DIONYSIUS THE AREOPAGITE AND THE NEOPLATONIST TRADITION ‘Dionysius the Areopagite’ is arguably one of the most mysterious and intriguing figures to emerge from the late antique world. Writing probably around 500 CE, and possibly connected with the circle of Severus of Antioch, Dionysius manipulates a Platonic metaphysics to describe a hierarchical universe: as with the Hellenic Platonists, he arranges the celestial and material cosmos into a series of triadic strata. These strata emanate from one unified being and contain beings that range from superior to inferior, depending on their proximity to God. Not only do all things in the hierarchy participate in God, but also all things are inter-connected, so that the lower hierarchies fully participate in the higher ones. This metaphysics lends itself to a sacramental system similar to that of the Hellenic ritual, theurgy. Theurgy allows humans to reach the divine by examining the divine as it exists in creation. Although Dionysius’ metaphysics and religion are similar to that of Iamblichus and Proclus in many ways, Pseudo-Dionysius differs fundamentally in his use of an ecclesiastical cosmos, rather than that of the Platonic Timaean cosmos of the Hellenes. This book discusses the Christian Platonist’s adaptation of Hellenic metaphysics, language, and religious ritual. While Dionysius clearly works within the Hellenic tradition, he innovates to integrate Hellenic and Christian thought. ASHGATE STUDIES IN PHILOSOPHY & THEOLOGY IN LATE ANTIQUITY Series Editors Dr Mark Edwards, Oxford University, UK Professor Patricia Cox Miller, Syracuse University, USA Professor Christoph Riedweg, Zurich University, Switzerland The Ashgate Studies in Philosophy & Theology in Late Antiquity series focuses on major theologians, not as representatives of a ‘tradition’, whether Christian or classical, but as individuals immersed in the intellectual culture of their day. Each book concentrates on the arguments, not merely the opinions, of a single Christian writer or group of writers from the period AD 100–600 and compares and contrasts these arguments with those of pagan contemporaries who addressed similar questions. By study of the political, cultural and social milieu, contributors to the series show what external factors led to the convergence or divergence of Christianity and pagan thought in particular localities or periods. Pagan and Christian teachings are set out in a clear and systematic form making it possible to bring to light the true originality of the author’s thought and to estimate the value of his work for modern times. This high profile research series offers an important contribution to areas of contemporary research in the patristic period, as well as providing new links into later periods, particularly the medieval and reformation. Other titles published in this series: Origen Against Plato Mark Julian Edwards Dionysius the Areopagite and the Neoplatonist Tradition Despoiling the Hellenes SARAH KLITENIC WEAR Franciscan University of Steubenville, USA and JOHN DILLON Trinity College Dublin, Ireland © Sarah Klitenic Wear and John Dillon 2007 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the publisher. Sarah Klitenic Wear and John Dillon have asserted their moral right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as the authors of this work. Published by Ashgate Publishing Limited Ashgate Publishing Company Gower House Suite 420 Croft Road 101 Cherry Street Aldershot Burlington, VT 05401-4405 Hampshire GU11 3HR USA England Ashgate website: http://www.ashgate.com British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data Dillon, John M. Dionysius the Areopagite and the Neoplatonist tradition : despoiling the Hellenes. – (Ashgate studies in philosophy & theology in late antiquity) 1. Pseudo-Dionysius, the Areopagite 2. Neoplatonism I. Title II. Klitenic Wear, Sarah 270.2’092 ISBN-13: 9780754603856 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Dillon, John M. Dionysius the Areopagite and the Neoplatonist tradition : despoiling the Hellenes / John Dillon and Sarah Klitenic Wear. p. cm. – (Ashgate studies in philosophy & theology in late antiquity) Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and indexes. ISBN-13: 978-0-7546-0385-6 (hardcover : alk. paper) 1. Pseudo-Dionysius, the Areopagite. 2. Neoplatonism. I. Klitenic Wear, Sarah. II. Title. BR65.D66D55 2007 230’.14092–dc22 2006029283 ISBN 978-0-7546-0385-6 Printed and bound in Great Britain by MPG Books Ltd, Bodmin, Cornwall. Contents Acknowledgements vii List of Abbreviations ix 1 Introduction 1 2 God as Monad in the Divine Names 15 3 God as Trinity in the Divine Names 33 4 On Hierarchy 51 5 The Problem of Evil 75 6 Scriptural Interpretation [Theoria] as Onomastic Theurgy 85 7 Hierourgia and Theourgia in Sacramental Activity 99 8 Union and Return to God: The Mystical Theology and the First Hypothesis of the Parmenides 117 9 Conclusion 131 Bibliography 135 Index 141 This page intentionally left blank Acknowledgements The original idea for this book was conceived by Sarah Lloyd of Ashgate, who some years ago invited JMD to contribute a volume to the series Ashgate Studies in Philosophy & Theology in Late Antiquity on the relationship between Dionysius the Areopagite and the Neoplatonic School of Athens. Not being in a position to take up this challenge at the time, JMD passed the task on to SKW, who was at that time completing a doctoral thesis with him on the Neoplatonist Syrianus, a major figure of the Athenian School, and who had previously herself worked on Dionysius. SKW bravely took up the challenge, selected the topics to be dealt with, and composed the great bulk of the text, with JMD merely exercising a supervisory and advisory role, and contributing some sections. In view of the topic that it was asked to address, this book has a somewhat restricted focus, and it is one that cannot be expected to please all lovers of the Areopagite. The authors are, after all, approaching him from a predominantly Neoplatonic, rather than a Patristic perspective, and will thus tend to view patterns of influence somewhat differently from someone with the latter background. We would be the first to admit that, in most cases (the topic of Evil being a notable exception), Dionysius contrives to make it less than perspicuous just where he is getting his ideas and formulations from, but we feel that we have at least located the broad ambience from which he is drawing his inspiration. His actual identity must always remain a mystery, as he would have wished, but we feel that he can be located with reasonable probability in a certain time and space, and we have expressed our views on that subject in Chapter 1. The authors are most grateful for the support of their respective spouses, Kenneth Wear and Jean Dillon. Because of the distance between Lincoln, Nebraska and Dublin, Ireland, much of the collaborative work was accomplished during ten very intensive days in January 2006 in Dublin. This ‘Dionysius boot camp’ would not have been possible without Kenneth Wear, who took a week off work to watch two baby girls, and Jean Dillon, a most hospitable host and wife. We wish also to record our thanks to the Press’s anonymous reader, who made many useful suggestions, and to our ever-patient editor, Sarah Lloyd. For translations of the works of Dionysius, we have generally made use of the translation of Colm Luibhéid and Paul Rorem, in their Classics of Western Spirituality edition (see Bibliography), with minor alterations. This page intentionally left blank List of Abbreviations Pseudo-Dionysius CH Celestial Hierarchy DN Divine Names EH Ecclesiastical Hierarchy Ep. Epistulae (Letters) MT Mystical Theology Other Authors ARISTOTLE Met. Metaphysics BASILOF CAESAREA Adv. Mac. Adversus Macarium C. Eunom. Contra Eunomium De Spir. De Spiritu Chald. Or. Chaldaean Oracles CYRILOF ALEXANDRIA C. Julian. Contra Julianum CYRILOF JERUSALEM Com. in Joh. Commentarius in Johannem DAMASCIUS De Princ. De Principiis (On First Principles) GREGORYOF NAZIANZUS Or. Orationes GREGORYOF NYSSA De diff. ess. et hyp. De differentia essentiae et hypostaseos De s. Trin. De sancta Trinitate Ex comm. not. Ad Graecos (ex communibus notionibus) Or. cat. m. Oratio catechetica magna IAMBLICHUS DM De Mysteriis De An. De Anima (On the Soul) In Phaedr. In Phaedrum Commentarius