THE AUTHORITY OF DIONYSIUS PSEUDO-AREOPAGITE IN THE TREATISE ON DIVINE UNITIES AND DISTINCTIONS OF GREGORY PALAMAS
Abstract
The paper considers the way in which Gregory Palamas relates himself to the
person and literary heritage of Dionysius Pseudo-Areopagite in his short, but systematic
and relevant treatise On divine unities and distinctions. The special accent is put on the
question of authority; namely, taking as undisputable fact that the author of areopagitic
writings was indeed a pupil of apostle Paul, Palamas misses the opportunity critically to
reinvestigate the real authorship of areopagitic writings, despite the fact that he, being
forced by polemical context, undoubtedly comes to the point where he puts this question,
question that could lead him to the debunking of this alleged authority from the apostolic
time. In this way it becomes clear that, despite the hermeneutic fruitfulness of his
interpretation of areopagitic writings, Gregory Palamas, out of his (uncritical) loyalty to the
authority and tradition, at this point has remained blind for some facts that a mind more
independent from the authority and tradition would be more eager to notice and, more
important, to acknowledge.
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