Pseudo-Dionysius as Polemicist

The anonymous theologian known as Pseudo-Dionysius who was responsible for arranging the angelic hierarchy into nine orders had a significant influence on mediaeval European mysticism. This book places him in his religious and political context in sixth century Syria and uncovers the hidden agenda which lies behind his writings. New evidence is presented to establish the dating of the corpus more accurately than has been done before. Rather than analysing the minutiae of Dionysius' thought Rosemary Arthur focuses on his sources for and treatment of the Angelic Hierarchy and the Dazzling Darkness with a view to ascertaining his motive for writing his relationship with his opponents and his need to hide his identity.