Ecclesiastical Hierarchy

by Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite, John Parker (Translation)

Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite, also known as Pseudo-Denys, was a Christian theologian and philosopher of the late 5th to early 6th century (writing before 532), probably Syrian, the author of the set of works commonly referred to as the Corpus Areopagiticum or Corpus Dionysiacum. His works are mystical and show strong Neoplatonic influence. For example he uses Plotinus' well-known analogy of a sculptor cutting away that which does not enhance the desired image, and shows familiarity with Proclus. He also shows influence from Clement of Alexandria, the Cappadocian Fathers, Origen of Alexandria, Parmenides and others. The Corpus is today composed of Divine Names, Mystical Theology, Celestial Hierarchy, Ecclesiastical Hierarchy, and ten epistles. Seven other works, namely Theological Outlines, Symbolic Theology, On Angelic Properties and Orders, On the Just and Divine Judgement, On the Soul, On Intelligible and Sensible Beings, and On the Divine Hymns, are mentioned repeatedly by pseudo-Dionysius in his surviving works, and are presumed either to be lost or to be fictional works mentioned by the Areopagite as a literary device to give the impression to his sixth century readers of engaging with the surviving fragments of a much larger first century corpus of writings.

Genres: Theology

90 pages, Paperback

Published June 25, 2015

About the author

Also known as Pseudo-Denys, was a Christian theologian and philosopher of the Neoplatonist school during the late 5th to early 6th century.

Reviews

[Richard Thompson · Rating 3 out of 5]

First of all, you have to love this guy's name. Yes, I know that the "pseudo" just refers to misattribution of later Neoplatonic writing to one of the early church fathers, but I also love that a Christian religious leader is named after the Greek god of wine with the further reference to the Areopagus, which feels very pagan to me.

A lot of this work is obscurely written and filled with theological gobbledygook. Did he just pull this stuff out of the air? Or is it built on church traditions? Or his personal mystical experiences? Or what? Maybe it doesn't matter and maybe any sort of attempt to make much of it rational misses the point. I did get a sense in reading this of a deep mystical connection to the divinity. The process of cleansing and initiation accompanied by obscure formal rites that can open the way to God for the prepared seeker felt promising to me. For the person with the right frame of mind, elaborate ritual can have great meaning, even if it based on nothing more than a need to set the right mood for a person who is ready to receive it. I could see this as a path to spiritual enlightenment, a path that would be better for me than the self-inflicted suffering advocated by John of the Cross. And it is certainly more attractive as a religious path than the go-to-Sunday-School/sing-hymns/hear-the-sermon Protestant Christianity that I was brought up on.