12. History of Aesthetics: Pseudo-Dionysius

People like mysteries. We’re fascinated by the stories about Sherlock Holmes, and our curiosity is also piqued by real-life mysteries, such as the identity of D. B. Cooper. In the Middle Ages, a writer published a series of works as though he were Dionysius the Areopagite, who lived in the 1st century. These works, originally thought to be written by a direct disciple of Paul the Apostle, were later regarded as written by someone in the 5th century. It became clear that Pseudo-Dionysius (as he’s now known) refers to ideas that were developed by Plotinus and Proclus, and he is suspected to have been a pupil of Proclus. The identity of the author known as Pseudo-Dionysius is likely to remain a mystery forever.

Regardless of who it is, the writings of Pseudo-Dionysius were highly influential to medieval theologians and philosophers that came after him, notably Thomas Aquinas. Pseudo-Dionysius helped further establish the use of Neoplatonist philosophy in Christian theology. He promoted negative theology, that we remove imperfections to understand God. His belief that light was a manifestation of God influenced the Gothic style of architecture, particularly the use of stained glass. With that, let’s dive into the aesthetics of this enigmatic medieval philosopher.