On the Divine Names and the Mystical Theology — trans. C. E. Rolt
The translator’s English as printed (C. E. Rolt). The original-language text is not held; names are romanised as the translator printed them.
EN RELIGIOUS. HIStory
By W. J. SPARROW-SIMPSON
THE significance of the teaching of Dionysius cannot be appreciated aright without tracing to some extent his influence on subsequent religious thought.
Four works of the Areopagite survive. They are: Concerning the Heavenly Hierarchy; Concerning the Ecclesiastical Hierarchy; Concerning the Divine Names; and, Concerning Mystical Theology.
Commentaries upon them began to be written at an early date. The first great propagator of Dionysian theories was the very able monk and confessor Maximus. Maximus, who died in the year 662, wrote notes on all four treatises. These still survive, and may be found in the collected edition of the works of the Areopagite. Maximus is remarkably clear and acute, and contributed not a little to extend his Master’s reputation. He was gifted with a simplicity of style which the Areopagite by no means shared, and expounded with great clearness the difficult passages of Dionysius. And certainly the reader will not deny that those passages are by no means few.
Already, before Maximus’s labours, the teaching of the Areopagite was known in the West, and was appealed to by Pope Martin the First in the Lateran
EN RELIGIOUS. HIStory
By W. J. SPARROW-SIMPSON
The significance of the teaching of Dionysius cannot be properly appreciated without tracing, to some extent, his influence on later religious thought.
Four works of the Areopagite survive: Concerning the Heavenly Hierarchy; Concerning the Ecclesiastical Hierarchy; Concerning the Divine Names; and Concerning Mystical Theology.
Commentaries on them began to be written at an early date. The first great propagator of Dionysian theories was the very able monk and confessor Maximus. Maximus, who died in 662, wrote notes on all four treatises. These still survive and can be found in the collected edition of the Areopagite’s works. Maximus is remarkably clear and acute, and did much to extend his Master’s reputation. He had a simplicity of style which the Areopagite by no means shared, and he expounded the difficult passages of Dionysius with great clarity. And the reader will certainly not deny that such passages are by no means few.
Even before Maximus’s labours, the teaching of the Areopagite was known in the West, and was appealed to by Pope Martin the First in the Lateran