Dionysius the Areopagite and the Neoplatonist Tradition : Despoiling the Hellenes.
Title:
Dionysius the Areopagite and the Neoplatonist Tradition : Despoiling the Hellenes.
Author:
Klitenic Wear, Sarah, Ms.
ISBN:
9780754687092
Personal Author:
Physical Description:
1 online resource (153 pages)
Series:
Ashgate Studies in Philosophy and Theology in Late Antiquity
Contents:
Cover -- Contents -- Acknowledgements -- List of Abbreviations -- 1 Introduction -- 2 God as Monad in the Divine Names -- 3 God as Trinity in the Divine Names -- 4 On Hierarchy -- 5 The Problem of Evil -- 6 Scriptural Interpretation [Theoria] as Onomastic Theurgy -- 7 Hierourgia and Theourgia in Sacramental Activity -- 8 Union and Return to God: The Mystical Theology and the First Hypothesis of the Parmenides -- 9 Conclusion -- Bibliography -- Index -- A -- B -- C -- D -- E -- G -- H -- I -- J -- K -- L -- M -- O -- P -- R -- S -- T -- V -- W.
Abstract:
Dionysius the Areopagite' is arguably one of the most mysterious and intriguing figures to emerge from the late antique world. Writing 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. This metaphysics lends itself to a sacramental system similar to that of the Hellenic ritual, theurgy, which allows humans to reach the divine by examining the divine as it exists in creation. This book discusses the Christian Platonist's adaptation of Hellenic metaphysics, language, and religious ritual. Dionysius is shown to clearly work within the Hellenic tradition, yet innovatively integrates Hellenic and Christian thought.
Local Note:
Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, Michigan : ProQuest Ebook Central, 2017. Available via World Wide Web. Access may be limited to ProQuest Ebook Central affiliated libraries.
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Electronic Access:
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