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Numbered among the Seventy Lesser [[Image:Dionysius the Areopagite.jpg|right|frame|St. Dionysius the AreopagiteApostles]]The holy, glorious and right-victorious [[Hieromartyr]] '''Dionysius the Areopagite''' (also '''Dionysios''' or '''Denys''') was [[baptism|baptized]] by [[Saint]] [[Apostle_Paul|St. Paul]] in Athens . Prior to this, Dionysius grew up in a notable family in Athens, attended philisophical school at home and abroad, was married with several children and is numbered among was a member of the highest court in Greece, the Areopagus. After his conversion to the Seventy True Faith, St. Paul made him [[ApostlesBishop]]of Athens. Eventually he left his wife and children for Christ and went with St. Paul in missionary travel. His He travelled to Jersusalem specifically to see the Most Holy [[feast dayTheotokos]] is celebrated on and writes of his encounter in one of his books. He was also present at her [[October 3Dormition]].

==Life==Prior to his baptismSeeing St. Paul martyred in Rome, St. Dionysius grew up in a notable family in Athens, attended philosophical school at home and abroad, was married and had several children, and was desired to be a member of the highest court in Greece, the Areopagus. After his [[conversionmartyr]] as well. He went to the True FaithGaul, St. Paul made him [[Bishop]] of Athens. Eventually he left along with his wife presbyster Rusticus and children for [[Christ]] and went with St. Paul in [[missionary]] travel. He travelled the deacon Eleutherius, to Jerusalem specifically preach the gospel to see the Most Holy [[Theotokos]] and writes of barbarians where his suffering was equalled only by his encounter success in one of his booksconverting many pagans to Christianity. He was also present at her built a small church in Paris where the [[DormitionDivine_Liturgy|Divine Services]]were celebrated.

Seeing St. Paul [[martyr]]ed in RomeIn the year 96, St. Dionysius desired to be a martyr as well. He went to Gaulwas seized and tortured for Christ, along with his [[presbyter]] Rusticus and the [[deacon]] Eleutherius, to preach and all three were beheaded under the reign of [[Gospel]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domitian Dometian] . St. Dionysius' head rolled a rather long way until it came to the barbariansfeet of Catula, a Christian. There She honorably buried it along with his suffering was equalled only by his success in [[conversion|converting]] many pagans to Christianitybody.

In the year 96, St. Dionysius was seized and tortured for Christwrote many famous books, including: ''The Divine Names of God'', along with Rusticus ''Celestial and Eleutherius, Ecclesiastical Hierarchies'' and all three were beheaded under the reign of the Emperor Domitian''Mystical Theology''. His [[feast day]] is [[October 3]]rd. His ''Letter to Titus'' is quoted by [[John_of_Damascus|St. DionysiusJohn of Damscus]] in his work '' head rolled a rather long way until it came to On the feet of CatulaDivine Images'', a Christian. She honorably buried it along with his bodydefense of [[icons]] during the [[iconoclast|iconocalstic controversies]].

==WorksSource =={{expert}}Four theological works are attributed to Dionysius: ''The Divine Names'', ''The Mystical Theology'', ''The Celestial Hierarchy'', and ''The Ecclesiastical Hierarchy'', as well as eleven letters. While there were occasional questions raised regarding the true authorship of the Dionysian writings in the Middle Ages, it is Hugo Koch and Josef Stiglmayer's works (1895)<ref>"Proklus als Quelle des Pseudo-Dionysius Areopagita in der Lehre von Bösen," by Hugo Koch, ''Philologus'' 54 (1895) 438-54; ''Pseudo-Dionysius Areopagita in seinen Beziehungen zum Neuplatonismu und Mysterienweses'' by Hugo Koch (Mainz: 1900); and "Der Neuplatoniker Proklos als Vorlage des sog. Dionysius Areopagita in der Lehre vom Übel," by Josef Stiglmayr, ''Historisches Jahrbuch'' 16 (1895) 253-73 and 721-48St. See also Stiglmayr's "Das Aufkommen der Ps.-Dionysischen Schriften und ihr Eindrungen in die christliche Literatur bis zum Lateranconcil 649. Ein zweiter Beitrag zur Dionysius Frage," ''IV Jahresbericht des offentlichen Privatgymnasiums an der Stelle matutina zu Feldkirch'' (Feldkirch: 1895)</ref> that definitively laid to rest the idea of tracing the texts back to the apostolic age. The scholarly consensus now identifies the corpus as the work of a fifth-century Syrian student of the pagan Neoplatonist Proclus.<ref>For more, see, for instance, Andrew Louth, ''Denys the Areopagite'' (ISBN 082645772X), as well as [[Jaroslav PelikanNikolai Velimirovic]], "The Odyssey of Dionysian Spirituality" in ''Pseudo-Dionysius: The Complete Works'' (ISBN 0809128381)</ref> Pseudo-Dionysius has been accused of "employing Neoplatonic language to elucidate Christian theological and mystical ideas."<ref>[http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dionysius_the_Areopagite&oldid=221352184 Wikipedia: Dionysius the Areopagite]; cf. also [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pseudo-Dionysius_the_Areopagite&oldid=220002373 Wikipedia: Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite]</ref> But, while some recent Orthodox scholars have been critical Prologue of the influence of the Dionysian corpus, recent defenders include Igumen [[Alexander GolitzinOhrid]], who sees it as a fully Christian liturgical theology (''Et introibo ad altare dei: The Mystagogy of Dionysius Areopagita'' [Thessalonika, 1994]), and [[Vladimir Lossky]], who sees the Dionysian interpretation of the unknowability of God as fundamental to any Christian thought and as setting the stage for the work St. [[Gregory Palamas]] (''The Mystical Theology of the Eastern Church''). However controversial the texts, their theology was incorporated into the mainstream of Orthodox theology through its adoption by St. [[Maximus the Confessor]] and St. [[John of Damascus]].

[[Category:Greek Saints]][[Category:Seventy Apostles]] [[ro:Dionisie AreopagitulApostolic_Fathers]]