Theophany: The Neoplatonic Philosophy of Dionysius the Areopagite

by Eric D. Perl

Overview

The work of Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite stands at a cusp in the history of thought: it is at once Hellenic and Christian, classical and medieval, philosophical and theological. Unlike the predominantly theological or text-historical studies which constitute much of the scholarly literature on Dionysius, Theophany is completely philosophical in nature, placing Dionysius within the tradition of ancient Greek philosophy and emphasizing, in a positive light, his continuity with the non-Christian Neoplatonism of Plotinus and Proclus. Eric D. Perl offers clear expositions of the reasoning that underlies Neoplatonic philosophy and explains the argumentation that leads to and supports Neoplatonic doctrines. He includes extensive accounts of fundamental ideas in Plotinus and Proclus, as well as Dionysius himself, and provides an excellent philosophical defense of Neoplatonism in general.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780791480021
Publisher:	State University of New York Press
Publication date:	02/01/2012
Series:	SUNY series in Ancient Greek Philosophy
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	175
File size:	588 KB

About the Author

Eric D. Perl is Professor of Philosophy at Loyola Marymount University.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Note on Translations
Abbreviations
Introduction

1. Beyond Being and Intelligibility

2. Being as Theophany

3. Goodness, Beauty, and Love

4. The Problem of Evil

5. The Hierarchy of Being

6. The Continuum of Cognition

7. Symbolism

Conclusion
Notes
Bibliography
Index

Editorial Reviews

...[a] stimulating book ... Perl's advocacy of Dionysian philosophy as a basis for Christian theology is full of challenges for anyone interested in the fate of ancient Greek philosophy and Christianity's encounter with it.— American Catholic Philosophical Quarterly

"This is, in many ways, the book for which teachers in the field have been waiting: a book that clearly and fully sets out the philosophical logic in Dionysius in a way accessible to undergraduate students and yet tackles the most vexed and controverted questions so strongly as to make it a necessity for graduate students and scholars in the field. Eric Perl has produced a remarkable unification of philosophy and accurate historical scholarship, something very rare."— Wayne J. Hankey, author of One Hundred Years of Neoplatonism in France: A Brief Philosophical History

"Dionysius is an extremely important Christian Platonist in his own right and also for the enormous impact he had on medieval philosophy. Getting his metaphysics right is essential, and Perl has done an outstanding job articulating his philosophical genius."— John Bussanich, author of The One and Its Relation to Intellect in Plotinus: A Commentary on Selected Texts"

From the Publisher