Dionysius the Areopagite
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| Saint Dionysius the Areopagite | |
|---|---|
| Hieromartyr | |
| Born | unknown |
| Died | unknown |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholicism Eastern Orthodox |
| Feast | October 3 |
| Attributes | Vested as a bishop, holding a Gospel Book |
- This is for the bishop of Athens, for the other Christian theologian of the same name, see Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite
Dionysius the Areopagite (Greek Διονύσιος ὁ Ἀρεοπαγίτης) was the judge of the Areopagus who, as related in the Acts of the Apostles, (Acts 17:34), was converted to Christianity by the preaching of the Apostle Paul. According to Dionysius of Corinth, quoted by Eusebius, this Dionysius then became the second Bishop of Athens.[1]
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[edit] Historic confusions
In the early 6th century, a series of famous writings of a mystical nature, employing Neoplatonic language to elucidate Christian theological and mystical ideas, was ascribed to the Areopagite.[2] They have long been recognized as pseudepigrapha and are now attributed to "Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite".
Dionysius was also popularly mis-identified with the martyr of Gaul, Dionysius, the first Bishop of Paris, Saint Denis.
In the Eastern Orthodox Church, Dionysius the Areopagite and Saint Denis of Paris are celebrated as one commemoration on October 3 (for those Orthodox Christians who follow the Julian Calendar, this currently falls on October 16 of the Gregorian Calendar).
[edit] Astronomical fresco
On pages 190 and 191 of Owen Gingerich's monograph on Copernicus The Book Nobody Read, reference is made to an astronomical fresco in the main gallery of the Escorial Library, near Madrid, Spain, which shows Dionysius the Areopagite observing an eclipse at the time of Christ's crucifixion. In a footnote Gingerich mentions that an eclipse (of the sun by the moon) couldn't have happened at that time because Passover is a full moon event, and solar eclipses always happen at new moon.
[edit] Popular culture
Dionysius is referred to in the movie Hellboy as the saint who wards off demons.
[edit] References
- ^ Eusebius, Historia Ecclesiae III: iv
- ^ Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy on the confusion between Dionysius and Pseudo-Dionysius
[edit] Sources
- Corrigan & Harrington: Ps.-Dionysius Areopagita: Persona, Stanford Enyclopedia of Philosophy 2004
- Owen Gingerich, The Book Nobody Read, Penguin Books, 2004, pp. 190-191
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Hieromartyr Dionysius the Areopagite the Bishop of Athens Orthodox icon and synaxarion
- The Holy Hieromartyr Dionysius the Areopagite entry from the Prologue from Ochrid by Nikolaj Velimirović
