The 8th Conference of the International Society for Neoplatonic
Studies will
be held in Madrid on June 17-20 2010.
Along
with the Conference there will be a Panel discussion
entitled Dionysius the Areopagite between
Orthodoxy and Heresy:
One of the most
controversial characters in the history of philosophy and theology is
beyond all doubt (Pseudo-) Dionysius the Areopagite. The only
conclusion on which the modern scholarship agreed is that he was not
the famous bishop of Athens, a pagan converted to Christianity by St.
Paul.
The
influence of Dionysian writings in the entire Middle Ages is
astonishing, and he was considered as the highest authority, second
only to Bible, since he was considered a contemporary of Apostles. Some
of the main features of his doctrine, such as apophatic theology,
deification, and hierarchies, greatly determined the ways of future
Christian
speculation.
His
knowledge of the Christian
tradition is proven by his good command of
the notions of not only the theoretical foundations of Christianity,
but also of the liturgical life and practical experience of the Church.
On the other hand, the strong Neoplatonic character of his writings
cannot be disregarded. Who was really Dionysius? Was he a Christian
simply initiated into Neoplatonic doctrines, or was he a Neoplatonist
whose intention was to cunningly introduce pagan elements into the
Christian thought?
The
aim of this panel is to reconsider the identity of Dionysius and his
role in the formation of early
Christianity. The main question would be
whether he was a pagan philosopher or a Christian theologian. This
question remains unresolved until today, and the panel would serve to
allow participants to engage in an interaction of different opinions,
which would hopefully shed some more light on the dark background of
“divine Dionysius”.
Abstract for this session should be sent
to Filip Ivanovic at
[email protected], by 23rd February 2010.
For more
information:
Website of the Conference is
http://www.uam.es/otros/isns2010/Bienvenida.htmlThe
information about panel discussion on Dionysius as well as other
sessions
can be found at
http://www.uam.es/otros/isns2010/Panels.htmlThe
Call for Papers is found here
http://www.uam.es/otros/isns2010/Papers.html