Pseudo-Dionysius and the Metaphysics of Aquinas [Paperback]

Fran O'Rourke (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 3, 2005

"This is one of the two or three most important books on Aquinas published in the last fifty years." —Alasdair MacIntyre, University of Notre Dame

Although Pseudo-Dionysius was, after Aristotle, the author whom Thomas Aquinas quoted most frequently, surprisingly little attention has been paid to the role of this Neoplatonist thinker in the formation of Aquinas' philosophy. Fran O'Rourke's book is the only available work that investigates the pervasive influence of Pseudo-Dionysius, yet the profound originality of Aquinas. Central themes discussed by O'Rourke include knowledge of the absolute, existence as the first and most universal perfection, the diffusion of creation, the hierarchy of creatures, and their return to God as final end. O'Rourke devotes special attention to the Neoplatonist element in Aquinas' notion of "being" as intensity or degree of perfection. He also considers the relation of being and goodness in light of Aquinas' nuanced reversal of Dionysius' theory of the primacy of the good; and Aquinas' arguments for the transcendental nature of goodness. The University of Notre Press is pleased to make this significant work available for the first time in paperback.

Editorial Reviews

Review

". . . [C]ertain to remain for many decades or more the standard work in an extraordinarily difficult area. . . ." -- International Journal of Philosophical Studies

". . . substantial and detailed analysis of the texts of both authors . . . an invaluable work of reference for students. . . ." -- International Philosophical Quarterly

"A truly magnificent study." -- Angelicum

"The book's footnotes constitute a terrific, topically arranged guide to the primary sources." -- Speculum

Language Notes

Text: English, Greek, Latin --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 328 pages
• Publisher: University of Notre Dame Press; New edition edition (November 3, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0268037248
• ISBN-13: 978-0268037246
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,033,998 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good monograph exploring the relationship between two key thinkers, March 6, 2007

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Greg (Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pseudo-Dionysius and the Metaphysics of Aquinas (Paperback)

Many students of Aquinas know quite well his intimate aquinatance with Aristotle, and often (mistakenly) see Aquinas only as a follower of Aristotle and his Philosophy. But Aquinas was also open to the Platonic heritage in Philosophy, as mediated through the East by Dionysius the Aeropagite, and through the West by St Augustine.

Aquinas wrote a number of works commenting on Neo-Platonic philosophy and Neo-Platonic Christian philosophy, including the Aeropagite's theological work on the names given to God in the Bible, called 'The Divine Names.'

O'Rourke's book draws out the connections between the thought of Aquinas and Dionysius, and the influence Dionysius had on the thought of Aquinas. Aquinas cites Dionysius very frequently in many of his works, accepting him as a substantial authority, but at times Aquinas also differs from Dionysius (and also John Damascene, the other great Eastern influence on his thought). Aquinas however develops a lot of Dionysius's apophatic theology in exploring God as transcendant or absolute Being, while jettisoning some of the more extravagant Neo-Platonic ideas, such as Being simply being another of the creations of the unnameable One beyond all names, categories, definitions and forms. While Aquinas seems prepared to accept God as an absolute mystery whose essence cannot be known as it is, he seems somewhat apprehensive about veiling God's being so far behind apophaticism we can't say anything at all accurately in our language which gives us any understanding of God.

Aquinas instead sees God as the infinite perfection and actuality of Being, the infinitely perfect Being in which all things exist in their fullness and beauty and actuality, with no need for any further 'potentiality' or assimilation into the divine. At many points Aquinas gets rather technical, but his understanding of God has a beautiful and convincing feeling of concreteness about it in giving us a sense of what experiencing God may actually be like, whereas Dionysius seems to make God so remote and mysterious and inaccessible in his transcendance (even in the incarnation) one feels at times as though this God is somewhat like the 'grey tea' C.S. Lewis mockingly observed when he was told God was infinite, incomprehensible and formless, shrouded forever in totally obscure mystery.

Yet Aquinas does not ditch the mystery of God and in fact tries to enhance and maintain it, as he felt Dionysius properly observed, while ensuring we can talk about God in a meaningful way using human language.

This monograph is a useful work for any student of Christian Neo-Platonic thought and mysticism, as well as theologians or philosophers interested in either of these thinkers.