There remains for the Christian reader no theologian or scholar quite as enigmatic as Dionysius the Areopagite, also known as Pseudo-Dionysius. Dionysius is mentioned in Acts 17, as someone who became a follower of Christ through the preaching of Paul. In the fifth and sixth century, a number of works appeared under the name Dionysius the Areopagite. For centuries, the authorship of these writings was debated, and it is now accepted by most scholars that the author of these medieval texts remained anonymous and wrote under the pseudonym of Dionysius. John Parker, the translator and compiler of this specific collection of works, was one of the last to believe the anonymous author was in fact the first century apostle. The question of the exact authorship does not, however, take away from the power of the words and the great influence Pseudo-Dionysius has had on mystical thought, Christian theology, and liturgical awareness.

Laura de Jong
CCEL Staff Writer