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 Theophany: The Neoplatonic Philosophy of Dionysius the Areopagite February 4, 2008
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
Along with the valuable work by O'Rourke, 'Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite and the Metaphysics of Aquinas', Eric D. Perl's 'Theophany: The Neoplatonic Philosophy of Dionysius the Areopagite' provides us with a summation of that sacred doctrine which took on the epithet 'Neoplatonism' and the particular contribution of the two sages Plotinus and Pseudo-Dionysius. Perl's work attempts to show how Pseudo-Dionysius and Plotinus set out to articulate that which defies articulation, namely the nature of the One, or God. In the first chapter Perl clears the ground for further doctrinal elaboration by explaining what Plotinus means by the One, the Good, or Pseudo-Dionysius by God, and makes the point that the One isn't simply transcendent and non-delimited, but even beyond non-delimitation, which in turn explains manifestation. In the second chapter Perl moves on to explain, often in the words of Plotinus or Pseudo-Dionysius, how the One seemingly becomes the many. Later chapters go into further detail about the Sovereign Good, or the Beautiful, as representative of the One, or God, in the domain of Being and existence, the nature of evil and the metaphysical explanation for its apparent existence, the hierarchy of Being, epistemological considerations, and so forth.
The work is written in the style of a metaphysical treatise and while sparing no academic quality it doesn't read in the tradition of dry analytic treatment, focusing on where Plotinus lived, or what kind of sandals he might have worn. 'Theophany' is a study of the metaphysical principals which constitute Neoplatonism--which cannot be thought of as a religion, but as a means of understanding religion as such in the domain of ideas--as well as exploring the reception of these principals into one of the three great Abrahamic traditions, Christianity. It is this quality which has made Neoplatonic metaphysics so important and influential not only to medieval Christian philosophy and mysticism, but also to medieval Islamic philosophy and mysticism. I can think of no better work which in a single volume conveys the founding principals of Neoplatonism, outlining its fundamental tenets, and defending it philosophically from the many misrepresentations which inevitably abound, in such a succinct and coherent manner. It is not an entirely easy read, not because the author fails to give adequate expression, but because the ideas conveyed are those of the most subtle and sublime available to men, always skirting on the edge of ineffability. One must approach a work of this nature with the attitude of a contemplative, not the modern academician who seeks to accumulate information so as to analyze and sort according to dubious criteria.
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