoplatonist who wrote under the pseudonym of Dionysius the Areopagite (Acts 17:34).
- Best first read
- The Complete Works
- Primary source
- Pseudo-Dionysius, De Divinis Nominibus
Anonymous late 5th/early 6th-century Syrian Christian Neoplatonist who wrote under the pseudonym of Dionysius the Areopagite (Acts 17:34). Author of the Corpus Areopagiticum: Divine Names, Mystical Theology, Celestial Hierarchy, Ecclesiastical Hierarchy, and Letters. Hugely influential on later mystical and scholastic theology. NOT Paul's Athenian convert; identity disputed.
Recommended reading near Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite
A cover-visible starting point chosen from the curated reading path, either by this figure or by their era.
Chain to Jesus
Loading…
Works
- The Complete Worksc. 500
Mystical Theology, Divine Names, Celestial and Ecclesiastical Hierarchies — the most influential mystical corpus in Christian history.
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
Sources for biography
- Pseudo-Dionysius, De Divinis Nominibus primary
- Pseudo-Dionysius, De Mystica Theologia primary
- ODCC s.v. Dionysius (5) secondary
documented connections(2)
- cited (incoming) Maximus the ConfessorMaximus wrote scholia on the Dionysian corpus (transmitted with John of Scythopolis' scholia) and integrated Dionysian theology into his own.Maximus, Ambigua ad Iohannem · Scholia in Corpus Areopagiticum
- cited (incoming) John of DamascusJohn quotes Pseudo-Dionysius extensively in De Fide Orthodoxa, especially in discussions of the divine names and apophatic theology.John of Damascus, De Fide Orthodoxa 1.4, 1.12
External resources
📖WikipediaFull encyclopedic biography with footnotes and further reading.🔗WikidataStructured data hub linking to library catalogues, archives, and academic sources worldwide.🏛️WikisourcePublic-domain primary texts and translations (search).⛪Catholic Encyclopedia1913 reference — long entries, useful for less-known figures (search for Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite).