Introductions. The odyssey of Dionysian spirituality ; Influence and noninfluence of Dionysius in the western Middle Ages ; Pseudo-Dionysius and the reformation of the sixteenth century
The divine names
The mystical theology
The celestial hierarchy
The ecclesiastical hierarchy
The letters

There are few figures in the history of Western Spirituality who are more enigmatic than the fifth or sixth-century writer known as the Pseudo-Dionysius. The real identity of the person who chose to write under the pseudonym of Dionysius the Areopagite is unknown. Even the exact dates of his writings have never been determined. Moreover the texts themselves, though relatively short, are at points seemingly impenetrable and have mystified readers over the centuries. Yet the influence of this shadowy figure on a broad range of mystical writers from the early middle ages on is readily discernible. His formulation of a method of negative theology that stresses the impotence of humans' attempt to penetrate the "cloud of unknowing" is famous as is his meditation on the divine names. Despite his influence, relatively few attempts have been made to translate the entire corpus of his writing into English. Here in one volume are collected all of the Pseudo-Dionysius' works. Each has been translated from the Migne edition, with reference to the forthcoming Gottingen critical edition of A.M. Ritter, G. Heil, and B. Suchla. -- from back cover