Dionysius the Areopagite, the early sixth-century Christian writer,
bridged Christianity and neo-Platonist philosophy. Bringing
together a team of international scholars, this volume surveys how
Dionysius’s thought and work has been interpreted, in both
East and West, up to the present day.
* One of the first volumes in English to survey the reception
history of Dionysian thought, both East and West
* Provides a clear account of both modern and post-modern debates
about Dionysius’s standing as philosopher and Christian
theologian
* Examines the contrasts between Dionysius’s own pre-modern
concerns and those of the post-modern philosophical tradition
* Highlights the great variety of historic readings of Dionysius,
and also considers new theories and interpretations
* Analyzes the main points of hermeneutical contrast between East
and West
Table of Content
Introduction: Re-Thinking Dionysius the Areopagite: Sarah Coakley
(University of Cambridge).
1. Dionysius, Paul, and the Significance of the Pseudonym:
Charles M. Stang (Harvard University).
2. The Earliest Syriac Reception of Dionysius: István
Perczel (Central European University).
3. The Reception of Dionysius up to Maximus the Confessor:
Andrew Louth (Durham University).
4. The Reception of Dionysius in the Byzantine World: Maximus to
Palamas: Andrew Louth (Durham University).
5. The Early Latin Dionysius: Eriugena and Hugh of St. Victor:
Paul Rorem (Princeton Theological Seminary).
6. The Medieval Affective Dionysian Tradition: Boyd Taylor
Coolman (Boston College).
7. Albert, Aquinas, and Dionysius: David Burrell, C.S.C
(University of Notre Dame) and Isabelle Moulin.
8. Dionysius and some Late Medieval Mystical Theologians of
Northern Europe: Denys Turner (Yale University).
9. Cusanus on Dionysius: The Turn to Speculative Theology: Peter
Casarella (Depaul University).
10. Luther and Dionysius: Beyond Mere Negations: Piotr J. Malysz
(Harvard University).
11. Dionysian Thought in 16th Century Spanish Mystical Theology:
Luis M. Girón-Negrón (Harvard University).
12. The Reception of Dionysius in 20th Century Eastern
Orthodoxy: Paul L. Gavrilyuk (University of Saint Thomas).
13. Dionysius, Derrida, and the Critique of
‘Ontotheology’: Mary-Jane Rubenstein (Wesleyan
University).
14. Dionysius in Hans Urs von Balthasar and Jean-Luc Marion:
Tamsin Jones (Harvard University).
Index
About the author
Sarah Coakley is the Norris-Hulse Professor of Divinity at
the University of Cambridge. She previously taught at Lancaster,
Oxford, and Harvard Universities.
Charles M. Stang is Assistant Professor of Early
Christian Thought at Harvard Divinity School.