[The writings of the Areopagite consist of four important treatises: De divinis Nominibus, De mystica Theologia, De Coelesti Hierarchia, De ecclesiatica Hierarchia; some letters; and a number of lost documents referred to in the treatises. Little has been done as yet towards the provision of a critical text. The Syriac, Armenian and Arabic versions have not been investigated. Migne's text contains many manifest errors; it is a reprint of the Venice edition of 1755-6. The ideas of Dionysius's system are discussed in all books on Mysticism, and a multitude of magazine articles, mainly in German, deal with isolated points in the actual treatises besides the problem of authorship. The brief list given below will suffice for the present purpose. The Dionysian Documents have been critically investigated by Hipler. His work was followed by J. Dräseke in an Essay entitled "Dionysiaca," in the Zeitschrift für Wissenschaftliche Theologie, 1887, pp.300-333. Also by Nirschl. and by Styglmayr. in the Historische Jahrbuch, 1895. Criticism on the authorship has been continued by Hugo Koch, "Pseudo-Dionysius Areopagita," in the Forschungen zur Christlichen Litteratur-und Dogmengeschichte, 1900. Ed. by Ehrhard and Kirsch. Hugo Koch's work is one of the best on the subject. Colet, J. (Dean), Two Treatises on The Hierarchies of Dionysius, with introduction and translation, by J. H. Lupton (London, 1869). Fowler, J., The Words of Dionysius, especially in Reference to Christian Art (London, 1872). J. Parker, English Translation (Oxford, 1897). Sharpe, A. B., Mysticism: Its True Nature and Value (London, 1910). Contains a translation of the Mystical Theology and of the letters to Caius and Dorotheus. Inge, W. R., Christian Mysticism (London, 1899), pp.104-122. Jones, Rufus M., Studies in Mystical Religion (London, 1909), Chap. IV. Gardner, Edmund G., Dante and the Mystics (London, 1913), Chap. III. For the general influence of Dionysius reference should be made to the following writers -- Bach, Josef, Die Dogmengeschichte des Mittelalters, I Theil., 1874, pp.6-15. Baur, F. C., Die Christliche Lehre von der Dreieinigkeit und Menschwerdung Gottes, 1842, Bd. II., 207-251. Dorner, Development of the Doctrine of the Person of Christ, English translation, Div. ii., Vol. I., pp.157 ff. Westcott, Essay on Dionysius the Areopagite in Religious Thought in the West, 1891, pp.142-193. Uebinger, J., Die Gotteslehre des Nikolaus Cusanus, 1888. -- Ed.] |