Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite
Also: Dionysius the Areopagite, Pseudo-Denys, Denys
Born: the year and the place are not known. Died: the year and the place are not known.
An unknown writer who used the name of Paul's convert at Athens (Acts 17:34). His short books on God, the angels and the church shaped mystical thought in East and West.
Wrote in Greek. A major author.
The books were written between about 485 and 528. No place is given, because "Syria" is only the usual guess.
Places lived
No place is known. The page shows no place from guesswork.
Works
6 works, in the order they were written. 6 works can be read here.
- LettersTen letters written in the name of the convert of Paul at Athens.10,751 words
- The Celestial HierarchyOn the nine ranks of angels.15,542 words
- The Divine NamesOn the names that Scripture gives to God.30,930 words
- The Ecclesiastical HierarchyOn the rites and ranks of the church as a picture of heaven.21,541 words
- The Mystical TheologyA very short work on how the mind rises to God through unknowing.1,747 words
- Works (Corpus Areopagiticum)The whole set in one file: Divine Names, Mystical Theology, the two Hierarchies and the Letters.87,343 words
How we know the dates and places
- Born not known
- The author is not known. See Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, 3rd ed. rev. (2005), 'Dionysius the Pseudo-Areopagite'.
- Place of birth not known
- The author is not known. Most scholars think he lived in Syria; no town is known.
- Died not known
- The author is not known. The books are first quoted between about 518 and 528, and use Proclus (died 485).
- Place of death not known
- The author is not known.