Dionysius the Areopagite
Saint Dionysius the Areopagite | |
---|---|
Greek icon of St. Dionysius | |
Hieromartyr and Bishop of Athens | |
Born | c. 1st century AD |
Died | c. 1st century AD |
Venerated in |
Roman Catholicism Eastern Orthodoxy Armenian Orthodox Church |
Feast | 3 October (EO), 9 October (RC) |
Attributes | Vested as a bishop, holding a Gospel Book |
Patronage | Lawyers |
Saint Dionysius the Areopagite (/ˌdaɪəˈnɪsiəs/; Greek: Διονύσιος ὁ Ἀρεοπαγίτης) was a judge at the court Areopagus in Athens who lived in the first century. As related in the Acts of the Apostles, (Acts 17:34), he was converted to Christianity by the preaching of the Paul the Apostle during the Areopagus sermon. According to Dionysius, Bishop of Corinth, as quoted by Eusebius, this Dionysius then became the first Bishop of Athens.[1] He is venerated as a saint in Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. His name day in the Eastern Orthodox Church is October 3[2] and in the Roman Catholic Church is October 9.[3]
Historic confusions
In the early sixth century, a series of writings of a mystical nature, employing Neoplatonic language to elucidate Christian theological and mystical ideas, was ascribed to the Areopagite.[4] They have long been recognized as pseudepigrapha, and their author is now called "Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite".
Dionysius has been misidentified with the martyr of Gaul, Dionysius, the first Bishop of Paris, Denis. However, this mistake by a ninth century writer is ignored and each saint is commemorated on his respective day.[5]
See also
- St. Dionysus Institute in Paris
- Early centers of Christianity#Greece
- Cathedral Basilica of St. Dionysius the Areopagite (A Roman Catholic church in Athens named after Dionysius the Aeropagite)
References
- ↑ Eusebius, Historia Ecclesiae III: iv
- ↑ "Dionysios the Areopagite - Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America". www.goarch.org. Retrieved 2018-10-04.
- ↑ Online, Catholic. "St. Dionysius the Areopagite - Saints & Angels - Catholic Online". Catholic Online. Retrieved 2018-10-04.
- ↑ Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy on the confusion between Dionysius and Pseudo-Dionysius
- ↑ "Hieromartyr Dionysius of Paris, Bishop". oca.org. Retrieved 2015-10-16.
Sources
- Corrigan, Kevin; Harrington, Michael. "Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite". In Zalta, Edward N. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
External links
Works written by or about Dionysius the Areopagite at Wikisource - Hieromartyr Dionysius the Areopagite the Bishop of Athens Orthodox icon and synaxarion