Pseudo-Dionysius A Commentary on the Texts and an Introduction to Their Influence

by Rorem, Paul

• ISBN13: 9780195076646
• ISBN10: 0195076648
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1993-02-25
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

"Dionysius the Areopagite" is the biblical name chosen by the pseudonymous author of an influential body of Christian theological texts, dating from around 500 C.E. The Celestial Hierarchy , The Ecclesiastical Hierarchy , The Divine Names , and The Mystical Theology offer a synthesis of biblical interpretation, liturgical spirituality, and Neoplatonic philosophy. Their central motif, which has made them the charter of Christian mysticism, is the upward progress of the soul toward God through the spiritual interpretation of the Bible and the liturgy. Dionysius continually reminds his readers, however, that all human concepts fall short of the transcendence of God and must therefore be abandoned in negotiations and silence. In this book, Rorem provides a commentary on all of the Dionysian writings, chapter by chapter, and examines especially their complex inner coherence. The Dionysian influence on medieval theology is introduced in essays on specific topics: hierarchy, biblical symbolism, angels, Gothic architecture, liturgical allegory, the scholastic doctrine of God, and the mystical theology of the western Middle Ages. Rorem's book makes these texts more accessible to both scholars and students and includes a comprehensive bibliography of secondary sources.

Table of Contents

Abbreviations
The Letters as Introduction	p. 3
Orientation	p. 3
Reading Method for "An Obscure Style"	p. 5
Letters 1 Through 6 as a Preview	p. 7
Letter 7 to Polycarp, a Hierarch: The Questions of Authorship	p. 12
Letter 8: Issues of Hierarchy and Authority	p. 18
Letter 9: Biblical and Liturgical Symbolism	p. 24
Letter 10: Summary	p. 27
Influence in the Middle Ages	p. 29
The Celestial Hierarchy	p. 47
Introduction: Chapters 1 Through 3	p. 49
Presentation of the Heavenly Hierarchy: Chapters 4 Through 10	p. 60
Specific Problems: Chapters 11 Through 14	p. 68
The Biblical Descriptions of the Angels: Chapter 15	p. 72
The Influence in the Middle Ages	p. 73
The Ecclesiastical Hierarchy	p. 91
Chapter 1 as Introduction	p. 91
Chapter 2: Baptism, or "The Divine Birth"	p. 96
Chapter 3: The Synaxis or Communion	p. 99
Chapter 4: The Consecration of the Ointment (Myron)	p. 104
Chapter 5: The Clergy and Their Ordinations	p. 107
Chapter 6: The Lay Orders, Including Monastic Tonsure	p. 111
Chapter 7: Funerals, and Conclusion	p. 114
The Medieval Genre of Liturgical Commentaries	p. 118
The Divine Names	p. 133
Chapter 1 as Introduction	p. 133
Chapter 2	p. 137
Chapter 3	p. 145
Chapter 4	p. 148
Chapters 5, 6, and 7 on Being, Life, and Wisdom	p. 153
Chapters 8 Through 12 on Various Names	p. 158
Chapter 13 and Conclusion	p. 162
The Medieval Influence of The Divine Names	p. 167
The Mystical Theology	p. 183
Chapter 1	p. 184
Chapter 2	p. 193
Chapter 3	p. 194
Chapter 4	p. 205
Chapter 5	p. 210
Influence in the Middle Ages	p. 214
Afterword On the Question of Influence in the Middle Ages	p. 237
Appendix: Overview of the Dionysian Writings	p. 241
Bibliographies	p. 245
Table of Contents provided by Blackwell. All Rights Reserved.