The Dionysian negative theology between Neoplatonism and Christianity
DANIEL JUGRINABSTRACT. Dionysius the Areopagite is undoubtedly one of the most enigmatic and intriguing thinkers of late Antiquity. Speculations on the identity of this unusual author had already begun by the middle of the 6th century A.D. Was Dionysius – as he describes himself – St Paul’s first Athenian convert, living and writing in the second half of the first century A.D., or was he more likely a pseudo-epigraph who sabotaged the Athenian contemporary school of Neoplatonic thought to craft a new Christian Platonic theology? Areopagitic negative theology is the expression of a development of thought over centuries; with Dionysius, apophatic tradition reaches its culmination and finds its most refined formulations. The Dionysian moment illustrates the apophatic way at its most highly developed level, marking the climax of a lengthy and sinuous journey that started with Parmenides (5th century B.C.) and was to end with the closure of the Athenian Academy. pp. 123–133
Keywords: Dionysian Corpus; apophatic tradition; Neoplatonism; Proclus; Plotinus; early Christianity
How to cite: Jugrin D (2018) The Dionysian negative theology between Neoplatonism and Christianity. Creativity 1(1): 123–133. doi:10.22381/C1120185