Pseudo-Dionysius: A Commentary on the Texts and an Introduction to Their Influence

284 Pages·1993·17.47 MB·English

by  Paul Rorem

Pseudo-Dionysius
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Pseudo-Dionysius
A Commentary on the Texts and an
Introduction to Their Influence
PAUL ROREM
New York Oxford
OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS
1993
Oxford University Press
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Copyright © 1993 by Paul Rorem
Published by Oxford University Press, Inc.
200 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10016
Oxford is a registered trademark of Oxford University Press, Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means,
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise,
without the prior permission of Oxford University Press.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Rorem, Paul.
Pseudo-Dionysius : a commentary on the texts and an introduction
to their influence / Paul Rorem.
p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-19-507664-8
1. Pseudo-Dionysius, Aeropagite.
2. Theology—Early church, ca. 30-600. I. Title.
BR65.D66R67 1993 230'.14—dc20 92-15353
Excerpts reprinted from Pseudo-Dionysius: The Complete Works,
translation by Colm Luibheid. © 1987 by Colm Luibheid.
Used by permission of Paulist Press.
1 3 5 7 9 8 6 42
Printed in the United States of America
on acid-free paper
In memory of
my youngest brother, Jonathon Andrew Rorem,
and my mother-in-law, Nancy O'Brien Skrebutenas,
who both died in the middle of 1987,
long before their time.
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
It is a joy to acknowledge the help I have received in the preparation and writ-
ing of this book. Oliver K. Olson first introduced me, as well as other Lutheran
seminarians, to the Pseudo-Dionysian writings, and has been a source of
encouragement in this and various other endeavors ever since. Karlfried Froehlich
guided my dissertation on the same topic with patience and high standards,
challenging me, then and now, to pursue my own interpretations. John Farina
invited me to collaborate on the Paulist Press English edition in the Classics of
Western Spirituality series; Colm Luibheid liberated me from my own wooden
translation of the corpus and graciously welcomed my collaboration. David B.
Evans is a permanent partner in wide-ranging conversations about all things
Dionysian. Charles G. Woods first encouraged me to apply the commentary
format to the entire corpus.
The most specific debt is owed to my colleagues and students at the Lutheran
School of Theology at Chicago, where I was based from 1986 to 1992. David
Ludwig and Faye Schott served as my research assistants and first editors;
Faye—now Dr. Schott—also prepared the indexed bibliography. Various stu-
dents found the Dionysian corpus and my commentary intriguing enough to
warrant further investigation in independent studies and graduate seminars.
President William E. Lesher and Dean Ralph Klein supported my work both
while I was teaching and on sabbatical. My six years in that community of faith
and learning coincide exactly with the years spent on this book, but my sense
of gratitude and affection is much deeper than any mere acknowledgment can
adequately reflect.
Several friends and colleagues who read specific portions of this book and
offered helpful comments are individually thanked in the notes. John Lamoreaux
is my current collaborator on the Dionysian Scholia, and evidence of his work
is previewed here. I am grateful to Sister Lee Pendergast and the community at
Our Lady of Grace Monastery in North Guilford, Connecticut, for their interest
viii Acknowledgments
and careful reading of most of the manuscript. Of course, the generosity of all
these individuals does not entail any responsibility for any shortcomings in my
efforts.
The final stage of writing was supported by the Center of Theological Inquiry
in Princeton, New Jersey, where Director Daniel Hardy and his staff do all that
is humanly possible to help a dozen authors achieve their highest goals. I am
deeply grateful for the help of Cynthia Read and the staff at Oxford University
Press for their thorough assistance in the preparation of the manuscript for pub-
lication. For her professional services and personal support, I am most indebted
to Kate Skrebutenas, the reference librarian at Princeton Theological Seminary.
Princeton, N.J. P.R.
Pentecost 1992
CONTENTS
Abbreviations xi
PART I The Letters as Introduction 3
Orientation 3
Reading Method for "An Obscure Style" 5
Letters 1 Through 6 as a Preview 7
Letter 7 to Polycarp, a Hierarch: The Questions of Authorship 12
Letter 8: Issues of Hierarchy and Authority 18
Letter 9: Biblical and Liturgical Symbolism 24
Letter 10: Summary 27
Influence in the Middle Ages 29
Notes 38
PART II The Celestial Hierarchy 47
Introduction: Chapters 1 Through 3 49
Presentation of the Heavenly Hierarchy: Chapters 4 Through 10 60
Specific Problems: Chapters 11 Through 14 68
The Biblical Descriptions of the Angels: Chapter 15 72
The Influence in the Middle Ages 73
Notes 83
PART III The Ecclesiastical Hierarchy 91
Chapter 1 as Introduction 91
Chapter 2: Baptism, or "The Divine Birth" 96
Chapter 3: The Synaxis or Communion 99
Chapter 4: The Consecration of the Ointment (Myron) 104