Dionius Areopagit ( Greek Διονύσιος ο Αρεοπαγτης ) is an Athenian thinker [1] , a Christian saint. According to church tradition, Dionysius the Areopagite was a disciple up. Paul ( Acts 17:34 ) and the first bishop of Athens . According to his life, he was sent by the apostle Clement to the head of the mission of preachers in Gaul , where he died from the persecution of Domitian around the year 96 [2] .
| Dionysius the Areopagite | |
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 Mosaic in Osios Lucas | |
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Under his name, written essays that have become publicly known in the V century . In the XVI century, these works were the most criticized, after which the opinion began to be affirmed that they may have been strongly influenced by Neo-Platonism and are of pseudo-epigraphic origin. The works had an enormous influence on the further Christian philosophy. There is no consensus about the authorship of these works and the exact date of their creation. In science, these texts are known as the Areopagitics .
On Dionysia the Ape of the Sun, there is an indisputable appraisal in the world of pantheon in the heart of the sun. Always the faith of Christ, all this is in vainness, well-able . ”
Content
Life
Dionysius lived in Athens . There he received a classic Hellenic education.
Following the example of Pythagoras and Plato , he went to Egypt , in the city of Heliopolis , to study astronomy. There, along with his friend the philosopher Apollofan, he witnessed a solar eclipse during the crucifixion of Jesus Christ ( Matthew 27:45 ). Dionysius exclaimed:
“This is either God, the Creator of the whole world, is suffering, or this visible world ends”
Upon returning to Athens for his wisdom, Dionysius was elected a member of the Areopagus . When the Apostle Paul was invited to the Areopagus to explain the new teaching in Athens , Dionysius attended the sermon and believed in Christ ( Acts 17:34 ). After being baptized, Dionysius spent three years near the Apostle Paul , after which he was ordained bishop of Athens. In 57, Dionysius was present at the burial of the Virgin Mary in Jerusalem .
In the late 60s of the first century, the Areopagite visited Rome for a meeting with the apostles Peter and Paul , seized by the emperor Nero . After the execution of the apostles, Dionysius, along with Presbyter Rustic and the deacon Elevferius, sent with sermons to Rome , Germany , Spain and France , to continue the work of the Apostle Paul. In Lutetia of Gallia , in times of persecution of Christians, preachers were captured and thrown into prison. The governor of Sisiniy condemned all three for faith, persuaded and tortured them to renounce Christ. The governor ordered to punish the saints with the sword. The decapitated body of the martyr Dionysius rose, took his head in his hands and went to the place where the Christian church was (about six kilometers to the settlement, which later began to bear the name Saint-Denis ).
“There, giving the head of one pious woman named Catullus, from the Roman nobility, it fell to the ground, indicating thereby the place where the holy remains should be buried”
- Acts of Saints
In 1935, the International Astronomical Union assigned the name of Dionysius the Areopagite to the crater on the visible side of the moon .
Identification with Dionysius of Paris
The question of identifying the two Dionysians - the Parisian , who lived in the III century , and the Athenian, appearing in the book of the Acts of the Apostles - was the subject of discussion of the churches about apostolic origin.
Celebration of memory
- Twice a year, the Orthodox Church honors the memory of the martyr on the day of the Council of the Apostles from seventy January 4 (17) and October 3 (16).
- The Catholic Church celebrates the commemoration of St. Dionysius on October 9 . The Catholic Basilica of Saint-Denis , located 4 kilometers from Montmartre , which means "Mont des Martyrs", ("mountain of martyrs"), keeps the power of the Holy Martyr Dionysius and his companions - the Holy Martyrs Roustix and Eleutherius . According to the legend, along the present Girardon street from the hill of Montmartre a stream flowed, in the waters of which the saint washed his severed head before carrying it to its resting place.
Worldly Perpetuation
The name of Dionysius the Areopagite is carried by the street in the Athens district of Makriyani
The writings of Dionysius the Areopagite in Old Russian literacy
The writings of Dionysius the Areopagite penetrated into Russia through the South Slavic translations. Among them was a copy belonging to Metropolitan Cyprian. Some list of creations of Dionysius, most likely, existed in Novgorod. The surviving lists date from the end of the 15th or the turn of the 15th – 16th centuries. Later, there was an increase in the popularity of works by Dionysius the Areopagite [3] .
Modern Russian translations
- About divine names. About mystical theology / Preparations of G. M. Prokhorov , ed. translation: A.I. Zaitsev . - SPb. : Verb, 1994. - 378 p. - (Foundations of Christian culture). - 5000 copies - ISBN 5-85381-023-5 .
- On the celestial hierarchy / Translation from ancient Greek M. G. Ermakova, edited by A. I. Zaitsev. - SPb. : Verb - RHGI Publishing House - University Book , 1997. - 179 p.
See also
- Dionysius of Paris
- Pseudo-Dionysius Areopagite
- Areopagitics
Notes
- ↑ History of aesthetics. Monuments of world aesthetic thought in 5 volumes / Ovsyannikov M.F., Gershkovich Z.I., Livshits M.A. and others. - M .: Art , 1962. - T. 1. - P. 334.
- ↑ Dionysius the Areopagite // Orthodox encyclopedia . - M .: Church-Scientific Center "Orthodox Encyclopedia" , 2007. - T. XV. - p. 309-324. - 752 s. - 39 000 copies - ISBN 978-5-89572-026-4 .
- ↑ Milkova S. V., Smirnova A. A. Areopagitics in the bookishness of Ancient Russia and their readers // Ancient Russia. Questions of medieval studies . 2003. № 4 (14). Pp. 47-48.
Literature
- Vasiliev P. P. Dionysius the Areopagite // Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron : in 86 tons (82 tons and 4 extras). - SPb. , 1890-1907.
- Dionysius the Areopagite // Orthodox Encyclopedia . - M .: Church-Scientific Center "Orthodox Encyclopedia" , 2007. - T. XV. - p. 309-324. - 752 s. - 39 000 copies - ISBN 978-5-89572-026-4 .