Dionysius the Areopagite

The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature | 2003 | 572 words | Copyright

Dionysius the Areopagite,
1. a disciple of St Paul (Acts 17: 34);

2. more importantly, a 5th-cent. Neoplatonic writer (now known as Pseudo-Dionysius) claimed to be his disciple, in an attempt to give canonical authority to elements of mysticism and Neoplatonism which he attempted to introduce, with considerable success. His works, the most important of which was The Divine Names, first appeared in 532. This work, and the Commentary on it by Maximus the Confessor (580–662), was very influential on Scotus Erigena and on the whole medieval mystical tradition.

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MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "Dionysius the Areopagite." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. 29 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "Dionysius the Areopagite." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. (May 29, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O54-DionysiustheAreopagite.html

MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "Dionysius the Areopagite." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Retrieved May 29, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O54-DionysiustheAreopagite.html

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