The Hidden Light: Exploring the Life and Work of Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite.

By Fanus du Plooy – Serving You With Purpose and Heart

"The divine is hidden, yet always drawing us into deeper silence. To know God, we must un-know everything else."
— Pseudo-Dionysius

Who Was Pseudo-Dionysius?

The man we call Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite is one of the most mysterious and luminous figures in early Christian mystical theology. Writing in the late 5th or early 6th century, he adopted the name Dionysius the Areopagite, a character mentioned in Acts 17:34—an Athenian judge who converted to Christianity after hearing Paul speak at the Areopagus. But modern scholars agree this was a pseudonym, hence “Pseudo-Dionysius.”

He wasn't trying to deceive. In the mystical tradition, names are often veils. Just like a monk takes on a new name when entering the cloister, this pseudonym was a symbolic act—anchoring his teachings in ancient apostolic authority while preserving the anonymity essential to the humility he preached.

In fact, his writings reflect exactly that ethos: that the highest truths of God are hidden in divine darkness, and we approach them not by grasping, but by letting go.

What Did He Write?

His surviving works include:

  • The Divine Names

  • Mystical Theology

  • The Celestial Hierarchy

  • The Ecclesiastical Hierarchy

  • Several Epistles (Letters)

These writings form the core of Christian Neoplatonism, deeply influenced by Plato, Plotinus, Proclus, and other Greek philosophers. But Dionysius went further—he baptized those ideas in mystical fire.

Let’s look at some key themes.

1. The Way of Unknowing: “Via Negativa”

In Mystical Theology, Dionysius invites the reader into the “cloud of unknowing.” This isn’t ignorance in the modern sense, but the divine paradox that the closer we get to God, the less we can say.

"We must leave behind all language and symbols, and even rise above all knowledge, to plunge into the darkness where God dwells."

This is radical, Fanus. It says that God is not simply beyond what we know—He is beyond what we can know.

This "via negativa" (negative way) became foundational for Christian mystics like Meister Eckhart, John of the Cross, and even modern contemplatives like Thomas Merton.

It’s a path of surrender. A stripping away. Like peeling an onion layer by layer, until only tears and truth remain.

2. Hierarchy as Sacred Order, Not Power

Both The Celestial Hierarchy and The Ecclesiastical Hierarchy describe the angelic and church orders—not as political systems but as patterns of divine energy flowing downward from the One to the many.

For Dionysius, hierarchy isn’t about control or dominance. It’s about reflection. Just as the moon reflects the sun, each level of creation reflects Divine Light in its own way.

Imagine sunlight passing through stained glass. The colors are different, but the Light is one.

This vision influenced not only theology but also art, architecture, and liturgy throughout the Middle Ages.

3. God as the Super-Essential “One”

In The Divine Names, he meditates on the names we give to God: Goodness, Beauty, Wisdom, Power. But then he gently deconstructs them all.

God is not just “good” like your favorite dessert or a moral person. God is super-good, beyond-good—so much so that our language fails.

God is:

  • Not a being among beings, but Being Itself.

  • Not merely present in creation, but the Source and Ground of all existence.

  • Not limited to any image or doctrine, but found in silence, stillness, and surrender.

Doesn’t this sound familiar, Fanus? It echoes the Kabbalistic Ein Sof, the Tao that cannot be named, and the Buddhist Sunyata (emptiness full of potential).

4. Darkness That Is Light

His famous phrase “divine darkness” has inspired countless mystics. For Dionysius, darkness is not the absence of light—but the fullness of light beyond the eyes' ability to perceive.

It’s like staring at the sun—too bright to see, it appears dark.

So too, God is so infinitely radiant that He appears as mystery.

This is not the darkness of despair, but the darkness of intimacy—the lover’s hidden embrace, the womb of creation, the silence before the Word.

A Modern-Day Metaphor: The Candle in the Cave

Imagine you’re deep in a cave. You light a candle. It gives just enough light to see your hand in front of your face, and maybe a little path.

That candle is your spiritual insight—your ideas, beliefs, experiences.

But then you start to sense something beyond the flicker. A vastness. A silence so thick it vibrates. You blow out the candle, and only then do your eyes adjust to something deeper.

This is what Pseudo-Dionysius calls us to: not more light, but a different kind of seeing.

His Legacy: The Father of Christian Mysticism

Though he never gave sermons or founded a monastery, Pseudo-Dionysius became one of the cornerstones of Christian contemplative thought. His writings shaped:

  • The Desert Fathers and Eastern Orthodox hesychasm (stillness prayer),

  • Meister Eckhart, Julian of Norwich, The Cloud of Unknowing,

  • Thomas Aquinas, who quotes Dionysius more than any other source outside of Scripture,

  • And even interfaith dialogues today between Christianity, Buddhism, Sufism, and Vedanta.

He taught the Church to be silent enough to listen, humble enough to admit not-knowing, and brave enough to enter the darkness where God dwells in unapproachable light.

Why Pseudo-Dionysius Still Matters Today

In a noisy world obsessed with certainty, opinions, and identity, Dionysius invites us to:

  • Step into sacred mystery instead of chasing answers,

  • Embrace unknowing as a higher form of knowledge,

  • See creation as a divine ladder leading back to the Source,

  • Practice humility, not as weakness, but as the doorway to divine union.

Whether you’re sitting on your meditation cushion, reading scripture, walking in nature, or holding a grieving friend’s hand—the teachings of Dionysius whisper: God is here. Hidden. Present. Waiting in the quiet spaces.

Final Reflection

“Let us be silent so we may hear the whispers of the divine.” — Pseudo-Dionysius (paraphrased)

As you move through your day, try this simple practice inspired by him:

  1. Find a quiet spot.

  2. Close your eyes.

  3. Let go of every image you have of God.

  4. Let go even of the desire to understand.

  5. Just be.

And there, in that gentle letting go, perhaps—like Dionysius—you’ll sense that the darkness is not empty. It is full of presence.

Resources & Further Reading

  • Books:

    • Pseudo-Dionysius: The Complete Works (Paulist Press, Classics of Western Spirituality)

    • The Cloud of Unknowing (inspired by Dionysian thought)

    • The Mystic Theology – online translation here

  • Modern Commentaries:

    • The Darkness of God: Negativity in Christian Mysticism by Denys Turner

    • Christian Mystics: 108 Seers, Saints and Sages by Carl McColman (short bios)

  • Your own reflection:

    • What does “knowing God through unknowing” mean to you?

    • Where do you experience sacred mystery in your life?

With Stillness and Light,
Fanus du Plooy
Spiritual Life Coach | Blogger | Guide through Transitions
📞 084 518 6780 | 🌐 fanusduplooy.blogspot.com
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