The ecclesiology of Dionysius the Areopagite

This article explores the ecclesiological views of Dionysius the Areopagite through the examination of his Ecclesiastical Hierarchy, where he discusses the hierarchical ranks and sacraments, and of his Letter VIII to monk Demophilus, which is important for Dionysius's understanding of hierarchical organisation and discipline. These issues are put in the context of other important questions of the Areopagite's thought, such as his symbolic theory, the character of deification and the role of knowledge in it. Although the Areopagite is one of the most famous among early Christian Greek thinkers, his ecclesiology is somewhat less familiar, especially in the West. This article tries to fill in that gap, hence it represents a general, introductory outline of Dionysius's ecclesiology, with the aim of making it more accessible to the broader Western readership and to incite further research on the subject.     

Luther as a reader of Dionysius the Areopagite

Dionysius the Areopagite has been an important point of orientation for the debate on how humans appropriately approach God. Among his avid readers is Martin Luther, whose understanding of Dionysius is investigated in this article. Luther is a critical reader, but his criticism is founded on a basic identification with Dionysius' central tenets. His main objection is that he finds Dionysius too theoretical. For Luther, God is incessant activity; the question of approaching God correctly therefore for Luther is an existential question. This is an aspect he does not find adequately integrated in Dionysius' apophatic dialectics. Luther also found faults with Dionysius' Christology. For Luther, the experience of not being properly related to God is a terrifying experience. This can be read as a reinterpretation of Dionysius' Mystical Theology, showing both influence (Luther knew this work almost by heart) and independence. Central aspects of Luther's thought thus present themselves as a reinterpretation of Dionysian mysticism.     

Desacralizing Political Theology: Dionysius the Areopagite and Giorgio Agamben

Giorgio Agamben argues that Christian thought provides the paradigm of modern governmental power, which reinforces mundane government by investing it with glory. Agamben claims that Dionysius the Areopagite exemplifies this structure; in his view, Dionysian negative theology serves to sacralize ecclesiastical power. In response, I argue that Dionysius desacralizes every authority, affirming that some things are sacred even as he subjects that affirmation to thoroughgoing critique. Against both dogmatic adherence and pure profanation, Dionysius models a politics that draws on the power of the sacred while holding it open to unpredictable development.