Neoplatonic Theurgy and Dionysius the Areopagite

Abstract

Until recently, Neoplatonic theurgy has been defined by scholars as an attempt to manipulate the gods through ritual, and its influence in late antique Platonic circles has been interpreted as evidence for the decline of Greek rationality caused in large part by the teachings of the fourth-century Syrian Platonist, Iamblichus. Although scholarly research on theurgy and Iamblichus has now corrected these misunderstandings, they have left their mark on related areas of research: a notable example is the role of theurgy in the Christian liturgy of Dionysius the Areopagite. This essay argues that the distinction between Iamblichean and Dionsyian theurgy--asserted by leading theologians and scholars--is based on a caricature of Iamblichean theurgy. When Iamblichean theurgy is properly understood, the Christian theurgy of Dionysius may be seen as an example of the same kind of theurgy that Iamblichus defined in the De mysteriis. This essay aims to refute the false distinction between "pagan" and Christian theurgy and to suggest that such distinctions reflect more the apologetic interests of scholars than an accurate reading of the evidence.

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