Dionysius the Areopagite (; grc-gre, Διονύσιος ὁ Ἀρεοπαγίτης ''Dionysios ho Areopagitēs'') was an

Athenian Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

judge at the

Areopagus The Areopagus () is a prominent rock outcropping located northwest of the Acropolis in Athens, Greece. Its English name is the Late Latin composite form of the Greek name Areios Pagos, translated "Hill of Ares" ( grc, Ἄρειος Πάγος) ...

Court in Athens, who lived in the first century. A convert to

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

, he is venerated as a saint by multiple denominations.

Life

Domenico Ghirlandaio Madonna and Child enthroned between Angels and Saint c 1486

As related in the Acts of the Apostles (), he was converted to

by the preaching of Paul the Apostle. After his conversion, Dionysius became the first

Bishop of Athens The Archbishopric of Athens ( el, Ιερά Αρχιεπισκοπή Αθηνών) is a Greek Orthodox archiepiscopal see based in the city of Athens, Greece. It is the senior see of Greece, and the seat of the autocephalous Church of Greece. Its ...

, though he is sometimes counted as the second after

Hierotheus Hierotheos or Hierotheus may refer to: * Hierotheos the Thesmothete, traditional first bishop of Athens in the 1st century * , legendary bishop of Segovia in the 1st century * , active in Hungary in the 10th century * , Constantinopolitan letter wr ...

. He is venerated as a saint in the

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

and the

Eastern Orthodox Eastern Orthodoxy, also known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity, is one of the three main branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholicism and Protestantism. Like the Pentarchy of the first millennium, the mainstream (or " canonical ...

churches. He is the patron saint of Athens and is venerated as the protector of judges and the judiciary. His memory is celebrated on October 3.

Historic confusions

In the early sixth century the so-called '' Corpus Dionysiacum'', a series of writings of a mystical nature, employing Neoplatonic language to elucidate Christian theological and mystical ideas, was ascribed to the Areopagite. Its author is now known as

Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite (or Dionysius the Pseudo-Areopagite) was a Greek author, Christian theologian and Neoplatonic philosopher of the late 5th to early 6th century, who wrote a set of works known as the ''Corpus Areopagiticum'' o ...

. Dionysius has been misidentified with the martyr Dionysius, the first Bishop of Paris. However, this mistake by a ninth century writer is ignored and each saint is commemorated on his respective day.

Modern references

In Athens there are two large churches bearing his name, one in Kolonaki on Skoufa Street, while the other is the Catholic Metropolis of Athens, on Panepistimiou Street. The pedestrian walkway around the Acropolis, which passes through the rock of the Areios Pagos, also bears his name. Dionysius is the patron saint of the Gargaliani of Messenia, as well as in the village of Dionysi in the south of the prefecture of Heraklion. The village was named after him and is the only village of Crete with a church in honor of Saint Dionysios Areopagitis.

References

Sources

External links

*
Hieromartyr Dionysius the Areopagite the Bishop of Athens
Orthodox

icon An icon () is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, in the cultures of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Catholic churches. They are not simply artworks; "an icon is a sacred image used in religious devotion". The most ...

and synaxarion *

Max Müller Friedrich Max Müller (; 6 December 1823 – 28 October 1900) was a German-born philologist and Orientalist, who lived and studied in Britain for most of his life. He was one of the founders of the western academic disciplines of Indian ...

br>Dionysius the Areopagite
Lecture 1895 {{Authority control Ancient Athenians Doctors of the Church 1st-century Christian saints 1st-century bishops in Roman Achaea 1st-century Christian theologians People in Acts of the Apostles 1st-century Christian martyrs Converts to Christianity from pagan religions Saints of Roman Athens Bishops of Athens Clergy from Athens