Episode Overview

Main Theme:
In this episode, "Naming the Nameless – the Pseudo-Dionysius," host Peter Adamson explores the mysterious and influential figure known as Pseudo-Dionysius. The episode examines the author's identity, historical influence, and, most importantly, his unique approach to theology—particularly the concept of negative theology (apophatic theology), which emphasizes God's ultimate ineffability.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Mystery of Pseudo-Dionysius (00:12–04:10)

• Pseudonymous Authorship:
  Adamson opens by drawing a playful parallel between Kierkegaard, Stephen King, and Pseudo-Dionysius—all prolific users of pseudonyms. Unlike Kierkegaard, whose true identity is clear, Pseudo-Dionysius’s real identity remains unknown.
• Claimed Identity:
  The author assumes the persona of Dionysius the Areopagite, a minor biblical figure converted by St. Paul, effectively forging apostolic credentials.
• Clever Deception:
  Pseudo-Dionysius inserts himself into biblical events, claiming, for example, to have witnessed Christ’s crucifixion eclipse and had visions with apostles.
• Historical Context:
  Though he claims apostolic ties, Pseudo-Dionysius’s works date from around 500 AD, centuries after the events he describes.

2. The Legacy and Influence of Pseudo-Dionysius (04:11–08:40)

• Early Debates Over Authenticity:
  Almost immediately, his true identity was questioned. Some labeled him a heretic, while powerful defenders like John of Scythopolis and Maximus the Confessor championed his authority.
• Medieval Enthusiasm and Confusion with Saint Denis:
  During the 9th century, a translation led to his conflation with the patron saint of France, St. Denis.
• Western Influence:
  John Scotus Eriugena, a major Carolingian thinker, drew inspiration from Dionysius, further entrenching his importance—even if Eriugena himself was controversial.
• Continued Reverence:
  Pseudo-Dionysius’s works became central to medieval theological education. Even Thomas Aquinas wrote commentaries and often quoted him.
• Impact Beyond Theology:
  His influence extended to Gothic architecture, notably through his angelic hierarchy (visible on the Chartres Cathedral) and imagery of divine light, shaping the use of stained glass.
• Coining ‘Hierarchy’:
  “He seems to have invented the Greek noun hierarchia, from which we get our word hierarchy.” (06:55)

3. Unmasking the Pseudo-Dionysius (08:41–10:10)

• Modern Discovery:
  It wasn’t until the 19th century that scholars conclusively dated the works—Dionysius borrows heavily from Proclus, a late antique Neoplatonist, so he must have written after Proclus (died 485 AD).
• Enduring Misconceptions:
  “Entertainingly, an early remark added to the manuscripts of Dionysius claims that it was Proclus who stole from Dionysius, not the other way around.” (09:45)

4. The Dionysian Corpus—An Overview (10:11–12:35)

• Core Works:
  The surviving corpus includes:
  • Ten letters (ending with one to St. Paul)
  • Ecclesiastical Hierarchy (on sacraments and church structure)
  • Celestial Hierarchy (on angels, applying Neoplatonic order)
  • The Divine Names
  • The Mystical Theology
• Central Tension:
  While Dionysius appropriates Neoplatonic metaphysics into Christian thought (to the probable dismay of ‘staunch anti-Christian Neoplatonists’ like Proclus), his most significant legacy is in the realm of how humans speak— or fail to speak—about God.

5. Negative Theology – Apophatic Thought (12:36–17:25)

• Positive (Kataphatic) vs Negative (Apophatic) Theology:
  • Positive theology: Asserts things about God (“God is good”).
  • Negative theology: Emphasizes that God surpasses all human language and comprehension—to the extent that one cannot ascribe any description—even “goodness”—to God.
• Dionysius’s Pessimism:
  He becomes the classic exponent of negative theology, “...the unknowability of God was his favorite theme.”
• Metaphors and Arguments:
  Dionysius portrays God as “a darkness beyond all light,” influencing later texts like The Cloud of Unknowing.
• Philosophical Rationale:
  • God is absolutely simple; our multiplicity of expressions can't capture divine essence.
  • “Human cognition is simply inadequate to grasp an object of God’s transcendence.” (15:35)
  • Higher modes of knowledge (“the divine power by which God grasps himself”) are inaccessible to us in this life.
• Wittgenstein Parallel:
  “Whereof one cannot speak, thereof one must be silent.” Dionysius ends his most profound exploration with a similar act of silence: “silence is where Dionysius expects us to wind up, not where we begin.” (17:20)

6. The Divine Names—Balancing Positive and Negative Theology (17:26–23:05)

• Scriptural Dilemma:
  If human language doesn’t apply to God, why do scriptures refer to God with human concepts?
• Dionysian Solution:
  He interprets such ascriptions as imperfect yet necessary attempts to express the divine.
• Focus on Abstract Terms:
  The Divine Names discusses terms like “good,” “love,” “powerful,” etc. (more physical descriptions are in a claimed but now-lost work).
• Revelatory Nature of Creation:
  We know God’s attributes indirectly, by observing “God’s effects”; this borrows from Proclus: “effects are contained preeminently in their causes.” (21:05)
• Superlative Language:
  Dionysius innovates by adding the Greek prefix huper- (“hyper, super”), as in “super-good.” This tension means God is “so preeminently good that he is no longer really good in any sense we can understand.” (22:50)
• Names & Simplicity:
  All names (love, power, goodness) apply to God as a whole—God is simple and undivided, even as our language multiplies his attributes.
• Caution against Literalism:
  Scriptural physical names (e.g., “God is a lion”) are warnings not to take names at face value.
• The Final Move:
  In the end, “negative theology trumps positive theology,” and “the highest knowledge of God is a sort of ignorance or unknowing.” (23:05)

7. Unknowing as the Climax of Theology (23:06–27:30)

• Paradox of Ignorance:
  If the highest knowledge consists in “unknowing,” how is this different from the ignorance of those who never think about God?
• Neoplatonic Framework:
  Dionysius, echoing Proclus, sees all creation as a procession from God and a return to God, culminating not in ordinary ignorance but in “the infinity of God himself.”
• Transcendent vs. Deficient:
  He distinguishes transcendent “unknowing” from ignorant “not-knowing” by analogy:
  • “When a team is playing in the Pan-European Champions League, it’s no longer playing in its national league. But that doesn’t mean it has the status of a local club that isn’t good enough for the national league. Rather, the club has transcended the national league.” (26:35)
• Implication:
  The climax of Dionysius’s theology is to move beyond all concepts, not from ignorance below knowledge, but through transcendent ignorance above knowledge—a “super knowledge.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Dionysian Influence on Language & Architecture (06:55):
  “He seems to have invented the Greek noun hierarchia, from which we get our word hierarchy.”
• On Negative Theology’s Endgame (17:46):
  “If we cannot say that God is good, neither can we say that he is not good. Thus, even denials must be denied, a point Dionysius makes in the very last line of the mystical theology.”
• Echoing Wittgenstein (16:20):
  “Whereof one cannot speak, thereof one must be silent.”
• On the Superlative Language of God (22:50):
  “Thus God is not good, but hyper or super good. The genius of this... is that it encapsulates both the positive and negative aspects of Dionysian theology in a single term.”
• On the Champions League Analogy (26:35):
  “Rather, the club has transcended the English, French, or German league. It is now playing in Europe. The club is beyond the league because it is too good, whereas other teams are not in the league because they are not good enough. So that, in case you were wondering, is what the God of the Pseudo-Dionysius has in common with Bayern Munich.”

Timestamps for Major Segments

• 00:12 – Introduction & the importance of pseudonyms
• 02:00 – The assumed identity of Dionysius and his biblical forgeries
• 04:15 – Early challenges and supporters of Dionysius’s authenticity
• 06:15 – Impact on the Middle Ages; invention of ‘hierarchy’
• 08:45 – Unmasking Dionysius as late antique, via comparison with Proclus
• 10:20 – Overview of the corpus: letters, hierarchies, mystical theology
• 12:35 – Introduction to negative/apophatic theology
• 17:25 – Survey of Divine Names and the tension in scriptural interpretation
• 23:06 – Climax: ignorance, unknowing, and the Neoplatonic framework
• 26:35 – Champions League analogy: transcendence

Episode Tone and Style

Peter Adamson delivers the episode with clarity, wit, and accessible analogies (from soccer to Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz), while retaining precise philosophical language. His tone is conversational but erudite, often peppered with subtle humor.

Summary

This episode unravels the enigmatic figure of Pseudo-Dionysius, showing how his bold integration of Neoplatonic philosophy transformed Christian theology—particularly through the path of negative theology, where God transcends all language, knowledge, and even ordinary forms of ignorance. Dionysius’s enduring legacy is charted not just in philosophy and theology, but also in art, language, and architecture, all through the paradoxical act of naming—and naming the nameless.

For anyone curious about how philosophical traditions shaped religious thinking, and how ‘the unknowable’ became one of Christianity’s most profound theological insights, this episode is essential listening.