Perl Eric David. Theophany: The Neoplatonic Philosophy of Dionysius the Areopagite

Albany, NY: State University of New York Press, 2007. — 178 p. — (SUNY Series in Ancient Greek Philosophy).This book is the fruit of more than twelve years’ study and teaching of the thought of Dionysius the Areopagite, together with that of Plotinus and Proclus, as philosophy: not, primarily, as a late antique cultural phenomenon; nor as an influential episode in the history of Christian theology; nor as “mysticism,” if that be taken to mean something other than philosophy; nor as a series of texts with ascertainable relations of influence and citation; but as philosophy, i.e. as a rationally justified, coherent account of the nature of reality. Such a philosophical exposition of any body of thought demands more than an explanation of what the philosopher says and of the sources from which he derives his doctrines. It requires, above all, an account of the argumentation, the sequence of reasoning that supports and leads to his positions. Only by understanding this argumentation can we truly grasp the meaning of the positions themselves.